Day 2 in London: Wet and Wild

Let me start with a couple disclaimers:
- This post has nothing to do with a wet t-shirt contest.
- I'm tired and should be sleeping (I totally typed shleeping first), so I can't be held responsible for the quality of the writing.
- We are no longer going to Brighton (thanks Mom!).  There's just too much to do and see in London.

The mounted guard, his horse, myself, and a random woman.

For our second day in London we took advantage of the last few hours of our bus pass to do a walking tour that followed the changing of the guard.  We saw the mounted guard, then walked from St. James Palace to Wellington Barracks to see the guard change over.

The changing of the mounted guard.

It was exciting, fast paced, and our guide was awesome.  We didn't actually see the full exchange in front of Buckingham as it was very crowded, but our tour guide assured it we weren't missing too much.

Changing of the guard from Buckingham Palace, led by the band.

After the tour we walked back towards Hyde Park.  Unfortunately we had to make a quick stop by the for a costume change.  Fortunately, the hotel is 10 minutes from Hyde Park.

Birds in a drizzly Hyde Park.

Once we made it back to Hyde Park we set off to follow the Princess Diana Memorial Walk.  The first 15 minutes were wet, as in pouring rain.  It was lovely.  The only upside was the emptiness of the park.  I actually ended up taking my glasses off and walking around in a foggy daze.

Part of the Diana Memorial Fountain.

Along the walk we saw the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, the Serpentine, and a lot of birds.  Also, dogs are apparently allowed to roam off-leash in much of the park, except near water as a few birds have met with an untimely death because of it.

Kensington Palace (currently under construction to remodel) and gardens.

We made our way through Hyde Park to Kensington Gardens and finally the Orangery at Kensington Palace for tea.  It was delicious and the building was beautiful.

Mini orange tree at our table--so cute!

More tea!

After partially drying out at the Orangery, we finished our tour of the park with visits to fountains and the Peter Pan statue.  Our timing for leaving the park was perfect as a major concert was just opening for the evening.

Peter Pan!

We had time to stop by our hotel for a rest (and a shower for me) before heading to dinner at the Jagged Hare and to see Billy Elliot at the Victoria Theatre.  The show was amazing!  Loved it times a million!

At Victoria Theatre.

Now we're back, having planned our day tomorrow (and for the rest of the trip, mostly, too).  And I should be sleeping, but I wanted to blog should I wouldn't fall behind.

Dedication people.


P.S.  A picture of my new shoes, since a few people asked.