Day 2 and 3 of our journey in merry old England has been very eventful, some positive, some negative. As in all vacations, some disappoint can occur, and in our case, it has a few times. It seems that a decision I made a few years back was justified and as such, I am further going to make the decision that I will not travel with family (or certain members of family) ever again.

Thus begins the story. We awoke at a good time on the first full day of the trip and went on to make our way to Trafalgar Square. Being that it was the weekend, the London Underground had a few lines that were closed for construction, which made travel to certain parts of town convoluted, or just plain inaccessible by other than foot. We finally arrived and had ourselves a grand view of the square, taking in all the sights and sounds of London on a Sunday. The bells of the churches nearby were ringing, and the crowd thick with tourists wanting to take photos and other opportunities.

We had attempted to make sense of a mad we had on hand to no avail. Nothing in London makes sense, and attempting to find north or gather your bearings was practically an exercise in futility. After an aggravating attempt, I realized after getting angry at my parents, that I had my phone with GPS and Google maps. Needless to say we got to our destination: The Original London City Tour Visitor’s Center.  We purchased our tickets for the tour and a few attractions, and made our decision on what and how we would be able to fully utilize this opportunity.

In short order, the whole thing fell apart. We got on the tour, which was great, and decided after we had toured the city twice (in different areas) to stop for lunch. Originally, the plan called for us to hop on another bus on the tour lines (there are 4-5 routes) and continue the tour. Well, my father wanted to walk instead and we took a detour across the Thames to get on the London Eye. Mind you, the tickets were valid for 7 days and we had planned to go the following day, but it was insisted we go at that moment.  For a giant Ferris wheel, the view was really nice, although the warped Plexiglas bubble shape made it hard to take pictures.We ended up walking some more, this time over the Westminster Bridge. After a short while, it was then decided that we attempt to catch another tour bus, but lo and behold, the time had run out and the final tour had just passed us. All in all, we wasted the tour tickets and only got to see half of London.

So we continue walking and look at some of the older buildings, pass by Whitehall and 10 Downing street (PM’s residence/office) and found ourselves in the Winston Churchill War Cabinet Memorial. It was a very detailed look at the war room used during WWII and had an audio tour that was very interesting. There were some pictures here and there, including one of Hitler in Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the background on the day he marched into Paris. There was also a lot of memorabilia and items that Churchill used and owned and even had details of his life from the house he was born in and every one he lived since, to the decorations and achievements he received, to the fateful letters that politically burned him from the PM’s office after 1945. All around, a very interesting exhibit, and one that should be seen.

After a few more sites, we headed back to the hotel where we prepared for the following night, and went off to sleep. The day was very eventful and we had a lot to see, although out of the original order which left us not utilizing the tickets and tours to thier full extent. It also made me so tired from the walking that I nearly just passed out after having dinner.

On to day 3…