Our goals for London were simple: Visit museums in the morning, score a seat at Gordon's Wine Bar at night, and enjoy an afternoon tea in between. 

Our two favorite tourist sites ended up being Westminister Abbey and the Churchill War Rooms. We also visited the Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, and Kensington Palace, all of which we toured later in the day when we were more tired and, perhaps for that reason, enjoyed a lot less.

Being in Westminister Abbey gives one the feeling of being in the center of it all. World renowned kings, queens, prime ministers, lords, ladies, generals, scientists, and poets are buried underneath its floors, and beautifully carved memorials pay tribute to their life accomplishments. The building is immense and so are the legacies of the people it holds. 

The Churchill War Rooms were much more understated. You enter down a set of nondescript stairs into a maze of rooms that were originally intended for file storage. As World War II began, the ceilings were reinforced to be able to withstand the direct impact of a 500 pound bomb. This was particularly important in the peak of the German Blitz, when the Prime Minister's residence at 10 Downing Street attracted undue attention from the German bombers. From these underground headquarters the English war cabinet, chiefs of staff, and planning committee conducted the war effort. Churchill hated to retreat underground as he felt that he was conceding some sort of moral victory to the Germans each time he did so. To compensate, he enjoyed getting out to the front lines as often as he could. Once he even relieved himself along the fighting line to let his soldiers know what he thought of the German's effort to intimidate Britain into submission. If it was up to him, he would have been the first onto the beach at the D-day invasion. The king and his wife, though, convinced him that the risk wasn't worth running.

Visiting the museum makes one wonder if leaders of that caliber exist anymore. In Churchill's case it was the moment that made the man. Perhaps leaders like Churchill are still among us, waiting for the defining moment to come.

In addition to these museums, we visited an establishment along the River Thames (pronounced "Tems"), called Gordon's Wine Bar. It has a wide selection of wines and cheeses and a small selection of tables. If you stand around and hover long enough, you can score a coveted table and then enjoy the wine and cheese at your leisure. Carly is so good at getting us where we need need to be, whether it be the right train or the right table. It was due to her effort, and maybe how cute she is, that we scored a prized table in a cave lit only by candles. It was definitely a highlight of our stay in London, and we'd recommend it to any visitor who might follow us. 

Finally, another experience we most enjoyed was an afternoon cream tea at Wolseley's. The scones were to die for and we both fought over the fresh strawberry jam.

We're now on a train to Belgium cruising at 334 kilometers per hour under the English Channel. We'll update you soon.