Two broads abroad, Letchworth's last day in London

How is it even possible to pack so much into one day when all I do back home is watch back-to-back-to-back re-runs of "How I Met Your Mother?" This morning seems so far away as we were greeted with a very un-American-style continental breakfast. I once felt like I'd won the lottery at a motel that sported "Hostess Twinkies" as the main component of their advertised "continental breakfast." Fresh , warm croissants (NOT the Pillsbury version) with real butter with waitress service beside. Note to self: When ordering scrambled eggs in London, respond to the polite inquiry of "Would you care for tomatoes as well?" with a "no" as you will receive tomato puree with your eggs. My brown hard-boiled egg brought to mind my time in Nantucket but they'd been cooked Deb Mehlenbacher-style, who enjoys torturing me by leaving the yolk in a gelatinous state, so needless to say, I only nibbled the white part.

We mastered the metro (the Tube) and headed first to Buckingham Palace to let the Queen know we'd arrived. On the lovely walk to Westminster Abbey, we encountered road signs that inspired inappropriate giggling among the more immature of us:  "No humping next 1/4 mile." Naturally, our attention was immediately drawn to a pair of crows copulating right next to us. Fortunately, Westminster Abbey commanded a more solemn tone. Sadly, re-enactments of Princess Di's bridal walk down the aisle are frowned upon and I didn't dare try to sneak a pic of William Wilberforce's memorial for my favorite little guy, William Sigmon. Syd and I considered rubbings instead but noticed a marked lack of humor so we tried to maintain a bit of dignity during our visit.

While waiting for everyone to assemble for the next leg of our day's journey, people headed over to a nearby

Duran Duran look-alike pictured here, in yellow

snack vendor. "No, Sydney," I said firmly, "we don't need to eat every single sec...oh my gosh, they have Nutella waffles! Get over there!" From Westminster Abbey, we headed to the National Gallery to scamper over the massive lion statues. The teens in our group fearlessly climbed up the sculptures and I watched with amusement and consternation as two of our girls, Cierra and Morgan, were assisted by a look-alike member of Duran-Duran, who was more than happy to give them a "hand." I took a picture for their mothers and then made preparations to blow my safety whistle if needed. Inspired by Winston Churchill's famous exhortation to "Never never never put the camera away," it has rarely left my hand since we've gotten here.

As much as Syd and I enjoy art, we made our visit to the Gallery brief, closely inspecting just a couple of pieces, including "Achilles's horses," before grabbing a snack and heading out to enjoy the plaza for some people-watching. We certainly weren't encountering the bleak, dreary, fog-shrouded London of Dicken's description. Instead, I was afraid we'd get a sun-burn sitting there!

From the Gallery, we divided up with some going to Kensington Gardens while my and Syd's group went to the British Museum. We were getting pretty tired by now but made a valiant effort to get to the upper floor exhibit to see Syd's mummies but eventually diverted to a snooty museum restaurant to split some sorbet. I experimented with some dandelion and burdock fizzy soda which was interesting. Sydney went to get our way-over-due bill and was told to "sit down" whereupon I threatened to throw a great big o' American fit but we got the bill so I calmed down. With the clock ticking, Syd and I prioritized our viewing, finding the Rosetta Stone first and then a bunch of artifacts from the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World. I loved teaching that lesson in 6th grade and was disappointed that Sydney had no recollection of it until she saw an illustrated diagram of the structure. "Didn't you have us put together a paper model of this," she said, wrinkling her nose at the memory. Yes!

We sat outside on the steps of the museum for a bit watching pornographic pigeons before heading over to Piccadilly Circus where, disappointingly, we didn't see ANY elephants. Another round of eating...Syd and I found a little cafe that served Caprese salad and we shared a chocolate eclair. The journey to the restroom was fraught with peril...down a narrow stairwell, along a dim passageway lined with questionable doors...I believe there may have been a naked lightbulb looming from the spotty ceiling with the chain swinging like an ominous pendulum counting down the seconds before we were "taken."

We reunited with our group to head to the London Eye, the great Ferris wheel along the river Thames that overlooks the city. We rode in an enclosed capsule to see London lit up. Back on the ground, we watched with some trepidation as a gang of 6th graders brawled in the street until their somewhat-responsible adults intervened. Navigating the several "Tube" lines, we limped slowly home. My roomies and I crawling up the final steps leading to our tower bedroom. Tomorrow...Normandy.