This morning saw the group leaving from the Gare du Nord in Paris and arriving at St. Pancras Station in London. Of course, the British Passport Control officers at the Gare Du Nord had to take the opportunity to have a little fun with a group of American Tourists. I got involved in a game of twenty questions with a very straight-faced officer. After a couple of minutes of interrigation he laughed and said, "You have sufficiently impressed me with your knowledge. You may pass." You have to love that British sense of humor.
Two and a half hours later we arrived in London. After dropping our luggage at the hotel and grabbing a quick bite to eat, we boarded the bus for an afternoon sightseeing tour of London. The highlight of the tour was a trip through Christopher Wren's masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral. St. Paul's is only the fifth church to occupy this site. It owes it's current incarnation to the Great Fire of 1666. The destruction of the old cathdral gave the monarchy the opportunity to create a new church that was less "Catholic" and more "Anglican" in it's design and appearance. Wren's massive church, with it's 356 foot tall dome (one foot for every day of the year) was completed in a mere 34 years. This was quite a feat, considering the fact that it took over 200 years to finish Notre Dame in Paris.
Tomorrow we are scheduled to take a bicycle tour of Hyde Park and St. James's Park in the morning. In the afternoon we are booked to visit Hampton Court Palace and Gardens, the home of Henry VIII and the Tudor monarchs.
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