Long crazy day today.

Stacy and I went to Buckingham in the morning, hoping to see the changing of the guard before we went inside the palace. We saw some guards changing but there were very few of them and there were no horses or drums or anything. I don't know if it's only big when the Queen is there or what. I will make it to the real thing at least once while I'm here. After that failure we went inside the palace. It was beautiful as always. I was able to appreciate the audio guide more this time having not been so overwhelmed by the grandeur of the whole place. Stacy seemed to like it. Neither of us bought anything at the gift shop, very strange but good for our wallets.

After that we went to Oxford street and did a little shopping on our way back to the flat.

After hanging out and having some food at the flat Ellie, Dawn, Stacy and I made our way to the Ice Bar. It was pretty sweet. We didn't have reservations (didn't know you needed them) but luckily got there about two minutes before a massive line formed so we got in no problem. The whole place is kept at about -5°C so they give you a thermal poncho cape thing and some gloves (very handy since your glasses are made out of glass). The actual bar is rather small, hence the timed ticketing, but still really cool (get it?). The theme right now (it changes once a year when they bring in new ice and redesign in, coincidentally next week so I can look online to see how the new design differs) is aquatic. There were fish and squids etched inside the glass as well as some submarine like items such as portholes and a periscope. The whole thing was pretty fun and I'm glad we did it.

After that we stopped at a toy store on our way back home. It is like F.A.O. Schwartz except better. We found many of our childhood toys plus a whole section with movie memorabilia (including Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings).

Then we came back and hung out at the flat, catching up on American tv and seeing some of the other kids in our building.

Bed time. Another packed day tomorrow. I will put up pictures on facebook soon. I promise.

Night