Oh Bloody Hell, It Is a Downpour!

After a traditional British breakfast of baked beans, scrambled eggs (looked and tasted like space food), a sausage, a stewed tomato and bacon (more like a chunk of ham, way to go Brits!!), we headed to Tate Britain.  It is an art museum which is highlighting the romantics, such as Turner and Blake.  Quite interesting though, was the fact that a huge airplane was hanging from the ceiling on a thin little wire, almost like a Christmas ornament. The museum was interesting and it was impossible not to smile at the pretentious little grins in the portraits of great English monarchy (God Save The Queen)!

After seeing the very brown Thames River, we decided to do the traditional touristy things. We took a stroll through St. James Park, checked out Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and Buckingham Palace and then walked through Picadilly Circus, checked out the local shopping.  Thankfully our college budgets stopped us from buying anything but a cupcake at one of the greatest clothing stores in all of London, possibly the whole world, Topshelf.  Self-control at its greatest!

We were making our way home when it started drizzling, generally not much of a concern to us Northwest girls, especially after surviving the "storm" of yesterday.  Slowly but surely, it started raining harder and harder, and it came to the point where there would be not better description than referring to it as a hurricane-like torrential downpour.  Okay okay, a little dramatic, but it was raining awfully hard.  I finally gave in and bought an umbrella.  After spotting a Starbucks, I felt obligated by my personal unwavering loyalty to stop in and get my favorite drink.  All was right in the world until I stepped outside, opened the umbrella and it broke. Sigh... note to self, spend more than $8.00 on an umbrella when it is basically monsoon season (dramatic, I know, but true).

We walked allllll the way home, about two more miles, enjoying Hyde Park, juggling our Starbucks, my slightly useless umbrella, and as well as attempting to shield that cupcake from the damn rain.
 

After grabbing dinner from the local market, I settled back in the room.  Who knows what tomorrow may bring...