Around London

Sept. 4th -- We decided to head out this morning to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. The "process" starts around 11am so we arrived at the Palace around 10:30. It was already very crowded next to the gates, but we had read the best viewing spot was on the steps of the Victoria Monument across the street. We headed over and found a spot where the kids could sit up on a ledge and see. After about 30 minutes a band came marching in and provided some "actions" that the kids had been wanting. It was a little hard to see the actual changing taking place. Another band came marching in a little later. The changing process then took place and the band set up to perform a little concert. By that point, it was almost noon and the kids had seen about all that they wanted to see. We decided to head to the nearby Texas Embassy Restaurant for another good Tex-Mex lunch. We had planned to go back to Buckingham Palace to tour the actual Palace, but the kids were looking for something a little more entertaining. We decided to go to Madame Tussaud's wax museum. While Amy and I were not initially excited about this, we decided it would be fun for the kids. However, I must say, it turned out to be much more fun than we expected. Of course there were all the wax figures, but they were stationed in themed rooms that created some fun picture opportunities. Abby enjoyed taking her picture with Troy from HSM and Hannah Montana. Austin enjoyed the sports room and getting to kick a football (soccer ball). There was also a ride that the kids enjoyed. Surprisingly we spent a couple of hours inside and everyone had a good time.