Before we left home, we had booked several tours through Viator (see RCI Activities), including one that gave us a really good snapshot of London in a day, since we wanted to see as much of England as possible during our week in London, while still allowing for some R&R.

Our day started at Victoria Coach station, where we boarded an Evans Evans coach. Leslie, our Blue Badge tour guide, was truly awesome -- very knowledgeable and friendly. Our first stop was Westminster Abbey, where she gave us loads of information about the Abbey’s history, the architecture, and the multitudes of memorable (and some not-so-memorable) people buried there. How amazing to see the final resting places of the Unknown Warrior, Charles Darwin, Edward the Confessor, Elizabeth I, Rudyard Kipling, and many more!

From there, we went past the Parliament buildings and Big Ben to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards, which the kids thought was really neat. Then we had lunch (cost was included in the tour) at the Silver Cross pub, just around the corner from Trafalgar Square, and had a very nice beef and ale pie. After lunch, we went on a cruise of the Thames, which provided an interesting perspective from the water. We cruised past the London Eye, Parliament, Big Ben, Cleopatra’s Needle, and a number of other landmarks.

We rounded off our day with a visit to the Tower of London. What a great place for kids! We saw the ravens that are always present and where many beheadings, including those of two of Henry VIII’s wives, Anne Boleyne and Catherine Howard, took place and gawked at the Crown Jewels. The Cullinan diamond is the largest diamond in the world, and the biggest piece (over 530 carats!) is about the size of an adult’s fist and sits in the royal scepter.

Everyone had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the day. What a terrific way to start our trip!