Last but not least, part three.

Brandon got Friday (Oct. 20th) off work and we didn't waste time heading out on our 4 hour journey to London. The whole weekend was full of exciting, action packed events as you will soon discover.

Friday night was our big night in town. We went to the most amazing restaurant called Gaucho. It won the best steak restaurant award in 2006 and steak is precisely what all 3 of us ordered and devoured! We all agreed that it was the best steak we've ever eaten in our lives. After our delicious dinner, we went to the much anticipated event, The Blue Man Group. The show was wonderful and we were thoroughly entertained! If anyone gets a chance, definitely go see it.

Saturday we went to the Tower of London where the Crown Jewels are displayed. We took a tour and had a beefeater, a ceremonial guardian that lives in the Tower of London, as our guide. All 36 of the beefeaters are retired from the British armed forces and must have at least 22 years of service with good conduct, at the rank of, or equivalent to, Sergeant Major or above.

Another highlight of the trip included the London Eye, the largest observation "ferris wheel" in the world. The ride is for soaking in London's skyline. It goes nice and slow, taking a total of 30 minutes to make a complete circle. It is 443 feet high and originally was only going to be around for five years, but was then made a permanent attraction . Here's a picture of it lit up at night.

On Sunday we went to Buckingham Palace, where the queen of England lives, to watch the changing of the guard. It is a must-see activity and was fun, as always. Our time in London concluded with a stop at the British museum. It contains over seven million objects from all over the world and although we did it in 2 hours or so, it certainly can be an all day event! We headed home Sunday evening.

That was our London trip in a nutshell. On Monday Brandon had a 1/2 day of work and in the afternoon we went to the Black Sheep Brewery where we were enlightened and educated.

Before we knew it, 12 days had passed, and Bret had to leave for home Tuesday morning. Although, of course, we had to fit in one more fish and chips dinner before his departure. So that occurred on Monday night.

If you couldn't tell from the last 3 entries, we all had a blast and were so happy for Bret's visit. Many great memories were made and I know Bret had fun seeing where we've been living for a total of 8 out of the last 18 months. He learned a lot of new phrases like "hiya" and "mind the gap" that he's taken back to the U.S. and did a handful of "firsts" in his life. Thanks again Bret for coming to see us; we had a great time. 3 cheers for visitors. Hip, hip, hip hooray.

That's a wrap for this entry. Take care.
Love, L'n'B