day fifteen: london

Today we are hitting some sights with the whole group. It is a miserable day with constant rain and a lot chillier than the reports said it would be. I get scolded over and over for leaving my hat and "muff" behind.

• We meet Shawn and Anna in the lobby of the Zetter at 8:45 am, an early morning for us, especially after all the drinks with them the night before.
  
• Next, we meet Reid at the nearest Tube stop and decide to hit Starbucks for a warm-up and tuck into some muffins before heading to the London Eye.
  
• Tube to Embankment, the jog across a bridge spanning the river to the London Eye for a rainy, bird's-eye view of London.
  
• Boat ride, boat ride, boat ride up the Thames to the Tower of London.
  
• Since Shawn and Anna did the Tower a few days prior, we all head across the Tower Bridge to possibly check out the London Dungeon, a cheesy, haunted house-type attraction showcasing terrible things in London's past. The line is WAY too long. The others break off to satisfy some shopping desires.
  
• Robin and I find a great pub in which we warm up over veggie pie, veggie bangers and mash, a pint of bitter, and a cuppa...
  
• We tube it back under the river to the Tower of London where we (along with getting soaked all over again) see the old armories (shining armor, swords, etc.), the crown jewels, torture chambers, and of course, the giant ravens.
  
• Back to the hotel for a rest before meeting the gang for dinner.
  
• We had to Soho with Shawn and Anna and discover Mantra, a great, all-veggie Indian restaurant where they make some dishes with Quorn, my favorite chicken substitute. No complaints about lack of flavor here.
  
• We are all kinda pooped, so we head back to the hotel with one small detour into a quickie grocery so Shawn can finally try out the fabulous "Kit Kat Chunky", a true European delicacy.
  

That's it for today, y'all.
Gavin