Arrival!

We arrived in London very early in the morning, and were lucky enough to be able to check into our rooms right away.  However, my two female classmates and I had no patience for naps... we headed straight out to explore the city!  (None of us had gotten much sleep on the relatively short night-flight over, so this made for a long day...) 

First stop was the London Eye, which is spectacular on a nice day.  I've done it twice before and it is still a fun thing to do!  Especially with friends who haven't seen the incredible view from 450 feet above London.  We then hopped on a double-decker bus for some touring around the city and ended up at the Tower of London - one of my personal favorites.  After a tour of the Tower with a very funny Beefeater, complete with the gruesome history, we checked out the Crown Jewels.   Lovely and opulent as always!

We finally made it back to the hotel for a tiny bit of relaxing and then dinner and fun.  (We stayed in the Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt Hotel on Cromwell Rd in Kensington, near the Gloucester Rd. Tube station.  Despite the tiny rooms, it was a very nice place in a great location.  Very close to convenient transport, Kensington Garden & Hyde Park, Harrods, etc.)  Dinner was at a small Indian restaurant near the hotel (most of our small group was looking for an early night).  Four of us chose to venture out into the city for a few pints before calling it a night around midnight.