Today was incredibly busy with two tours and many sights to see in the span of one afternoon! Needless to say, our feet are now very sore, even though our spirits are ever lifted.
       In the morning, we experienced a coach tour conducted by a peppy and knowledgeable lady where we saw many key London landmarks including: Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace and several more. We got out on two occasions--to take pictures at the abbey and to witness the end of the changing of the guard at the palace. Both were many times more awe-inspiring to view in person than any mere picture.
       After the tour some of us elected to stay in Central London since we had a tour of the Houses of Parliament (aka Palace of Westminster) soon after. We got some lunch and then spent an hour in the grand buildings. The picture to the right is from the outside of Parliament after we exited. 
       An interesting aspect of this jaunt into the center of London was that a huge protest (75,000 strong!) was going on just outside and we had to weave through the masses of people to get onto the very congested Tube. We did eventually return to the flat to decompress for several hours of well-deserved rest. Ended the night with a trip to another nearby pub "The Prince of Wales," for an evening drink. I am excited to try some more traditional pubs elsewhere, since these ones are part of a single chain and tomorrow I plan to visit several museums for a day of viewing and sketching!
          NOTE: Much more drawings will be posted in the future--just got to play some catch up! Cheers!