Sightseeing and Hamilton. That’s all we did today.

We started out on the Tube heading to Buckingham Palace. In the “old days” we had to buy a daily or weekly pass for the Tube; it was always well worth it. Today we couldn’t figure out the ticket machine so I asked an attendant for guidance. Well… they have a new system using Google Pay that allows the passenger to tap their phone (with a credit card enabled) as they enter and leave the Tube system. The attendant said that the “system” would determine the best pricing approach at the end of the day. It was so fast and easy!

We saw the changing of the guard, walked down to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, looked at whatever bridge was crossing the river, and then headed for the Tower of London. On the way, we passed through the Cannon Street stop and I just had to grab a selfie. At the Tower of London, the line to see the Crown Jewels was just too long so we tagged into a tour given by an absolutely hysterical Yeoman Warder (aka “Beefeater”). He jammed a ton of history into a very funny, and captivating story. From there it was on to the White Tower (c 1080) which none of us had visited before. It was a vast collection of military artifacts and very well done. Next was a trip to the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula that included three queens of England: Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Jane Grey, all of whom were executed within the Tower in the 16th century.

A quick shot of the Tower Bridge and The Shard and we were headed back home on the Tube for lunch and naps to gear up for… Hamilton!

Mae and I have seen Hamilton several times, but Dennis and Diane had not. What a treat. The cast was super talented, the staging was just as we had seen before, and the audience was more engaged that we had seen at any other performance.

Because we had not eaten dinner, we opted for some snacks we picked up earlier in the day. In keeping with weird flavors (see Venice and the Fried Egg crisps—not chips) we tried two more. The Prawn Cocktail flavor was a hit. We don’t know what it tasted like—it wasn’t shrimp cocktail—but it was our favorite.

Tomorrow is our last day in London before Dennis and Diane head back to San Francisco. We leave on Monday.