We've been very lucky with the weather on this trip. We've had mostly sunny days; any rain has been light and short, or has fallen on the last day when we're leaving anyway.

Welcome to London.

This morning we boarded an open double decker bus just in time for about six hours of solid rain. Even with the emergency ponchos provided by the bus company, we were pretty soaked in short order. And it was cold -- about 50 degrees. Nevertheless, we got in a full day on checking out London.

In an effort to get under a roof, we spent several hours at the Tower of London. This castle complex has served as a residence for English kings and queens, as well as William the Conqueror; a fortress and armoury; a notorious prison; and most recently the home to the British Crown Jewels.

It's probably best known as a prison and execution place. Sir Walter Raleigh was held here for 13 years. Henry VIII's wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, were beheaded here. Many other famous prisoners also met their end at the Bloody Tower.

It was fascinating to visit the torture chambers and prison cells, as well as the White Tower castle, which has been turned into a museum. But the high point of the visit was seeing the British Crown Jewels, including the crowns, orbs, and sceptres presented to royalty at their coronations.

By the time we were done at the Tower of London, the rain had let up a little, so we continued our bus tour of the high spots. We also took a boat ride down the Thames River, which meanders through downtown London. We've found that these bus tours are a great way to orient ourselves to the city. While everyone else is looking around at the sights, we're checking the map to see where we are, and where we want to visit later. Now that we're properly oriented, we'll do some more exploring tomorrow.

This evening, about sunset, we boarded the London Eye for its last "flight" of the evening. There are 32 observation cars on the giant wheel; each holds 25 people (there were about 10 in ours). The Eye takes 30 minutes to make a single rotation reaching a height of 443 ft. On a clear day, you can see 25 miles from the top of the Eye. The city was just lighting up for the evening as we reached the top, and the skyline was awesome. Bryan took a few (dozen) pictures, which we'll bore you with when we get home.