Foggy Day, In London Town!

But cheer up Francis, because in foggy London town the sun was shining, shining, shining...

Tower Bridge...not London Bridge

Indeed, Melinda and I have been in London for a bit, a truly wonderful city.  And having been to a few musicals whilst there, I am able to verify that British people can dance.  And jive.  And have the time of their life.  


We took in quite a bit of the city.  For those planning a visit, please remember that the Tower Bridge is very different from London Bridge.  Opened in the late 1800s, Tower Bridge was once painted chocolate brown; in 1977 it was painted red, white, and blue for the Queen's Silver Jubilee.  London Bridge looks like, well, a bridge.

White Tower, Tower of London

This view of the Tower Bridge was from The Tower of London.  The Tower of London often conjures images of torture and pain, and calls to mind stories of terror and imprisonment.  To be sure, some people were imprisoned and tortured, but by and large not that many people actually suffered within the confines of the tower.  Its history is quite long in the tooth, beginning with William the Conqueror in 1066 after the Battle of Hastings.

Having a coughing spell...

One of the most (in my opinion) interesting elements of the Tower is the ravens.  Legend states that should the six resident ravens ever leave the Tower, it and the kingdom will fall.  Charles II (of the Stuart family...the same as James VI) was the first monarch to insist upon their permanent residence.  Apparently - even with having one wing clipped - they do from time to time go missing.  One turned up in Cornfield County...

While in London, Melinda and I were the victims of a rather unsavory incident.  To place the story in a nutshell, this man attempted to dance with Melinda and we had to, shall we say, set the situation right.  

Look out Junior dos Santos!

You will see to that indeed, this man thought that he was at liberty to dance with Melinda.  I did not take kindly to this, and decided to use my extensive MMA training to defuse the situation.  Not to be outdone, Melinda decided to exhibit her fists of fury.

The result was a punch-drunk Londoner and many amazed bystanders.  And if anyone is wondering: yes, it is very easy to recognize an American.  Just look at our khaki trousers...dead giveaway. 

I thought I saw a bear with a jar of marmalade...