Today was Tour de France day in London, and we watched the best athletes in the world cycle past Buckingham Palace. It really was an interesting and exciting experience. We took the tube to London about noon and wandered through St. James Park, sat on the grass and watched the big screen showing the cyclists as they began the tour in Cambridge. They rode through fields and villages on their way to the Thames in London, past Westminster, Buckingham Palace and finishing on the Mall in London. We moved towards Buckingham Palace about two hours before the estimated finish to get a good place to stand and watch the tour finish. The cyclists rode 155 km (96 miles) today at an average speed of about 25 mph on the flats, an astonishing physical feat, actually. To think they will do this almost daily for three weeks! I'm so impressed with their athletic ability.

Before the cyclists came the parade of floats and cars . People threw small advertising items at the crowd and everyone was jumping and waving hands for the treats. It was a party in the streets with everyone waiting for the cyclists, music on the loudspeakers and periodic updates of the race. We did get a light shower about a half hour before the end of the race but it didn't dampen anyone's enthusiasm. When the race came by, everyone shouted and waved and banged on the barriers, cheering on the cyclists. It was all very exciting.

After a long and happy day, we walked down Buckingham Palace Rd to the Bag o Nails pub to have a cider and beer and bite of dinner. Well, more than a bite! It was a huge and delicious dinner and I have to stop eating, now! It's always too good. We walked a while after dinner to get some exercise. Yes, we did our 10,000 steps today. We walked by Big Ben as it was chiming the 6 pm hour, and past Westminster Abbey. That will be for another day. We strolled to Trafalgar Square and saw the statue of Admiral Nelson on the very tall column pedestal. We then passed the Houses of Parliament and saw 10 Downing Street on our way back to the Westminster subway station. It was a very good day.