Her Majesty's a Pretty Nice Girl

Hi - I don't have much time to catch up so I'm just going to do a summary of the stuff that we've seen and done.

Jude and I decided to take a Beatles adventure in and around London. We first took a bus to "The London Beatles Store" but it was closed when we got there. So, we wasted some time in the Sherlock Holmes museum/gift shop. We ended up getting lots of souveniers from here - not because I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes fan (although I've read some of the books) - but because there was some really cool stuff there! I'm a sucker for Christmas ornaments or anything that can act like a Christmas ornament, like key chains!

After we spent too much money at Sherlock Holmes, we went back next door to the Beatles Store. Talk about Heavon on Earth for me!! I couldn't believe all the stuff they had crammed into this tiny little store! So, Jude and I looked around and pretty much bought out the entire store. I'm not kidding. We got so carried away I actually had to ship the stuff back to the States because there was no way it would fit into our suitcases! We went into a couple other shops called "Elvisly Yours" and "It's Only Rock-n-Roll" but it was easier to restrain myself (although both shops got a small amount of pounds).

Jude and I tried to walk to Abbey Road where the Abbey Road Studios are. This is the place that the Beatles recorded most of their albums. We got lost several times and had to ask for directions about 3 times before we found it. But once we found it, it was very obvious because there were several people there crossing the street like the Beatles did on the album cover. It was funny because people were trying to take pictures in the middle of the street and it is a busy little street! People in cars were honking constantly for people to get out of the way and I heard one guy from Germany (or somewhere) who was taking a picture yell an explitive in English that I won't repeat here. Anyway, after much patience and many tries, I took several pictures of Jude crossing the road and she got some pictures of me crossing also. It was a magical feeling just being there in the same spot that the Beatles were at! We wrote our names on the graffiti'd wall that is outside the studio.

The last time I was at Abbey Road, the gate to the studio was closed. So, it was a nice surprise to find that the gate was open this time. So, we just walked right into the parking lot and started taking pictures in front of the studio's door. I was thinking that we would get kicked out at any minute, but some guy was sitting inside watching us the entire time and let us take pictures. It was a really crazy, insane and amazing experience. We were sitting on the same steps that the Beatles walked on!!!

We went to the original Hard Rock Cafe in London to have dinner and once again, I spent too much money on crap. I don't know what it is about rock-n-roll, but I seem to forget about my bank account after awhile! :)