I have been living in London since May 30, and so far it has been a whirlwind of experiences. Today was like any other day, I woke up, ate breakfast, went for a run, picked up my husband’s suit from the dry cleaners, showered, started laundry, and oh yea, watched the Tour de France 2 blocks from our apartment in London. I grabbed a spot in front a couple hours before the race was predicted to pass.

Before the race there was a small parade. It was not like the New Orleans parades I am used to by any means, but I did catch a box of tea from Yorkshire, which was perfect for me. I can do more with that than rubber bracelets and key chains. According to Evan’s coworker, it is a good tea. As part of the race went through Yorkshire this year too, the tea was one of the sponsors.

It was a great place to people watch as I waited for the cyclists. In normal London fashion, the weather was completely unpredictable and people went from wearing sunglasses and t-shirts to rain jackets and sweaters. My poor husband and his coworker, who joined me on their lunch hour, got soaked in their suits. Nonetheless, everyone waited patiently, even the police and construction workers lined up on the top of buildings to watch.

At one point we finally thought the race had started, but it was clearly a rogue cyclist, not someone who was part of the race.

Finally, the first racers appeared from around the bend.

They were very quickly followed by the masses. They were so quick that you’d miss half of it by blinking.

Right after that first herd there were two cyclists who seemed to be chatting with one another as they rode. Is it just me, or do they look more like they are buddies on an afternoon ride than racers in the Tour de France?

Other than a few stragglers, who were maybe a minute behind, the whole thing was over in about 40 seconds.

There is something magical about watching a historic sporting event in a crowd of people from all of the world with The Tower of London as the backdrop. I have taken many photos since I have been out here, and now that I have finished my Nicaragua posts, I can begin posting my adventures in Europe. I wanted to start with the Tour de France so I could be timely for once. It is late here, so I think I will turn in, but look for more on London soon. I think I will have a cup of that Yorkshire tea in the morning. Life is good.