I can't believe our journey is nearly half way over -- it has been amazing thus far! This morning started  with a  brief walking tour of Salisbury Cathedral which was across from our hotel. Afterwards, we set off to see the famous world heritage site -- Stonehenge. The site was filled with people from all over the world --  we easily heard more than a half dozen languages spoken! We know our ancestors would have ridden past Stonehenge on their way to London in 1762, but there is no documentation of them stopping there to see the site.
    After leaving Stonehenge, we departed for London, which is where we will remain for the rest of our journey. During this time, our tribal representatives went on to Parliament to have tea with the Speaker of the House of Commons, Mr. John Bercow. All went well as the representatives exchanged gifts and recognized the historical importance of what the Cherokees were commemorating.  Later that afternoon, our group went to the Mansion House, home to the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of London, Alderman David Wootton and his wife Liz. We were given a private tour of the home, and even saw the vault filled with exquisite gold and silver pieces (no photos allowed!).
     The original Cherokee delegation also stopped at the Mansion House when they visited in 1762.  I wonder how much it has changed since they were there? After the tour, our Cherokee tribal representatives  exchanged gifts with the Lord Mayor of London and Corey sang another song in Cherokee. While we were there for the meeting, Stephen Fry, the wildly popular BBCTV personality, was also there with his crew filming a piece on the Mansion House, and surprisingly recorded our delegation and gift presentation. Stephen was very interested in Cherokee history and the importance of this occasion being celebrated 250 years later. This was a delightful surprise and couldn't have worked out better if it was planned. We aren't sure if and when the footage will be aired, but we'll keep you posted !
    After our wonderful experience at the Mansion House, we witnessed first-hand rush hour traffic in a city of four million people - no wonder they walk and don't bother with cars! We arrived at the Thistle Euston Hotel for the evening and everyone enjoyed dinner on their own. We are all getting rested up for an early breakfast meeting at the Foreign Office tomorrow with Mr. Alistair Burt!
     Stay tuned for more, but for now, Cheers from London!
Lauren