Back to London Town

Where we stayed 36 years ago

Well we have arrived in London. Left Prague at 10 am and arrived at our hotel at about 6-00pm. We got "sort of" sorted and went for a walk to Buckingham Palace. We had to do the same thing that we did when we first arrived in London 36 years ago. Then we had accommodation in Sloane Square, quite a walk, this time our Hotel is located in Buckingham Palace Road, just down the Road from the Palace, so it was a lot easier this time :-).

Our Room

It is now 11-00pm and we are just about ready to "hit the sack", ready for three full on days in this great city. As with the "Prague" post, I will do just one post for London and add some photos each day. Here are a couple from this evening.    

Our place

Her Place

Her Guard

Her Front gate

Second day in London and it started for me with a trip to the Laundromat at 6-30am, which took a couple of hrs. You go to the Laundromat when the hotel charges you $5 to launder a pair of sox.

Sloane Gardens where we stayed in 1977

We then had breakfast and then started the day of walking, 9hrs in total. Began with a visit to Sloane Gardens where we stayed for the first few nights back in 1977, hasn't changed. It was then onto Harrods, through one of the "richer" parts of town. Fun seeing the incredible displays that they have there.

Speaks for it'self

Then we walked to The Victoria and Albert museum, where we spent an hr or so. You could spend days there too have a good look around. Had a bite to eat for lunch at the V & A museum cafe, which is quite a place,as you can see.

Harrod's entry

Branded Cakes

Then ventured down into the tube for a trip to the Portobello Road Market, great atmosphere. Back to the tube and off to Marble Arch, followed by a 4 hr walk down Oxford St, Regent St, Piccadilly Circus, The Mall, Downing St, Whitehall, Parliament Buildings, Westminster Abbey, St James Park where we fed a squirrel, Buckingham Palace and back to the hotel. Feet sore, but we saw an awful lot. Will take a bus trip tomorrow and rest the body. Just a very small "random" selection of photo's.

Victoria and Albert Entrance

V & A Cafe

Say no more

Regent St

Is Ruth holding that guards hand ?? Cheeky

Great memorial at Whitehall

Big Ben

Feeding Squirrel in St James Park

Day the started with bus tour of the city, that was disrupted because of a major cycling event that has been on this weekend. Still, we saw a lot of the city and it gave our legs a break. A part of the bus tour ticket was a boat trip down the Thames to the tower of London, so we did that next.

St Paul's

Then it was back to the legs, and we covered the following ground, Westminster, up Whitehall to Trafalgar square, on to Piccadilly circle and a look in the National Portrait gallery,  up Piccadilly to Hyde Park corner and the NZ and Aust monuments to our support of Britian in the wars, together with other war memorials - very cool.

Westminster Abbey

We had a great day of seeing more of this great city. Tonight we will do a "dummy run" from our hotel to the train station where we will depart from on Tuesday to Cambridge. Just need to make sure we can take our bags easily on the underground.

Houses of Parliament

One more day in London, so we will pick out a few things to have another look at.

Here is a selection of some of the sites that we saw today.....

And the New - The Shard

The Old - Tower of London

Tower Bridge

Trafalgar Square

Eros at Piccadilly Circus

Chocolate and Coffee shop on Picadilly

NZ Monument at Hyde Park Corner

NZ Monument

Did some Window shopping

Final day in London today and we had another combination of Bus tour, tube and lots of walking. Got caught in a downpour, at the end of the day, in the Mall as we walked back to our hotel. It was the first rain we have had in the trip so far and it caught us a little unprepared!!

Hancock's make the VC medals

We covered Piccadilly again, V & A museum, Kensington Park, British museum, etc etc just to record a few of the sites.

Albert Memorial 

Off to Cambridge tomorrow, by train, so that will be another experience, especially getting across the city by tube, with our luggage. Will let you know how we get on....

Selection of photo's from today.

Royal Albert Hall

Found the Tube

Inside the British Museum 

Rosetta Stone

Got caught in the rain