If the protestors are not snarly traffic and creating closures in Central London…then it’s the fact that there was a Half Marathon running race going on today! Good day for a run…just not for me. I have sights to see!
After getting organized this morning, we hopped on the tube and headed to London Bridge station to The Shard where at the top of 72nd floor was a fantastic viewing area – good choice since it was not raining. The Shard building includes office space, the Shangri-la Hotel and Spa, residences and restaurants. The view from the top was pretty cool although a bit cloudy.
We walked along the Queen’s Walk, that runs parallel to the Thames River, which took us past the HMS Belfast – warship from WWII - and ended up at Tower Bridge. We were able to go up to the walkways of Tower Bridge and we walked across the glass floor and saw the engine rooms that once powered the lifting and closing of the bascules of the bridge. (Now all hydraulic powered)
True story – Back in 1962, a double decker bus jumped a 3 foot gap as the bridge was opening for ships on the river. That would have been a crazy bus ride! Haha.
We found a pub for lunch (Wetherspoons), where we got a great deal – 18 pounds – and that included our rum n’ cokes!
After lunch we went to the Tower of London, also located on the bank of the Thames River. This place is a 1000 year old castle that protects the Crown Jewels. A place to explore the three sides of the Tower’s amazing story – a fortress, a palace and a prison.
A quick walk to the nearby tube station would whisk us away to continue our sightseeing extravaganza – uhhhh, nope! That tube station was closed due to weekend maintenance. Ok. Let’s walk to the next one…it’s pretty close- uhhhh, nope! That one was closed too. We then had a lovely conversation with a homeless person who sent us in the correct direction of a station that was actually open. Ahhhh – success!
Next stop – Kensington Palace – Queen Victoria was actually born in this palace back in 1819. The palace is actually divided into 2 separate areas – the public area and the side where many members of the Royal Family live, as it is an official residence. Princess Diana used to live here too.
Notting Hill – I finally got to this part of London. Who remembers the movie? We found the Travel Book Shop made famous by the movie starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. Notting Hill was a great spot to stroll down Portobello Street of multi-coloured houses and shops and even enjoy a gelato along the way.
Tube ride back to the hotel to freshen up and replenish the fluids – a.k.a. rum n’ cokes! Back out to Piccadilly Circus for a Thanksgiving meal at the St. James Tavern. We were even mistaken as locals at the pub by a couple from Tennessee…not sure why??
London. The city where they drive on the *other* side of the road – remember look left AND right before crossing and be careful when taking pictures – those red double-decked buses are pretty BIG!
Step count today: 27 446
This featured blog entry was written by moorsey88 from the blog London ~ Paris ~ Barcelona.
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