UNITED KINGDOM #22: ANOTHER DAY IN LOVELY LONDON

It was our last day in this lovely city, and we made the most of it!  The morning was beautiful—perfect weather for a cable car ride over the River Thames and a walk along its banks.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Following our cable car ride, Marc took us on a walking tour along the bank of the River Thames:

Old Royal Navy College
Tunnel under the River Thames

Our group had enjoyed the views of the River Thames and city from up above, so we followed it by taking in views of the city from a cruise boat.  It was during our cruise that we could see our beautiful blue skies were about to turn cloudy—and wet.  But it didn’t last long.  We took cover under an overhang, continued enjoying the views, and then the skies cleared once again.  Mother Nature was good to us for our final day in this magnificent city!

We spent the remainder of the afternoon walking through the city, by way of St. James Park:

Pelicans were first introduced to St. James’s Park in 1664 as a gift from the Russian Ambassador. This was the start of a long royal tradition for collecting exotic and unusual wildfowl. Today, over 30 species of waterfowl still breed on the lake.

Following our group’s farewell dinner, Bruce and I spent our final night of the tour taking in the city lights in London’s West End Theatre District.  We had walked a lot during the day, and did a lot more as we made our way from the Thistle Marble Arch Hotel, through the West End to Picadilly Circus, the theatre district, Chinatown, and back to our hotel.  What a wonderful way to wrap up the post-extension of our tour—the first of two back-to-back tours and post-extensions with Overseas Adventure Travel!

Seeing an Etsy ad on the side of this double-decker caught us by surprise! Bruce has a shop on Etsy at http://www.CookedGlassCreations.Etsy.com
Picadilly Circus
Jumbotrons with advertisements were so bright, they lit up the buildings of Picadilly Circus.
M&M Store Entrance…
…and the Lego store
That’s Bruce behind the wheel of this car (incredibly!) made of Legos.

Next up: UNITED KINGDOM #23: MEMORIES OF THE U.K., A SLIDE SHOW BY ELAINE KRUGMAN

UNITED KINGDOM #20: LOVELY LONDON

London really is a lovely city.  I had visited once before with Bruce, my mom, and sister, before embarking on a cruise, and we had a wonderful time.  This would be a different experience, exploring with our small group and on our own during our free time.  We were excited!

The Thistle Marble Arch Hotel, at the West End, was our base for our final four nights of the tour.  Marc and a local guide led us on a walking tour the morning of our first full day, taking us by the iconic highlights of the city: Buckingham Palace, St. James Park, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, and Tower Bridge.  The local guide left us there, and we continued with Marc to see his alma mater, the University of London.

Rather than return to tour the interior of any of the places we saw during our walking tour, we opted to just walk the city and continue enjoying the sights, sounds, and skyline of London.

(For all photos, click on the image for a full screen view.)

Buckingham Palace
St. James Park
Westminster Abbey
Westminster School
Big Ben
Tower of London
Tower Bridge
George Frideric Handel lived in the home on the right in 1723 and died there. Jimi Henrix lived in the home on the left (1968 – 1969). I can only imagine what the classical composer would have thought of rocker Jimi if they had been neighbors at the same time!

Next up: UNITED KINGDOM #21: CHARMING CAMBRIDGE