Monday, 10 September 2012

The Wheels on the Bus...


…go round and round.  Well, I’m pretty sure that song is about a school bus, but it applies to tour buses too!

On Friday Courtney and I bought passes for The Original Tour, a hop-on hop-off bus tour of London! We figured since we had each been here for about a week or so, it was about time we saw all the main attractions of the city. 

Before we got on the bus, we went to eat at Garfunkel’s.  I was so excited to see that they had lemonade on the menu! Prepare to be disappointed.  It was sparkling lemonade that tasted a lot like Sprite.  That was just an indication of how the meal was going to go.  We went with what we thought was a safe bet, hamburgers, but they failed us.  The hamburgers here have proven time and time again to be really gross.  So, no more hamburgers until December 24th.  Chips, aka, French fries, are another matter.  London definitely knows how to make chips.  I can’t get enough of those things. 

After the less than successful lunch outing, we started our tour.  It took us around Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Big Ben, Parliament, and Tower Bridge!
We stayed on the bus for the entire loop and by the time we made it back to Trafalgar Square, we were exhausted and ready to head home. 

         
           Trafalgar Square
Big Ben, obsessed.

London Eye


Tower Bridge with the Paralympic Logo!


          
             St. Paul's Cathedral
Classic London Pic :)



Saturday, we got up bright and early and headed straight to Buckingham Palace.  In August and September, while the Queen is on vacation in Scotland, the Palace is open to the public for tours! The tours start at 9:30 and when we got there at 9:45, they were already sold out for the day.  We were disappointed, but we will just have to head back another day before the month is over! We decided to skip out on waiting for the Changing of the Guard because it was super crowded and we wouldn’t be able to see anything.  Also, something for another day.  Luckily, we have four months here!

Victoria Monument in front of Buckingham Palace


Courtney and I in front of the Palace!



After a few pictures, we left the Palace and wandered through Green Park and had some lunch at Pret A Manger.  There are literally hundreds of these Panera type places, around London. The only downside is you have to pay extra to stay and eat in the restaurant instead of getting food to-go.

We then hopped on another Original Tour bus, since the tickets are good for 24 hours.  We rode the bus over towards Parliament and hopped off and started walking.  We walked around for hours and hours pretty much just wandering around the entire city.   

Somehow, we ended up in this adorable area called Covent Gardens.  We walked through some shops and bought a few things, but mostly just looked.  So far, this is my very favorite place in London!  Here’s to many more favorites and a great weekend in London!

Me, in my favorite London Locale :)


Adorable!

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