We started the day out by sleeping in. It felt good, but we were still on our way into the city by a reasonable time. In all honesty, I’m not sure where we were. I do know that we walked a lot, through the streets of Chinatown, the Theatre District and Trafalgar Square. The streets weren’t quite as full as the previous day and it was much more pleasant to walk around. It was also nice to catch up with Aaron, as it had been well over a year since we last saw each other.

Aaron’s neighbors

A park in London

Cabbie in training

The “Cabbie in training” was interesting: apparently you have to pass a test called “The Knowledge” if you want to be a London cab driver. The test involves knowing every street in London and the fastest way to get between two points. We saw a number of hopefuls driving around.

An unremarkable lunch spot

The National Gallery

Trafalgar Square

See? Not a lot of people

Motocops in action!

It was now late afternoon and my feet were once again complaining. We had reached Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and Westminster Abby. The crowds grew thick as we wound our way to the river bank, and we kept on walking.

Big Ben

The road to Buckingham Palace

Springtime in London

We didn’t stick around for the changing of the guards. Just seeing the guy standing there in the hot sun was enough!

Dan and I stuck in the phonebooth

Sunny weather

Westminster Abby

We decided to take a break and let the city pass us by. We caught the last ferry of the day that would take us to Greenwich. The boat wasn’t an official “tour boat”, but instead part of the city’s transit system. That didn’t stop the captain from pointing out various landmarks, most of them warehouses-turned luxury apartments and pubs. I sat back and took pictures and enjoyed the fact that I was sitting down.

London has some fantastic modern architecture and it was a treat to see it from the middle of the Thames.

The Eye

Tower of London

Luxury apartments and a pub

We got off the boat at Greenwich and were immediately greeted by the Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory

Someone was filming something!

We reached what appeared to be the center of Greenwich and decided that we’d seen enough. A short break at a (very) local pub gave us the break we needed before making the trip back. We took the pedestrian tunnel back under the Thames and then caught a train back into the city.

Pedestrian tunnel

A packed tube

We had made reservations at Seashell of Lisson Grove, the reputedly “best fish ‘n chips” in London. It was a great experience. The service was perfect, the decor tasteful and the fish ‘n chips tasty. The filet was huge and the chips – mmm! I love a good plate of chips, and these were “bottomless”! I would definitely go back if I was in the neighborhood.

Seashell of Lisson Grove

After dinner we headed back down to Parliament and the riverside to see a bit of “London at night. It was worth the trip, as the lights on The Eye looked great. It is a shame that my new Canon “pocket camera” doesn’t take as good night shots as my Panasonic Lumix.

Then it was an easy ride back to Aaron’s house to prepare for another day of touristing.

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