1 - London: We've Arrived!

Well we've arrived in London - uneventful flight - surprisingly less tedius, cramped & exhausting than anticipated!  Got the Tube to Russell Square where we're staying - with a somewhat tense start to the day when not all members of the party could agree on the way to go once we got out of the station, but all resolved quickly!

Not looking too bad after a long time on a plane!

Our apartment is in Burton Street, Camden - a great find by Mandy!  Kitchen, loo, lounge/dining room, and small single bedroom upstairs, and two bedrooms downstairs (below ground level).  Everywhere was really quiet and the streets deserted - then we found out it was bank holiday. 


We decided to head down to Camden Markets and Camden Lock - down Euston Road through lots of funky shops.  The markets were great - mainly food but anything and from anywhere you could think of, from good old fish and chips, asian, african, south american, or pig on a spit to kangaroo or ostrich burgers.  Pete, Mandy & I had Turkish flatbread stuffed with cheese and spinach (made by the guy below) and Joe & Narelle had Roti. 

Pete & Joe may have washed theirs down with the first pint of the trip!

From there we went on a canal boat ride down Regents Canal, past the London Zoo.  The canal is lined with all kinds of barges - really interesting.

Walked home via a Marks and Spencer to stock up on a few groceries, a quick stop off at a pub for a couple of pints, then home for dinner (joe made spag bol) & early bed - it was only about 8.30!


Tuesday 30 August 2011:


London sightseeing today: we set off from Burton Street on foot, past the British Museum, though parts of the West End, then Trafalgar Square, and down The Mall to Buckingham Palace. 

We left via the Australia Gates, heading off past the Royal Mews.  Lots of people around and it looked like there was some sort of function on in the Queen Mum's old house - no sign of Kate jogging around the park.  There was someone having a personal training session in the park alongside The Mall - just a bit more scenic than along the Cooks River at Marrickville!


Had a quick lunch, then off to Westminster Cathedral which had some amazing side chapels and mozaic tiling.  Lots of photos of beautiful planter boxes filled with geraniums, fushias, begonias etc.  We got to Westminster Abbey via the rear door to the through the school and office area.  Entry to the cathedral was over 18 quid, so we decided against looking inside, but had a look through St Margarets to the side of the main abbey.  There were lots of others also discouraged by the entry fee - way to much!

Joe and I then headed off to check out Big Ben while the others went off to the Churchill war rooms. 

We walked over Westminster Bridge, then headed back along the Southbank past The Eye - lots of great buskers, second handbook stalls, food carts etc.

We got to Waterloo Bridge to cross as Joe knew this was a pretty direct route back to Russell Square and we got to the agreed meeting place 'The Local'a bit after 5.  A few ales for Joe and a cider for me (I have discovered Briska - a pear cider - DELICIOUS!) the crew arrived.  Unfortunately Mandy was a bit sore and sorry (read tired feet) and was demanding to be carried back to the apartment, but a Briska ("picked from the garden of Sweden") worked wonders!