WEDNESDAY 16th MAY 2012FIRST DAY IN LONDONApparently there had been some awful weather last night in London, but the weather gods surely smiled on us when we touched down in London - a glorious sunny day!We were actually a few minutes early touching down and were quickly through the Immigration lines and Customs and then Taz led us into the bowels of Heathrow and to one of the train stations. We bought an Oyster Card, which gives a weeks travel in two zones in London, and quickly bundled our cases onto the waiting train! I used my ANZ Travel Card for the first time and it worked fine! Phew! Good start!There is the Heathrow Express which gets you into London very quickly but it is pretty expensive and the Picadilly Line train we caught took a while longer but did the job just fine! We got off at Fulham Broadway where we dragged the cases down the narrow winding streets, among double decker buses and on to Taz's flat, where we stored our cases and used some wifi to contact rellies at home!From there it was time for a bite of brekky and a coffee at a local cafe and then back on the train to Green Park where we started exploring the magnificent parks and gardens close to Buckingham Palace! It was fantastic to have Taz to show us around and she did an amazing job - saving us from wandering aimlessly about as you can often do in a strange city - keeping us on the move and pointing out all the important places!First up was the Palace where crowds were starting to form to watch the "Changing of the Guard", lots of workman around setting stuff up for the coming Diamond Jubilee which was a bit of a pest because some of the statues etc were covered in scaffolding! There has been heaps spent on tarting the area up for the Jubilee and the Games - fences all painted freshly and lawns and gardens tidied up!We got some photos of the Palace and Guards etc before heading to Hyde Park for a wander in that beautiful park! Heaps of people about, lots of tourists and lots of locals jogging or sunning themselves in the very British deck chairs! London has so many lovely parks and gardens and it is a credit to the city that they all kept so beautifully!As we got back to the Palace the crowds had swelled hugely and we got a bit of a vantage point to watch the action, but it was all a long way away and we all got a bit bored after twenty minutes of so! Off then through St James Park to the Horse Guards parade ground and then along Whitehall passed Downing Street and on to Big Ben and Westminster Abbey! This is "real" London and we gawked at the fabulous buildings and the sights we have seen on TV for so long and were now seeing in the flesh! Bloody amazing!Snapped off dozens of photos and then walked across Westminster Bridge and on to the London Eye. We had pre bought Priority Tickets for the Eye and we redeemed the voucher for tickets - got an extra one for Taz - and avoided the huge queues waiting nearby! Definitely worth the extra few pounds to board so quickly! The Eye gave us an unbeatable view of this great city and it was time and money well spent - we were so lucky to have a fine, clear day to see everything!By this time it was about 2.30pm and we decided to head back to Taz's flat and get our cases as we were starting to flag a bit after our long night of flying! Used the train again - got our value from the Oyster Card already - and were there in no time! We used the Internet to get directions to our hotel in Kensington and then dragged the cases back down to the station and were quickly at Earls Court which is only a short walk to the NH Kensington where we ate staying for the next five nights. The local area has lots of shops and we noted the couple of pubs, the cafes, restaurants and a laundromat! Our hotel is on Cromwell Road, which is lined with lovely trees and we fought the cases up the steps and into a very nice foyer! The Expedia booking was duly waiting and we thankfully got to our very nice rooms just about ready to drop! Lovely big room with a king bed and nice facilities! Should be a great home for the next few days! We had a shower and headed down to the Earls Court Tavern for a drink and a snack to recount our first glimpse of London! It is a great little pub with great food, but Den and I are gonna struggle to find a decent beer to drink! The couple we tried tonight were pretty ordinary!The twilight is great for after dinner wandering but tonight we are too b*****ed and we are heading for bed!So finally we are here in London and it all seems a bit surreal, actually seeing all these place and things we have dreamed about seeing for years! Really looking forward to seeing more of the sights in the coming days!