Another crisp morning in London, promising us a top of 9C today.
Off on 2 sightseeing tours, should cover a lot of the sights, including a river cruise. Good stuff.
We are both still trying to shake these colds, hard to shift......don't think the weather is helping.
Don't think I have mentioned what a pain in the rear 'laundry' is, as anyone who has travelled these routes would know. Never any laundries, they want you to pay heaps to have it laundered. Consequently it is washing in the hand basin.......tough to get things dry.
Our tour guide said that the cold weather is very unseasonal.....oh my godfather, it is freezing!!!
Morning tour - city sights, including Scott's restaurant, West End, Oxford Street, Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, then to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard, had lunch under the London Eye.......all very impressive!
Afternoon tour -
First stop, St Paul's Cathedral - learned a lot.......didn't realise that it is primarily a military church......no Royals can marry Roman Catholics (thanks to Henry Vlll)........it was designed by Sir Christopher Wren ( who liked simplicity).......it contains a whispering gallery (you can whisper against 1 wall and you can be heard by someone on the opposite gallery many metres away)........it contains an American Chapel dedicated to the Americans for their support during the bombing of London (it contains stained glass windows that Christopher Wren detested.....it was dedicated after his death)........went to the crypt to see burial places of many including Christopher Wren.......fascinating!
Next stop - The Tower of London - For me, the biggest surprise of London yet.....naively I thought it would be just 1 tower not and entire complex fortress.....the crown jewels were amazing, and learning the history of torture and cruelty of the place was fascinating......the ravens were cute. So good to experience such history in one place!
Returned to Westminister by river cruise.......good to see it from the Thames......entertaining young man who filled us in on what we were seeing from the river prospective.
Embarked the boat and navigated our way via the tube back to Euston Station, where we found a pub and had steak and mushy peas! Yummy!!
Good day!

Roger's added thoughts on the day.....

The whole of London is full of thieves..... In the last 13 hours I have talked to 4 people who have been robbed. Any bank with an outside ATM should have a security guard. Card security has to improve.
Sorry to go on about the thieves but it has really affected me....i'll get over it in a few days.
The crown jewels have to be seen to be believed.
Had lunch at the bottom of the London Eye....on a fine day it makes £0.5m. We chose not to go on it, the line up was 1 hr and didn't think it looked that big of a deal.
We really loved Marks & Spencer stores, you can buy anything and they are very well priced.
Back to our favourite pub for dinner...just 2 min walk to hotel.
Another great day!