I opted to save my feet and knees a bit and instead of taking the tube today, I paid the little extra and opted for the hop on, hop off bus. Even with that, I still clocked 15,396 steps and 10.18kms. There was some pretty bad traffic this morning and we spent a good deal of time stuck in it. The bus driver was nice. Instead of kicking me and the other family off the bus, he drove us well past the change point to another stop where he knew the connecting bus would be waiting. That was super nice of him. As a result, I got to Buckingham Palace in time to see some of the changing of the guard. I was able to see three different units leaving and managed to get front row for all three. Talk about good luck! I wandered around the plaza a bit and saw the palace before wandering into the gift shop, where I bought....tea :) Royal tea to be exact.
I didn't have to wait long and I was able to hop back on the bus. This time I took it to St. Paul's Cathedral. The church sits on the highest point in London and it's dome can be seen on the skyline from several spots. This is also where Prince Charles married Princess Diana. I decided not to pay to go inside, as I've been in enough churches for this trip but I walked around outside. I did, however, pay to pee at the public washrooms. I grabbed some lunch to go from a Marks & Spencer food shop and walked to the park down the block to have lunch.
Following my little picnic, I walked most of the way across the Millennium Bridge. It's a footbridge that spans the river Thames. My main reason for walking over it was so that I could see Shakespeare's Globe theatre on the other side of the river. While I was on the bridge, there was a man laying on it, painting a little painting on floor of the bridge. There were little paintings on the floor all over the bridge.
I wandered back to the bus and continued on the tour. I got to cross over the Thames on London Bridge and then back over it on Tower Bridge. I know I've done that before but it was still fun to do it again. This time I got off the bus at Oxford Street (big shopping street) and hustled down it to the department store Selfridges. Mostly because I had to pee again. The store was pretty impressive. I only spent time on two floors but it was very cool. The store has been open since 1909 and is the second largest retail store in the UK (Harrods is bigger).
After my short shopping tour, it was back on the bus and back to the hotel. I had dinner in the hotel while filling out some post cards. I came back up to my room, re-packed my bag and then grabbed a shower. Now here I sit, watching a British game show I've gotten hooked on, writing my blog and struggling to stay awake. I can sleep in a bit tomorrow. I don't have to check out until Noon and my transport should be here at 12:20pm to take me to the airport.
This vacation has gone by way too quickly. I can't believe it's been two weeks since I stepped onto my first international flight (and turned 40). Time flies when you're having fun.
I should log off and head to bed. Keep cool everyone!
Good Night,
Sarah
XOXO
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