Fans,
Tim's mum, Dianne, is in London for two weeks at the moment, so in the weekend we were playing tour guide around some of the famous sites of London. On Saturday we readied ourselves for a lot of walking. First stop was Covent Garden to check out the markets and boutique shops. Mum loved what she saw and will most likely be back during the week to explore some more. From there we walked to Trafalgar Square, where there was a Gay Pride parade, and continued on down The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where we caught the very end of the Changing of the Guard. Buckingham Palace was looking splendid - although Queen Liz was not at home.
Next we walked through St James's Park and grabbed some lunch in the park cafe. Mum was thrilled to see some squirrels up close. We managed to coax a couple of them over to us with a bag of almonds we had brought along. One of the squirrels ran across the path and under the foot of a guy strolling through the park...he still hasn't seen the squirrel! After lunch we made our way up to Parliament Square to check out Westminster Abbey and Big Ben.
The main stop of the day was at St Paul's Cathedral. We lined up for a while but eventually got in and had a fantastic tour through the cathedral. We sat and stared up in awe at the magnificent dome ceiling and the mosaics and paintings on the walls. We climbed the 400-odd steps right to the very top of the cathedral dome to take in the stunning views across London, stopping off at the Whispering Gallery and the Stone Gallery along the way. Luckily the weather had improved from earlier in the day and we got great views of London from the Golden Gallery at the top.
The rest of Saturday was all about rest, so we sat on the lawn outside St Paul's Cathedral in the sun before heading back to our 'hood and introducing Mum to the Famous Cock, one of our favourite local pubs. We had a few drinks and some dinner at the pub, with a cocktail at the Metro Bar in between and then called it a night.
On Sunday we went shopping on Oxford Street before the rain forced us back home - we had planned to show Mum Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus but cut our trip short. We sought shelter at home, with baked potatoes for lunch and watched the greatest tennis match ever unfold live on TV for the rest of the afternoon. Sadly we missed the end of the tennis as we had "afternoon tea" booked at The Ritz Hotel. It was Megan and Tim's second trip, but obviously Mum's first. We all had a fantastic time.
The ambiance in the Ritz was fantastic (with live piano music playing in the corner) and the food was brilliant - loads of different types of sandwiches, scones with jam and cream and amazing cakes and sweets. Tim got told off twice however (can't take him anywhere!); once for taking off his suit jacket midway through and hanging it on the back of his chair because it was hot inside - clearly not allowed - and once for taking a photo (which he knew was not allowed, but got one good one in before apologising and claiming ignorance). After high tea was finished, we rolled out the door and did a lap of Green Park to try to work some of it off. Another super day in London!
Trafalgar
Square
Beef-
eaters
Mum at
Liz's
house
St Paul's
dome
Views from
the top
The Ritz
Tim's mum, Dianne, is in London for two weeks at the moment, so in the weekend we were playing tour guide around some of the famous sites of London. On Saturday we readied ourselves for a lot of walking. First stop was Covent Garden to check out the markets and boutique shops. Mum loved what she saw and will most likely be back during the week to explore some more. From there we walked to Trafalgar Square, where there was a Gay Pride parade, and continued on down The Mall to Buckingham Palace, where we caught the very end of the Changing of the Guard. Buckingham Palace was looking splendid - although Queen Liz was not at home.
Next we walked through St James's Park and grabbed some lunch in the park cafe. Mum was thrilled to see some squirrels up close. We managed to coax a couple of them over to us with a bag of almonds we had brought along. One of the squirrels ran across the path and under the foot of a guy strolling through the park...he still hasn't seen the squirrel! After lunch we made our way up to Parliament Square to check out Westminster Abbey and Big Ben.
The main stop of the day was at St Paul's Cathedral. We lined up for a while but eventually got in and had a fantastic tour through the cathedral. We sat and stared up in awe at the magnificent dome ceiling and the mosaics and paintings on the walls. We climbed the 400-odd steps right to the very top of the cathedral dome to take in the stunning views across London, stopping off at the Whispering Gallery and the Stone Gallery along the way. Luckily the weather had improved from earlier in the day and we got great views of London from the Golden Gallery at the top.
The rest of Saturday was all about rest, so we sat on the lawn outside St Paul's Cathedral in the sun before heading back to our 'hood and introducing Mum to the Famous Cock, one of our favourite local pubs. We had a few drinks and some dinner at the pub, with a cocktail at the Metro Bar in between and then called it a night.
On Sunday we went shopping on Oxford Street before the rain forced us back home - we had planned to show Mum Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus but cut our trip short. We sought shelter at home, with baked potatoes for lunch and watched the greatest tennis match ever unfold live on TV for the rest of the afternoon. Sadly we missed the end of the tennis as we had "afternoon tea" booked at The Ritz Hotel. It was Megan and Tim's second trip, but obviously Mum's first. We all had a fantastic time.
The ambiance in the Ritz was fantastic (with live piano music playing in the corner) and the food was brilliant - loads of different types of sandwiches, scones with jam and cream and amazing cakes and sweets. Tim got told off twice however (can't take him anywhere!); once for taking off his suit jacket midway through and hanging it on the back of his chair because it was hot inside - clearly not allowed - and once for taking a photo (which he knew was not allowed, but got one good one in before apologising and claiming ignorance). After high tea was finished, we rolled out the door and did a lap of Green Park to try to work some of it off. Another super day in London!
Trafalgar
Square
Beef-
eaters
Mum at
Liz's
house
St Paul's
dome
Views from
the top
The Ritz
Outside
The Ritz
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