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Guess what huge event occurred the same day as our first visit to London during this trip?Only the opening ceremonies of the Tour de France! Let this be words to the wise who plan to visit London in the future - check and see what events are planned in the city on that day. Actually it wasn't bad. Although the city is congested, crowd control is great. We took the train from Basingstoke and transferred at Clapham Junction to go to London Victoria Station. Victoria Station is like Grand Central Station in New York City - packed with people heading in various directions. If you read Sherlock Holmes stories, Victoria Station will seem quite familiar to you. It took about 20 minutes to get out of the station, but from there is a short walk to the starting point of the "Original Bus Tour." The travel writer, Rick Steves recommends this tour as an introduction to London. We showed our copy of "Rick Steves London 2007" book and got a 3 pound reduction in the fare. The tour was a great idea. We rode in the open top of a yellow double decker bus. Luckily, it was sunny all day.
We even got a slight sunburn - quite an achievement in a place where it rains every day. We had a guide who was really knowledgeable and a history buff. He could even quote passages from Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson, and Milton. He name is Malcolm. I've included a photo of him in front of St. Paul's Cathedral.
We hopped off the bus the first time at the "London Eye," a huge ferris wheel (see photos) and currently the most visited attraction in London. It is 443 high. It has 32 air-conditioned capsules that each hold 25 people. the wheel holds 800 people at a time and takes 30 minutes to make one revolution. It never stops moving but goes so slowly that people can easily step on and off.
We had a quick hot dog under the "Eye because we didn't want to take much time for lunch. Our plan was to hop on the free Thames River Cruise that is included with Original tour. We got to the pier under the "Eye" to discover that we just missed the boat. No worries love! We walked along the shore and watched the mimes who were dressed in period
costume and spray painted gold or silver (see photos). I don't know if you've had much experience with mimes, but they can play some obnoxious tricks to get attention or embarrass an inexperienced tourist. These mimes were pretending to be statues. They would move if you put money in their cans. If they don't think you've put enough money in the can, they will whistle with displeasure or try to embarrass the tourist to give more. If you take their photo, they demand money. I took a photo of a woman dressed in Elizabethan clothing sprayed with gold paint (see photo). Jay threw some money in the can. I don't know if it was enough, but she gave me a sly look (with just a hint of malice) and crooked her finger for me to come closer. I considered the possible outcomes and told her no way.
Two mimes down was a young girl with gold painted wings and long wavy hair. While I was focusing the camera on her, she started pouting because she didn't think I would pay her (see photo). It was then I took the photo. Notice the angels wings on the statue in
the background to the left. What symmetry! I'd like to see I planned it that way. Jay threw in a ten pence into her can. She began a loud whistle as I left - so what.
The guide on our boat tour was quite opinionated about the foolishness and ego of architects. He thought the city hall designed by Norman Foster and opened in 2002 (see photo) quite silly looking. The British call it the "Tower of Pizzas." The lord mayor of London, Ken Livingston, calls it a "glass testicle."
We cruised a little further down the Thames and got off at the Tate Modern (see photo). It looks like a factory. It is actually a converted power station. We strolled around the Tate until our feet gave out. The interior of the Tate seemed dark and drab. We were drawn to an outdoor cafe in front of the Tate. There we had some water and relaxed in perfect contentment. If we weren't tourists we would have stayed a lot longer. But you know when you are a visitor you feel compelled to push on.
So we hopped on the bus and toured Picadilly and the theater
district plus a little of Covent Garden (see photos). We plan to see "Spamalot" during another visit (see Palace theater photo) We were delayed by Tour de France traffic around the Hard Rock Cafe and had to spend a about 20-25 minutes in a tunnel. When we reached Victoria station and got off the bus, we were famished and had to have something quick. Forget about high tea. This day we grabbed a couple pasties (savory meat and vegetables in a pastry). I hate to think how many calories one of these pies has. I didn't care then. It was delicious and satisfying. We boarded the train to Basingstoke (an hour long ride) and I fell asleep.
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Shirley
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Thank you!
Thank you for writing this blog. It is such fun to get and read.