Well our time in London was not exactly how we imagined it would be.... Bevan left Australia with the inklings of a sniffly nose and after 24hrs of flying & airports arrived in the UK with a full blown flu, fever, body aches & all.
We found our accommodation in St John's Wood, a beautiful leafy suburb in north west London - a bright spacious room with a view of Lords ticket ground, an Airbnb win!
We took the first afternoon pretty easy, exploring the local high street and finding some lunch, then picking up some supplies including a box British raspberries, the best raspberries in the world! We did venture out to dinner, a pre-arranged reservation, in Angel- Niche Gluten-free Dining. With Steph being coeliac, finding gluten free food, let alone a whole restaurant is exciting news. The highlight was definitely the sun dried tomato and garlic bread.
Day two saw us racking up the km's on not one but two walking tours. The first one was a 'free' tour of the Westminster sights - Trafalgar Square, The Mall, Buckingham Palace, St James Park, Westminster Abbey, Houses of Parliament & Big Ben. The Mall was actually closed off to traffic due being part of the course for the race walking at the World Athletics Championships. The concept of these walking tours is that you pay the guide directly, at the end, what you think it was worth and also what you can afford, allowing everyone the ability to experience the highlights of a city. The tour ended in a modern English pub, we had some lunch & planned our afternoon. Bevan was dosed up on cold & flu meds & travelling relatively ok, so we decided to sign up for a walking tour of the old city. We had an hour or so to relax in St James Park but before we got too comfortable the starting gun was fired for the start of the men's 20km race walk. We took a spot by the barricades & cheered on the Aussies, including Dane Bird-Smith aka Birdman, bronze medalist at the Rio Olympics.
The next tour started on Covent Garden & headed East through the City of London. Complete with history commentary, the sights included Somerset House, Temple, the RAAF church, St Pauls Cathedral, The Bank of England, The Royal Exchange and Monument. After another 3hrs of walking & learning Bevan was absolutely spent and ready to collapse, so we left the tour early. Upon returning home, Bevan promptly face planted the pillow & slept for the next 15hrs.
Needless to say, day three was pretty low key, our only outing to the local IMAX cinema for a screening of Dunkirk. By afternoon, Steph was also looking for the cold & flu medications.
Day four, our last day in London. We dragged ourselves out of the apartment and headed to the Tower of London. Sunshine, some walking & a good view lifted our spirits. We joined a tour lead by one of the Yeomen Warders. The Yeomen Warders, ceremonial guardians of the Tower, are part of the Queen's staff and have been looking after prisoners & safeguarding the British Crown Jewels since 1485. We queued up to glimpse the Crown Jewels, the largest collection of regalia anywhere in the world. After enjoying the views of the Tower Bridge and some lunch, we headed off on a leisurely stroll along the river to Westminster. It was another stunning day in London! You wouldn't believe it but four days in a row of sunshine & no rain!
For Steph, it was great to be back in the old hood, after living here in 2007/2008. Everything was so familiar, a little different but exactly the same. It was a comforting feeling the know how to navigate around a big city & transport system without having to look at a map. And although Bevan didn't get to see all that he hoped for, I'm sure we'll be back someday.
Next stop, Paris.
