Thursday 16 July
We arrived in London on Thursday afternoon. After a very long wait at border control and a tube ride, we arrived at our AirBnb. After a quick dinner we crashed, having had very little sleep in the past 2 days!
Friday 17 July
Friday morning we hit the tourist trail, starting with Big Ben and houses of parliament. London had turned on a pretty nice day (by London standards anyway!) so we decided to have a walking day to check out the sites - Buckingham Palace (with changing of the guards), Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, Oxford Street. In total we walked 13km which was a pretty good effort for a couple of jetlagged travellers! That evening we caught up with five of our Darwin friends who are now living in London. After dinner and too many dtinks, we caught the last tube home.
Saturday 18 July
Saturday morning was very relaxed (in most part due to Friday night!). We made our way to Hyde Park for a picnic lunch to soak up the London rays. The squirrels provided our entertainment, particularly when they climbed up my leg to get some food! We spent a couple of hours walking through the park, enjoying the weather. On the way to the tube, we popped into Harrods for a look before heading home to get ready for the evening (Lion King!)
Pre-show we enjoyed a typical English pub meal and a pint. The show itself was absolutely amazing. The animal puppetry was particularly incredible.
Sunday 19 July
Sunday was spent at the Tower of London, which was really interesting. The general history of that place revolves around blood, gore and execution - very sombre indeed! We took a tour with a Beefeater, had a glimpse of the crown jewels and spotted some ravens, all the drawcards ticked! In the afternoon we caught up with our Darwin friends for a beer in the park. In the evening, we saw Michelle and Graham for a drink, dinner and a catchup.
Monday 20 July (last night in London)
On Monday, we decided to explore the canal system, starting at Little Venice. We walked past Lords, along Regent's Canal, ending up at Camden Lock Markets. The street food at the markets was amazing! The decision was very difficult but after many samples, we finally landed on our lunch choices. After lunch, we got lost in the market for a while, enjoying the atmosphere. In the evening, we caught up with our Darwin friends at Shepherds Bush Green where there was a carnival, and most importantly, a jumping castle! After a surprisingly exhausting jump on the castle, we had dinner and drinks at the pub (and an obligatory game of Cards Against Humanity of course).
