Fresh from the Yorkshire Dales, which could not be topped- we thought- we headed to London on the train – a rather fast train which didn’t enable much sight seeing. We discovered a confusing system of seat booking which many travellers, including us, ignored. This led to the occasional travel rage amongst those who had actually tried to reserve a seat. I also left one of our tickets in the machine in Sheffield- so if you are travelling by train in the UK, please be aware that the machine spits out an extra summary ticket. Luckily I was able to have the missing ticket re-issued.
We had massive plans for our London visit, just as we did for all our travel- see as much as you can in the short time you are there. The skies were overcast and threatening rain as we checked into our hotel in King’s Cross. We immediately set off on foot to find the travel information booth where we could purchase our Big Bus tickets.
With three days of bus travel purchased, we jumped on the nearest Big Bus and took a tour of the city, taking in St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, and landmarks like the Shard, Big Ben and the London Eye. The city of London is an interesting mix of ancient and new. We soon determined our focus would be on the ancient and the Tower of London was pencilled in for the next day.
It was just our luck that Big Ben was getting a makeover – but then we realised it had been damaged in that episode of Doctor Who. You know the one. There was all manner of centuries-old architecture to admire including many pubs. But I couldn’t get over the ever present contrast between modern architecture and loved old landmarks.
We finished our first day in London, uncertain of what the next day would bring and convinced that Yorkshire and Scotland were far superior.
Stay tuned for London Day 2, when we explore the Thames, Greenwich and the Tower of London.
Until next week!
Bernadette x
