Mingling with the tourists in London

We had a great, if tiring day, in London and visited the most touristy spots we could manage! The sun shone, it was lovely and warm and it was the start of a Bank Holiday weekend! Of course, we picked one of the busiest sporting days to visit the capital, realising as we were driving down that Leeds were playing Warrington in the Rugby League final at Wembly, which is on our route. Almost every other car was carrying the flag of the occupants' chosen team but luckily we didn't encounter any problems until we saw signs that the Cromwell Road was closed due to gasworks. However, there was a very good diversion in place so we were soon driving past the musuems and into Hyde Park where we found a space on the road.

As we had only about £7 in change on us, we parked for just three hours and made our way quickly towards Buckingham Palace by the side of Rotten Row but we didn't see any horses being ridden. The crowds were out in full force and the whole area between Buckingham Palace and Horseguards Parade was packed with people of all nationalities. There was a lovely bustling atmosphere and I actually felt very proud of all the fantastic pomp that London has to offer. St James Park was full of people picnicking on the benches, feeding the birds and admiring the gorgeous flowers and shrubs in the borders and beds.

From Horseguards we walked up to Trafalgar Square and then down the Mall and back to Hyde Park. Back at the car we had a picnic of our own and then drove to Chiswick to the George and Devonshire pub which is right next door to the Fuller's Brewery. Keith loves their ESB but to his horror it was off! He settled for a bottle instead and then we watched a football match in 3D which is something he's never experienced before! It was stunning and the players seemed to come right out of the screen at us!

It was great to get out in the fresh air, have some exercise and see some fantastic sights in London!