Mingling with the tourists in London

Sophie wanted to spend the day in London today so we decided to drive down to the O2, park the car there and then get a Thames Clipper up to Westminster Pier. We picked up Sophie's friend Susie and by 9.15am we were on our way.

The drive down was remarkably easy and we were soon at the O2 where there were still lots of signs for the Olympics as the basketball and gymnastics were held there. The wheelchair basketball will also be held here next week for the Paralympics so there were loads of people wearing the official Olympic badges and looking very important!

After the drive I was craving a coffee so I treated the kids to a drink and some crisps and bought myself and Keith a coffee and a tea. Costa Coffee was heaving with people and the O2 arena itself was very busy with preparations for the Paralympics.

After our refreshment break we sauntered off the Greenwich Pier to see about getting the boat up the river, but when we found out the cost - £60 for the five of us! - we rapidly changed our minds! Before heading back to the Underground we had a quick look over the river and noticed the new cable car ride which looked thrilling! Not sure I'd be up for that, though!

Cable cars above a design structure

An off-peak travelcard for the five of us worked out at a much more reasonable £30 so we caught the Tube to London Bridge and then had a look around Southwark and the brilliant Borough Market which had lots of stalls selling some very delicious food!

We also saw the brand new building, The Shard, which will be Europe's tallest building at just over 1000 feet. It's still being built but dominates the skyline...

We had a great wander around Borough Market and bought some sweets for the children from one of the stalls. I wanted to buy some of the gorgeous bread but knew that by the time we got home it wouldn't be in the best of conditions!

We wandered off along the embankment passing the Golden Hinde, a reconstruction of Sir Francis Drake's Tudor Galleon, and Vinopolis which Keith had to drag me away from! We visited for a mammoth wine tasting some years ago and I would love to go back!

From the embankment we walked past The Globe Theatre and Tate Modern and then went over the Millennium Bridge, where we had a great view of St Paul's Cathedral, before making our way to Covent Garden via Fleet Street and Aldwych.

By the time we made it to Bella Italia in Covent Garden we were more than ready for lunch! Keith and I treated ourselves to a lovely cold beer and then tucked into bread batons with a garlic and cheese dip while Sophie and Susie shared a plate of garlic bread. Mikey opted for a dish of meatballs to start - where does he put it all? Our mains were delicious - spaghetti for Mikey, pizzas for Keith and the girls while I had a very beefy burger with sublime homemade chips. Delicious! I had no room left for dessert but the children packed away a "Godfather" dessert which nearly beat them!

 

After paying the bill (we had Mum and Dad's voucher to use, bless them!) we waddled off around Covent Garden and saw a mad entertainer lying on a bed of nails while a rather large man stood on top of him!

The entertainer pops a balloon held between the victim's legs...

Covent Garden was heaving with people so we decided to take the tube to Westminster Abbey which none of us had been to before. We had to change several times and it was very hot and stuffy on the Underground. Not a journey I would like to make every day!

Again, the area around the Houses of Parliament and Westminster was heaving with tourists and we had arrived too late to go into the Abbey so we had a quick look at the outside and decided to head back to North Greenwich as it was now gone 4pm. The journey back was straightforward but the trains were packed with people and it was a relief to get back to the O2 and venture inside for a quick drink before we headed home.

On the way back to the car we saw some of the official Olympc cars parked up and very smart they looked as well!