Today it was time to try out the Boris Bikes. These are the Santander hire bike system in London, brought about by the then Lord Mayor, Boris Johnson. We have used a similar system in Paris and Lyon and found them to be great fun and a good way to see a lot of things in a short time.
We stopped and had coffee, then walked to Regent's Park, a large public garden towards the North of the city . We found a bike station with only a few bikes left and paid our money on card, jumped on and off we rode. My bike felt particularly odd and we soon determined that I had a puncture. We went back to the station, but there wasn't another one that we could get so we had to walk back into the streets to find more. There are quite a few stations around. You pay £2 for the day, as long as you don't use it for more than half an hour at a time. So if you go from station to station it only costs £2.
Anyway, back on the bike, but now riding in traffic with no helmets on. The bikes are quite big and heavy and there are no cycle paths separate from the road. We weren't allowed to actually ride in the park, so we rode around the edge and enjoyed the sights. It is a really pretty area, it also incorporates the zoo, we could see some zebras and giraffes. We stopped a couple of times and swapped bikes to keep the bargain price. I don't think these bikes are as good as the Paris ones. They are a bit more confusing to use and they need to be used in the traffic. A lot of people in London do ride bikes, I think we were getting in their way. As we didn't have a phone plan with data we couldn't use the app, which would probably make it easier.
We finished riding and walked to Camden Town, about 10 minutes away. Being a Saturday and the markets in full swing, the streets were crowded. It was warm and sunny and the melting pot of London were all there. There were the usual stores and shops that you find in almost every market, with London souvenirs in abundance . We kept on down Camden High Town Street to the Camden Lock Markets, really just a continuation, but with a smorgasbord of foods to try. We fought our way down the lane and chose our lunch. Ken had Mexican and I had Thai, with some freshly squeezed orange juice. These are not new fashioned food truck stalls, but your old Mexican, Chinese, Indian,Thai and Italian staples, all smelling and looking delicious. We sat in the nearby park and ate, enjoying the food, the day and the atmosphere.
We caught the tube at Camden Town and changed lines at Kings Cross to take us to South Kensington and the V&A museum. We started with a coffee to recharge in the lovely garden cafe, sitting on the steps of the pond, watching kids paddle in the water. Then we parted ways and explored on our own as we have different viewing preferences when it comes to art. There is a lot to see in this museum. Fashion, Sculpture, Drawings, Metalwork, Jewellery and so much more. It is well presented and very popular. This is no quiet,stuffy place; you could hear kids laughing and an actor shouting and singing as they were given a history lesson . The shops in this museum are particularly good, with some beautiful jewellery on sale. Eventually I ran out of steam and returned to the garden to wait for Ken. It was nice to sit and relax and enjoy the free wifi and the sunshine.
We had booked tickets to a concert at St Martin's in the Field Church for this evening. So, tube home, a drink and some cheese, freshen up and out the door again.
The concert was great, set in the beautiful church. It was performed by the Belmont Ensemble of London, a concert by candlelight, of some beautiful classical pieces. The violin soloists were amazing.
We thought it would be a good idea to have a drink at our local, the Square Pig, but they were closed when we got there so it was home to a glass of wine and some ice cream we had stashed in the fridge.

Steps 22,148
Kms walked 14.7
Kms cycled 7.2