We have allowed ourselves just the one day to explore London, so we decided the best option was to purchase a ticket on the double decker bus, which I'm sure is what most tourists do. The ticket was actually valid for 48 hours and it did provide us with a cruise on the Thames, between Tower Bridge and Westminster Bridge. 32 years ago we crossed the Thames on the train a number of times, going back and forth to Aunty Ede's home in Croydon, but we had not done the river cruise. 

Our first hop off was at 'Marble Arch'. We had heard Johnny Batten's 1955 'Marble Arch' story a number of times. He had got himself lost in London in a hire car and did panic a bit when he found himself at 'Marble Arch'! The day was warm and clear, so perfect for our trip down memory lane. Next stop for us was Trafalgar Square. The pigeons are no longer allowed to take over Trafalgar Square. I had thought they had been cleaned out completely, but there were a few still there. We have photos of our four children with pigeons landing on them in 1984 and similar photos of pigeons sitting on six Batten children in 1955.

By the time we finished at Trafalgar Square it was lunchtime, so we decided to find somewhere for a bite before continuing on the bus. And just around the corner, there was the sign....'Garfunkel's'. We had taken four young 'Battens' to a Garfunkel's Restaurant as the final London treat in 1984. Kim had the biggest bowl of spaghetti. We just had to have lunch at Garfunkel's! Garfunkel Restaurants are largely in London and opened in 1979. They are geared to providing activities for children whilst waiting for their lunch. Children were colouring and drawing on either side of us.

Fed and watered it was back on the bus, the next stop being 'Tower Bridge'. My goodness how things have changed there! There is a large visitor centre and big open spaces with great views of the 'Tower of London' and the 'Bridge'. We did see one 'Beefeater' walking back into the tower. They are the ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London.

The Tower of London  is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames and is separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the city of London, by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower was built by William the Conqueror in 1078, and was a symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison from 1100 until 1952, although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. The Tower of London has played a prominent role in English history. It was besieged several times and controlling it has been important to controlling the country. The Tower has served for many purposes over the years, including the home of the Crown Jewels of England. The peak period of the castle's use as a prison was the 16th and 17th centuries.  Despite its enduring reputation as a place of torture and death, only seven people were executed within the Tower before the World Wars of the 20th century.

We queued for a short time for our river cruise down to Westminster Bridge. We managed to get a pretty good seat up on the top deck and the Captain gave us a very good commentary as we cruised down or up the Thames and under a number of bridges. There were plenty of historic places to be seen during the cruise. We couldn't have wished for a nicer afternoon.

Then it was a walk across Westminster Bridge and a cup of coffee, before our pre-booked ride on the London Eye. Well worth the trouble I went to, to book a fast track ticket online, whilst in Prague. Nothing is easy when you are away from home! To nearly complete our day, we walked back around to 'Westminster Square', in which there were a number of statues of prominent people. The square was opposite Westminster Abbey. We had great views of 'Elizabeth Tower' or 'Big Ben' as we all know it.  'Big Ben' is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster and often extended to refer to the clock and the clock tower. The tower is officially known as 'Elizabeth Tower' and was renamed to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012; previously it was known simply as the 'Clock Tower'. The tower holds the second largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is 96 metres high and 12 metres square.  

Our day touring London would not have been complete without a stop at Buckingham Palace. We didn't have the opportunity to see the changing of the guard as it only happens every day during the months of April, through until the end of July. Because the Queen is away though, there was the opportunity to view some of the State Rooms of the Palace (we didn't do that) and the front gates were open. People were sticking their big toes inside the gate! Just to say they had done so I guess, but the guards did have a close eye on them!  

We found a cafe close by for dinner, a glass of wine and a beer. Cheers to a very enjoyable day in London.