June10 - London

After very nice flights we arrived in London to an absolutely gorgeous day. Every Londoner we encountered told us to enjoy the day because it was the exception not the rule for early summer here.  We checked into our hotel, got cleaned up and changed, and took the underground to Green Park.  Katie hadn’t been to The Woolsely, one of my favorite places, so we walked there first.  Our intention was to have a late lunch but it was nearly teatime and it looked so good, that we decided on that instead.  Katie will post a photo of our tea later I think.

Next we were off for a walk on this beautiful day.  We strolled through the Park which was full of people enjoying the sunshine, pleasant temperature and breeze.  The grassy areas were dotted with chairs and blankets. At the end of the park we came to Buckingham Palace.  I’ve been here many times before and never seen it!  We must have always turned just before getting there.  Anyway, the flag was flying over the palace and I think I read once that it means the queen is in residence.  She didn’t come out to say hello or invite us in for tea though. We watched the guards pace back and forth.  This one Katie caught was really intent on his form.

Katie sitting by the pool of the Victoria Memoria

It was such a lovely day that we kept on down The Birdcage, past St. James Park to Westminster.  Can you tell we are in love with the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, especially when the sky is such a brilliant blue?  We thought we’d go in the Abbey, but unfortunately it was closed for the day.  By this time we were both winding down fast so it was time to make our way “home” for the night.  We decided to walk up past the Horse Guards Barracks and Trafalgar Square to the Leicester Square underground station. 

Some iconic London landmarks 

Parliament with the flag flying in the breeze (we were into flags today!)

I loved the way the wrought iron fence around Parliament framed Big Ben

By the time we arrived back at the hotel and finally settled into our room, my Fitbit said I’d walked  just shy of 16,000 steps or 6.87 miles.  My knees and feet can attest to it!

I've added quite a few photos because our wi-fi is so good here. That probably won't be the case once we're on the ship.  I'll try not to overdue it, but it was such a lovely day that I couldn't resist sharing.

Tomorrow we’ll be going down to Southampton to board the Emerald Princess.  We hope today’s weather was an omen of good things to come.