Schoolies Day 4 - London - the City of Lost Stuff

Day 4 began with a bit of a sleep in, before packing our cold, wet weather gear and braving the hop-on/hop off bus tour of England’s capital.  Yes, you guessed it, this one was also part of the inclusions for the London pass.

Got about 2/3 of the way around the first loop which started just around the corner from the Queen’s London residence (Buckingham Palace).  We jumped off at St Paul’s Cathedral and spent some time exploring inside the building, including a many, many stair walk to the Whispering Gallery, Stone Gallery and Golden Gallery.  As a result, my legs are burning tonight but well worth the pain for the views from the top of the dome.  I also realised that Hayden shares a fear of heights with his dad as I couldn’t entice him out onto the outer galleries to look out over the city.

Now I’ve called this the city of lost stuff. When you walk along the streets there are solo gloves, scarves, hats and other bits of clothing left all round as people hurry busily to and fro.  I would look at those pieces of discarded, lost clothing and think that people are careless.  That is, until some of my stuff joined that long list of lost stuff - my scarf and cap are now lost forever somewhere in this huge metropolis.  But the beauty is, that does mean shopping!

The weather was miserable - a constant drizzle of rain, until we came out of our lunch spot to discover the sun was out so it was back onto the bus in the (freezing) open air to get more photos and to learn more about the history of the city.  Stopped at Westminster Abbey for photos (line was too long to get in) and then went to the Churchill War Rooms which proved to be a very insightful look into the inner workings of the then Prime Minister of England and his War Council during the period of the Blitz in London.

Followed this up with a nice stroll through St James’ Park down to Buckingham Palace before a tube ride to Covent Garden, where I picked up a new scarf - still on the hunt for a cap to keep my head warm as we move to colder climates.

Had a brief cranky moment when Hayden showed disinterest in a museum I’d chosen, so packed up my bat and ball and came home early. Have planned out tomorrow though, with things I think he will enjoy - I guess only time will tell.  Dinner at the local fish n chip shop probably made him realise how good our chip shops are at home - although the portion sizes were impressive!

A night in tonight in prep for a big day tomorrow. Let’s hope the weather gods are kind!