Last Tango in London

Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head, found my way downstairs and had a cup...... Yup, you guessed it. Bright sunshine this morning. We were up and out early and at the famous "Zebra Crossing" acting like ridiculous tourists. Got to sneak into the parking lot of Abbey Road Studios with a tour group. Signed the wall. However, we both agreed that they probably paint it over every so often. All the dates we saw were from 2014.


From Abbey Road we jumped on the tube and exited at Baker St. Walked down to 221b and entered the home of Sherlock Holmes. Yet another hokey tourist thing. But lots of fun, cheap, and we beat the crowds. 

After a short tour of the house, we headed down Baker St. to Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. Grabbed a Barclay bike at a cycle station and pedaled around the park for a while. Stopped off at the Diana Memorial Fountain. Docked the bikes and we were back on foot. Walked a bit through Kensington and wound up in from of the Albert Memorial which is outrageous. It sits directly across from Albert Hall, another site to behold.

Taking Exhibition St., we ended up on museum row. First the Science Museum - quick walk through and we were on to the Natural History Museum. Nice exhibit on the earth. Across the street we investigated Victory and Albert Museum - collections of statues, fashion, jewelry and of course, furniture. In and out and it was time for lunch.

Popped into a pub for our last serving of fish and chips and a pint for me. Back on the street, we made our way to Brompton St. This strip is quite the shopping mecca. Found ourselves in front of Harrods and did walk through. Saw nothing but handbags and makeup.

This street runs parallel to Hyde Park, so we decided to get back into the park where it was safer than walking with all these tourists and traffic. We were hoping to pick up some bikes, but they were all gone. Walked through the rose gardens and came out at Hyde Corner to the Wellington Arch. The time was getting late and we still have one more venue to cover. Back in the tube back to Tower Hill.

Back at Tower Hill we walked down to the bridge for the Tower Hill Bridge Exhibition. Got to use our 2 four 1 with our travelcard. Watched the bridge going up right before we entered the exhibit. This is a self guided tour with some videos along the way. You go up to the walkways for some great views and history. Walking both sides you learn about the bridge and other bridges around the world. And then, I am not sure why, but there is a 60's exhibit. What is up with these 60's exhibits??? All my life I have tried to forget Twiggy existed and here she is again and again! Anyway, after you

go up, you go down to the engine room. This is also quite remarkable to see. We were let out from the engine room on Shad Thames St. We had not been this way before, so we took a short stroll down this historic street before we called it a day.

A short walk back and we rested for a bit. Showered up and headed out to dinner. Had a lovely meal sitting by the Thames and the Tower Bridge. Talked about taking another walk but we decided we had had enough for one day. 

It just so happens that the 70th anniversary of D-Day is tomorrow and this town has prepared a whole weekend of activities. It is definitely time to say good-bye. We have had a great time in London. Enjoyed our apartment immensely, saw friends, made good use of our Travelcard, and even got to the London theater. Now looking forward to Iceland. One more country to go! 

Next time...Going to Iceland