All around the town...

Today we rode the London Underground to Piccadilly Circus...

  

[Side Note: The gold building in the distance is our hotel and the trains run every 4 minutes all day (and night) right below our room.  They rumble through like soft thunder in the distance.] 

   

In Piccadilly Circus we caught the Hop On/Hop Off (narrated) bus tour which we rode throughout the city. We were lucky enough to get front row seats on the upper deck so we had a great view of London's Theater District, Banking District, Fashion district and more. We crossed several historic bridges, passed many famous government buildings like The Palace of Westminster, and amazing churches like St. Michael's Cathedral.

There were plenty of beautiful sculptures, Royal parks, and other historic sites to see before we hopped off the bus but one famous tourist sight was missing from the skyline... (or more accurately hiding in plain sight)

We hopped off the tour bus at the Tower of London which was near our next destination...

and had a quick lunch in a nearby underground (dungeon-like) KFC.  Food at this KFC was not like our typical American KFC (i.e. the coleslaw had way too much mayo and not enough vinegar so it was very creamy and very bland) but we were starving since we had opted to skip the big English breakfast and just grabbed a cup of yogurt and fruit.

After lunch we boarded a City Cruises river boat for an afternoon of cruising on the River Thames.

We set out from the Tower Pier and headed first to Westminster Pier (and back) and then made the trip to Greenwich Pier (and back).  The river cruise gave us many spectacular views including a glimpse at our hidden friend Ben and a close up view of the London eye.




We spent most of the time outside on the upper deck ...

 It was high tide when we were on the river and the tour guide said they have a poem about the lions on the wall... "If they drink then London will sink."  The lions were installed in the mid 1800s as a way to track flooding on the river.

 

This is the Millennium Bridge

 

... a.k.a. the bridge the death eaters destroyed when chasing Harry Potter.

This is Steven (Seagal) Seagull he evidently is a regular on the cruise.

On our cruise back from Greenwich we headed downstairs to the dining area where it was warmer and we could get a light snack (and drink).  When we were in the dining room we met a nice couple from Maryland who had just arrived in London today and will be on the same cruise ship as us on Wednesday. We had a very nice chat and maybe will see them on the ship.

After we returned to the Tower Pier we caught a taxi back to the hotel for a lite dinner in our room consisting of : salmon and cucumber sandwiches, chips and coffee.  (Note: They also had a tuna with sweet corn and cucumber sandwich...weird but I have seen it on several menus so maybe I will give it a try tomorrow).

Tomorrow as we will be exploring the British Museum in the morning followed by a guided tour of Buckingham Palace. The Queen is in Scotland on holiday so they allow (by reservation only) "visi-tours" into the palace...  (Note: I have seen Pride and Prejudice so I will keep my eyes open just in case the home owner decides to return early like Mr. Darcy did.)  After the palace tour we will be attending a fancy afternoon tea... More on that tomorrow as it is 1:50 AM and I need to get up early.