Feeling refreshed after a blissfully deep and comfortable sleep in our Pembridge Gardens by Mondo apartment (which I highly recommend by the way!) we headed off for a stellar breakfast at Granger & Co. in Notting Hill. The café was buzzing with locals which is always a good sign! Shaun ordered the Aussie Breakfast with poached scrambled eggs (which the English got very right I'm sorry to say - it exceeded even the best of Aussie standards!) and I had the Corn Fritters with grilled tomato, poached smoked bacon and baby spinach. It was every bit as scrumptious as it looked which was topped off with the best coffee in London!
We hit the pavement; stomachs full and with no pre-planned direction, just the wind rustling leaves swirling around our feet. That's one of my travelling mantras... sometimes you have to go wherever the wind blows you; down back roads, against the grain and off the beaten track to find true local gems!
I felt wonderfully lost in my surrounds soaking up the shops, people and movement. We passed and admired beautiful flower stalls on the streets which had a delicate array of roses, foxgloves, daisies, lilies, ceanothus, hyacinths, peonies and many more blooms whose names I don't know. If I lived in London I would be sure to have fresh flowers in my house not only because the variety is greater than in Australia but because they're so cheap!
We eventually hit Bayswater Road with Hyde Park opposite us and decided to pop back to the apartment to change into more suitable clothes - the sun was beaming above us, quickly warming us through our layers of clothes. We returned to Hyde Park to once again visit and feed our squirrel friends. We seemed to be getting more familiar with one another as one shimmied up my leg to steal a hazelnut from my hand!
From there we strolled through Hyde Park and hit the pavement on the roadside about half way through - a great move! We were waiting to cross the road when a Police motorbike stopped the traffic with a few short sharp whistles and hand movements. Another two Police motor bikes turned into the road and sped away, followed by none other than Her Majesty The Queen! It all happened so quickly but I was just able to sneak a photo (look closely in the back seat and you'll see her wearing a pastel mint suit and hat!). London certainly seemed to be warming to us - giving us a royal welcome!
Buckingham Palace seemed to be calling so we consulted our map and took off down the road in its direction. We passed Harrods, stopping in to check out the luxurious yet overpriced knits, dresses and trousers, as well as a stop to use its amenities which included electronic censored flushing toilets and hand wash facilities as well as hand cream and a selection of perfumes (I chose Chanel). We continued on the main road, passed by the Marbella Arch, wandered through St James Park until we reached our destination. The square was packed with people but it was a great site to see - the palace appeared much bigger than I imagined it to be. It's a pity we couldn't tour the Palace; tours are only open for a few weeks in the hart of Summer (July). I did, however, snap a photo of a guard in his traditional get up!
We continued down The City of Westminister, passing St James Park towards Trafalgar Square. The Park's striped beach chairs were out as Londoners made the most of bathing in sun's rays while it lasted. We passed through the Admiralty Arch in Pall Mall and into Trafalgar Square which was filled with tourists. Here we found Nelson's Column, toured the National Gallery and saw St Martin in the fields. In the Square street performers danced and rapped as 6 o'clock hit. We took a turn towards Piccadilly Circus where we saw the famous advertising screens and the Statue of Eros. The legend is that if you sit in Piccadilly Circus long enough someone you know will pass by you.
By this time our feet were aching as we had walked more than 15km by foot. We trudged back through the crowds towards Hyde Park and rented a Barclays Bicycle which are available for £1 for a half hour journey. These self serviced bike stations are scattered throughout London and make getting around easy. We watched hopped on one and took off towards our apartment, back through Hyde Park and took a few back roads to admire the buildings.
We must have walked over 17 kilometres that day and what makes the day feel so long is that it only starts to get dark at 9pm! Exhausted we docked our bikes outside our apartment, grabbed a bite to eat and turned in for the night. I told you it was a big day!
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