I arrived in London on Monday night and as I arrived in the evening I chose to stay at a hotel near Heathrow and caught a taxi to Surbiton, where my cousin lives on the Tuesday morning.
London in the Hop On Hop Off Bus
Pauline and I have not had a lot of contact in recent years – she and I used to correspond regularly when we were younger, but have not done so for a while. She has lived in the UK for many years, and closer to London the last few.
She lives in a seniors accommodation place in Surbiton, which is not far from the centre of London. It’s not far from Wimbledon either. We had a lot to catch up with and chatted nearly all day first day.
Watch for biting horses
The next morning we set off by train from Surbiton, into Waterloo Station. I remember being there in 2005, though I can’t recall much more about that day!
Pauline and I joined a Bus Tour, which was not far from Waterloo Station and set off. It was so cold that we didn’t go upstairs, but it was still cold downstairs. There was no heating in that particular bus. Brrrrr. Trust me, who hates the cold, to arrive in London when the “Beast from the East” was about to land.
To Buckingham Palace
We got off near Buckingham Palace and walked through the park. We don’t know what event was on, but it finished as we arrived and thousands of people were there.
Parliament House on the Thames
We got off the bus and walked through the park. I was surprised at the number of people, police etc, but there had been an event at the Palace – not one where the Queen was involved, but there was some special changing of the Guard. We missed it and didn’t learn what it was about.
At Buckingham Palace
The crowds were dispersing and there wasn’t much to see, so we walked back via a different path to the bus stop and waited for another bus to continue our journey.
You can see by the photos how cold it was and how rugged up people were. But at this stage, the snow had not started.
At least I can say I have been there.
On Duty at the Palace
The Park Surrounding Buckingham Palace
I travelled on the Bus with my cousin, and did the full loop, though as well as getting off near Buckingham Palace, we got off near the Tower of London and went on a short cruise on the River Thames. I was so disappointed that it was so cold, as it made it hard for me to get off and walk around. Even taking photos was a challenge to me.
