we arrived at Saint Pancras station and
get the suitcases off the train the guys
pitch in and get the bags down onto the
platform and everybody grabs their bag
with wheels on it from the Eurostar we
roll through the station this beautiful
st. Pancras recently been renovated top
to bottom
wonderful station now and catch taxis
into the heart of London and right to
lunch at Wagamama this is one of our
rituals and the arrival in London have a
fantastic Asian noodle lunch enjoying a
city tour on a bus it's a three-hour
experience and it shows you the overall
highlights such as Piccadilly Circus you
really get a good view from those
open-top buses highly recommended
especially on a nice day like this you
definitely want to sit upstairs in the
open the bus tour will enable you to sit
down for two hours and relax while the
sights glide by the tour takes you by
the houses of parliament and Big Ben
through the West End a cross Tower
Bridge and into the downtown financial
centre passing st. Paul's Cathedral the
masterpiece of Sir Christopher Wren
crossing over Tower Bridge so let's get
off our tour bus and have a look inside
the Tower of London it's one of the
greatest castles in the world it's an
amazing structure this huge castle on
the Thames is the oldest building in
London dating back to 1078 when William
the Conqueror began construction
featuring suits of armor and historic
weapons with informative signs and video
displays and then we took a little book
cruise from the Tower of London into the
Westminster Pier the book tour is a nice
perk of taking the bus tour because it's
all part of that same ticket you have
hop on hop off bus and then this
beautiful boat ride it's about a half an
hour boat ride passing down
down and some of the other highlights of
the city and there's a I of London it's
the world's largest ferris wheel it's
very popular because it gives you a
great view looking out across the city
views of the houses of parliament
there's Big Ben up there
the Westminster clock tower and
Parliament as we glide along on the
River Thames and then you arrive at the
Westminster pier and that's a pretty
central location for us it's really
quite easy because our hotel is just
about 12 minute walk away from that dock
our hotel is located immediately behind
Trafalgar Square so we really have a
nice central location we're staying at
the cytidine Trafalgar which has
recently been completely renovated all
new furniture new design new style they
have kitchens in the room still which
can be very handy for the traveler a
beautiful new Lobby and newly designed
breakfast area so it's really
comfortable and it's only one block away
from Trafalgar Square so you couldn't
get more central it's very useful to
stay at a hotel that's in the center of
town for then you can step outside your
door and you're already in the middle of
things makes it real easy to take our
walking tours which we always do with
our group activities as we travel
through Europe this morning we are
taking our classic walking tour right
through the heart of town will be going
despite a little bit of a rain shower
this morning it's clearing up and we're
going up Piccadilly Regent Street Oxford
Street Bond Street Piccadilly Circus is
the epicenter of the city kind of the
center of the English universe despotism
streets radiate from there including
Regent Street Piccadilly Circus in the
heart of London is just a few blocks
away from paedon Street a nice little
pedestrian zone that will lead you into
one of the great restaurants of the city
it's called kibbutz which takes us right
up to Oxford Street as we continue our
explorations of the
there were some kind of fashion shoot
here was very round the band going on
down Oxford Street Oxford Street is
about a mile long
famous as the retail shopping centre of
the city and then for a little bit more
upscale experience swinging on down
Bond Street starting with upper Bond
Street and continuing to the more
exclusive lower Bond Street and there's
this fun statue of FDR and Churchill
makes a great little photo op and we are
soon making our way to the Burlington
Arcade this is one of those indoor
covered shopping malls there's about 40
small shops here selling a variety of
antiques jewelry watches clothing scarfs
and sweaters there's a cafe from
lotterae in Paris and for the ultimate
food experience just beyond the
Burlington Arcade head to Fortnum and
Mason perhaps have some English tea
while you're there have some scones with
clotted cream oh yeah
Poornima Mason has got an amazing
variety of foods for sale if you want to
be sure to get some of their teas and
biscuits get them in the packages that
say Fortnum and Mason on it to make
great gifts back home and that leads us
right to st. James's square a lovely
little one-block Park in the heart of
town onto the changing of the guards
that's our goal for the late morning get
to st. James's Palace at about 11:15 and
put yourself in prime position to catch
this wonderful show it happens every day
in the summer and every other day for
the rest of the year or get there a
little early say it about 5:00 past 11
10 past 11:00 and you'll have this fine
spot right along the curb and get that
nice Palace in the background nobody in
front of you so you can get some great
and memorable photographs as they're
changing the guards
the small squad of soldiers and a
marching band will walk past you quickly
so have your camera ready for the shot
and then you want to catch the next
phase by walking across st. James Park
as you cross the mall and here you'll
enjoy a very pleasant stroll going over
the footbridge that crosses the lake and
find another clear spot by the curb for
a good view in a few minutes the troops
will come marching by in all their glory
with the big band sounding off
wonderfully and then disappearing behind
the palace gates that's it for the main
event but you can also catch the
impressive mounted guards coming through
if you walk to the right along the
curved path behind the flower beds to
the mall where you get a perfect view of
Buckingham Palace the soldiers will ride
by on their big black horses coming up
the wall so from changing the guards
walk through beautiful st. James Park
walk the full length it's less than a
mile to Trafalgar Square there's all
sorts of birds it's a bird refuge in st.
James's Park the mounted soldiers and
their golden armor you've got to try at
least one pub lunch while you're in
London and you'll probably like it and
want to come back for another in another
it's an economical place to eat usually
in a pub with great atmosphere and
decent food