A DAY ABOUT LONDON

Our final official stop on the Journey is London, England. Although we have an overnight scheduled in Reykjavik, some may opt to continue their flight home if the weather is right, which would separate the group earlier than expected. With that said, we made the most of our final stop all together. 

London traffic proved itself during our transfer from Biggin Hill Airport to the Mayfair area of London - home to the Dorchester Hotel - our abode for the next two nights. What should have been a 55 minute ride ended up taking nearly an hour and a half. Once downtown though, it was worth it. 

The Dorchester Hotel is beautiful and charming. Famous for it's afternoon tea and is superb location, it was the perfect spot for our final few nights on the Journey. 

It was the first time in London for a few of the group. Our city tour fell on a Sunday, which initially worried me seeing as St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey are not open to the public on Sundays, however, you can see them from the outside and the lack of traffic made for easy circulation around London - allowing us to cover a large area and seeing many more highlights then initially on the agenda. 

Our guide, Pepe, was excellent. He was knowledgeable of the area, knew his way around the city better than anyone and had great comments that kept us laughing the entire morning.

Big Ben is undercover until 2021 as it is currently undergoing an extensive renovation. You can see a part of the clock but scaffolding surroundings the tower on all sides. 

After visiting Westminster Abby and the Parliament area, we headed over to the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace before making our way to Tower Bridge and the Tower of London to see the crowned jewels - quite a few pieces that we took a liking too!

The Dorchester Hotel - home while in London

bus was supposed to seat 25 but instead seated 15 - luckily we like each other!









 Westminster Abbey








A visit to London is not complete without a look at Big Ben. This time under renovation and will be silent for the next 4 years..except at Christmas at least this year


 drive by of the Thames River
walking towards Buckingham Palace


 We weren't the only ones there...


 changing of the guards procession in front of Buckingham Palace






lucky for us, there wasn't much on Sunday

 Tower of London - several different areas available to visit showcasing many aspects of British history past and present


 the crown jewels are kept in this building

 
group shot in front of Tower Bridge

 



 

 










leave it to us to find the ice cream


back home



 afternoon tea at the Dorchester

special guest Lucie and Jack


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