Big Bus Tour

Our most grueling day yet. It was hot, perhaps as hot as 30 according to the BBC (although the Met Office said only 24), and relentlessly sunny, just like it *always* seems to be here in England. We decided today was our day for going around London on a hop-on, hop-off bus tour, with one of these companies that operates a fleet of buses driving a circuit route past the tourist sights. They are double-decker buses with the top roof cut away: a definite plus for Will. You also get unlimited rides on big open-topped tourist boats that ply the Thames between Tower Bridge (on the east) and Westminster (on the west).

So off we went, waiting at St Paul's at about 9:30 for the first bus, dressed in shorts and t-shirts and sun hats, carrying four bottles of water and ready for a grueling, touristy day at the must-see sights. The shortcoming of these tours is that you can wind up waiting a good while at a bus stop for your bus, which makes the whole hop-on, hop-off thing less efficient than they advertise.

Down by the Bank of London, past the Monument to the great fire, across London Bridge, and east to a tourist trap called the London Dungeon. We got off here so we could go see the HMS Belfast, a WWII cruiser tied up in the river. Galen was already hungry, so we detoured into a riverside building in search of a snack and happened into a beautiful courtyard in what was once a ship berth. Between two long buildings they've paved over the water, and in the centre was a fantastical sculpture of a cartoony ship ("The Navigators") which began, as we approached, to spill water, and things on it began to turn. We watched it for a while, found Galen a cinnamon bun, and proceeded on.

HMS Belfast was the complete ship tour. It was too much for us really, but excellently done. All over the ship are manikins in the process of doing various sailor jobs. After exploring the extensive below-decks warren, we emerged on deck, climbed to the bridge, and disembarked.

Stopped at a cafe under Tower Bridge, split a sandwich and filled our water bottles. Walked across the river and along the front of the Tower Of London and got the boys an ice cream each. The ice cream trucks are omnipresent in London, and the ice cream is always expensive, like £3 for a cone.

There's a public dock just outside the Tower precinct, so threading our way through large tour groups, we found a boat ready to depart for Westminster. A big group of French high schoolers joined us in the back of the top deck.

Lovely boat ride up the river past various sights--with a commentator. At Westminster (exactly one o'clock as we get off, Big Ben tolling) the side-walks it was packed with people, and we walked in thick crowds to Westminster Abbey, which sadly had been open only until 12:30. We rested in the shade and drank cold water. It was blisteringly hot.

Walked down to St James to catch another one of our busses, but again had to wait. More student groups from France passing us on the street.

Now the bus took us us through Victoria and Belgravia, and over to Green Park. The commentator was quite entertaining, but her replacement at Green Park was an excellently funny guy who made Kate forget about the heat. He had the British wit down, and took us by Marble Arch, through Grosvenor and Berkeley Squares and dropped us at Regent Street. Galen particularly cracked up at his characterisation of Prince Phillip as both hunter and head of the WWF: because he secretly wants to shoot pandas.

Popped into Hamley's toy store to see the largest Airfix, Hornby and Scalextric collections we'd ever seen, but whew, it was a loud and bright in there. Came out and took refuge in Carnaby St (accent on the second syllable), a nice walking area (with expensive, if not over-the-top, tastes), where the boys got a lemonade and Kate and shared a Posh Snog. Which is a frozen yoghurt.

Re-ascended the bus tour one last time to go through Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square (Canada House, gleaming with big banners proclaiming Canada Day coming, and Inuit Art you should see) Westminster Bridge, Waterloo Bridge, The Strand, and back up to St Paul's. 4:45. We were touristed out.

We've been living without a towel since we arrived in London, which is all right: you put your clothes on wet after each shower. But now I got a backpacker's towel at an outdoor store next to St. Pauls' ("Blacks") We too can now dry our hands after washing them.

Everyone showered to wash off the hot day, and for dinner we did something we've never done before: Will and I ate at one restaurant, and Kate and Galen at another. Will and Morgan went to Yo!, a sushi place that Will has been dying to go to since he saw that little dishes drive past your seat on conveyor belts. We actually call this restaurant The Zooming Dish. Will made me have sushi, while he plucked spicy chicken and fruit plates from the conveyor. Galen and Kate went to Ye Old London, a pub just down Ludgate Road, where they had fish & chips.

Everyone's hoping for a cooler day tomorrow.