A little more London

After a good night's sleep and some coffee, we hopped on the tube to do some more exploring.

We decided to ride to the King's Cross Station. We'd hoped to find Platform 9 3/4, and were using the handy Rick Steves guide to do so. We followed his directions, only to discover that the line he was leading us to was closed for construction all weekend. (I've since read that the 9 3/4 sign and half-missing push cart has actually been moved outside the station - bummer). So that didn't work out.



Can you believe the queen's
manners - not inviting
us in for tea!



We made our to a station near Buckingham Palace. We came out near a large gate, and saw the horse guard making their rounds. We took a nice stroll down a shady tree-lined street and came up on one side of the palace. With another 90 minutes before the changing of the guard was to begin, the crowds were already thick. So we took a few pictures, and moved on.

The beautiful Victoria Memorial that sits in the roundabout in front of the palace was, like much of London on this visit, covered with scaffolding. Gotta make yourself pretty for the world games, I guess!



My new laptop bag!!



We decided to make a stop at Harrod's. We didn't plan to buy anything, but thought it would be fun to see it. Can you say over the top? It was fun to see, though. And on our way out, I did find one thing that I just had to have: a new laptop bag! We thought we'd grab a bite to eat, but there was nothing close by other than bakeries with lots of sweets.



Zack & Mr. Holmes, on
Baker Street



We hopped back on the tube, and decided to head for Abbey Road. If you haven't already figured it out, we're all about the photo op, and thought it would be fun to recreate the Beatles image. Our train stopped at Baker Street, and didn't start back. So we got off there, saw Sherlock Holmes, and attempted to eat at a restaurant (15 minutes, and no wait staff ever showed up at ANY of the tables!).



Abbey Road





Abbey Road Studios



So we got back on the train and went on to the St. Johns Wood stop. The famous intersection and the studio are just 5 - 10 minutes from there.





Trafalgar Square

Still in search of lunch (there is really nothing at that stop) we headed for Trafalgar Square. We walked around, and then got some yummy sandwiches at Pret a Manger - great place! It's almost all organice, very environmentally friendly, and they make everything fresh daily. Even better - they donate the daily leftovers to local charitable groups and homeless shelters.

We decided to head back to the hotel for a little rest time. Then we ventured back out and enjoyed dinner at a sidewalk restaurant. Fish & chips and bangers & mash - very good! And that was our 48-hour layover, in a nutshell!

One of the MANY  long escalators
we rode while using the tube