The most vibrant and historic city in the world, London, was our first city on our great North European odyssey. We arrived before 6am, and after all the airport formalities and getting on to the Heathrow Express to Paddington and then to our hotel, and we were able to start exploring London by 9am.

Early morning

The crisp morning was a beautiful start to our day. Even though the November air was 6⁰, the low sun and blue skies lifted our spirits to give us the energy to explore the world-class sights and experiences of London.

On our agenda were the key sights of Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, The Churchill War Rooms, Big Ben and Westminster, London Eye, various museums and other sights on the way. London is a busy city, interspersed with parkland and green spaces that offer relief from the noise of traffic.

We walked along Hyde Park, stopped for a mulled wine at the Lodge Cafe, then headed straight for Buckingham Palace. The parks are magnificent and well maintained, and populated with grey squirrels and native birds.

London’s grand architecture

As we left Hyde Park, we passed under the grand Wellington Arch at Picadilly, and walked down Constitution Hill towards Buckingham Palace. Many tourists were gathered in the fine weather. We picked past the pesky tourists so that we could get to our own picture spot, and snapped our happy snaps.

Fortunately, we got there on the hour and witnessed the changing of the guard! Bianca was transfixed by the ceremony, and that the guards are fully armed but stand perfectly still for an hour.

The Palace and the surrounding buildings are grand and magnificent – there is so much wonderfully ornate Georgian architecture that it is in some places overwhelming.

There is a short walk along James’s Park towards the Churchill War Rooms, and then it was a short walk through Westminster to see the Elizabeth Tower that holds the bell called Big Ben. The tower has recently been renovated and looks sparkling and gold, with the occasional patch of white where stone has been replaced during the renovation.

London’s flowing vistas

After a quick lunch and beer at St Stephen’s Tavern, in the shadow of Big Ben, we walked over Westminster Bridge to the South Bank. The London Eye was very busy and quite expensive, so instead we walked along the riverbank, through a Christmas Market, and had a mulled wine (our second of the day).

As you walk along the Southbank, we.passed the Oxo tower and the National Theatre, until we crossed the Thames again at the Tate Modern gallery, using the Millennium footbridge.

Although we walked only 12 KMs, we were exhausted and got the Tube back.