The Big Red bus Tour

We got an early start today, even got breakfast in the dining room which, like many of the small London hotels is in the basement. Last night after tea we had gone for a little walk down the street almost opposite our hotel, in a direction we hadn’t been before. It seemed more of a local neighbourhood area, not quite so tourist/hotel area. What do you know we found a Laundromat and this morning that was the first port of call. It took an hour or so to wash and dry our clothes and take them back to our hotel room.

The front of our hotel, Norfolk Towers

Down this street opposite our hotel, we found a Laundromat

Norfolk Square

the gardens were a peaceful oasis

 It wasn’t too cold when we set out and we didn’t take hats or scarves but we went back for them when we realised the wind was chilly and we were going on the Big Red Bus, taking the tourist route around London. We bought our tickets down the road at the end of Norfolk Square, climbed on board and went up to the top deck. So glad we went back for the scarves and hats! The first stop was Marble Arch. We got off there to change to another bus taking a different route, we had about 10 minutes to wait so took some photos of sculpture in the parklands around Marble Arch, I think it was part of Hyde Park. There is a strip of park divided from Hyde Park by a busy road, where there is a memorial to animals in War with some beautiful sculptures of animals.

First glimpse of Marble Arch

Marble Arch

Sculpture at Hyde Park/Marble Arch

Memorial to animals killed in the service of their country.

a last look at Marble Arch

We climbed aboard the next Big bus and headed off, we had decided to get as close to Fleet Street as we could so we could have lunch at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, it is a very old pub, rebuilt in 1667! And saw the reign of 15 sovereigns. On the way to Fleet Street we drove along Marylebone Road and past Baker Street where Sherlock Holmes “lived” and Madame Tussaud’s wax works are to be found. Regent’s Park was on our left as we turned down Park Crescent where the Regency houses that form a crescent were designed by John Nash and stand pretty much the same as when they were built, very exclusive real estate. Into Portland Place which becomes Langham Place and further along changes name again to become Regent Street, where the landlord or should I say landlady is the Queen. The street lights here all have little crowns on top and there are some very exclusive shops. We drove through Piccadilly Circus where I tried in vain to get a photo of the statue Eros, but around this area snapped some good images of golden figures diving off the top of a building, I have no idea what they are or what they represent or even what building they are on!

Entry to Regents Park

Regency houses in Park Crescent, designed by John Nash

Church, I thnk it was designed by Christopher Wren, the white building behind it is the BBC building

Regent Street

The lights in Regent Street have little crowns on top.

The shops are very grand!

and beautifully decorated

I missed getting a photo of Eros at Picadilly Circus but this stunning display is just about 30 metres past Eros on top of a building

 On through Haymarket where the Theatre Royale Haymarket is and around Trafalgar Square where we saw the National Gallery and St Martins in the Field. Down along Whitehall we saw the Military Arch, the Horse Guards and 10 Downing Street where the Prime Minister lives. We turned at the Houses of Parliament where the clock tower, Big Ben dominates the skyline and crossed the Thames here on Westminster Bridge and from across the other side of the river where I snapped a stylized statue of a lion I also took photos of the Houses of Parliament. Along York Road, we passed the Royal Waterloo Hospital for Children and Women and in this area the Florence Nightingale museum, I’m not sure whether it is in the hospital complex or just nearby.

Theatre Royal, Haymarket

Approaching Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery is on the left and the spire in the centre of the photo is St Martins in the Field.

Lord Nelson looks down on Trafalgar Square

Looking through the Military Arch you can get a glimpse of Buckingham Palace

The Houses of Parliament from Whitehall

The Horse Guards

War Memorial in Whitehall

There are lions everywhere in London and this fellow really took my fancy

he had a commanding view of the river and the road.

Looking back across the Thames to Big Ben and the houses of Parliament

It's bloody cold on the top of a double decker bus in January!!!

the Royal Waterloo Hospital for Children and Women

 We crossed the River again at Waterloo Bridge and disembarked at the next stop. We were on or near where Aldwych meets The Strand which becomes Fleet Street beyond the Royal Courts of Justice. We were across the road from Australia house and St Clements Danes and almost in front of The Royal Courts of Justice.  There were public toilets here that were underground and the tiles in the Ladies depicted Twenties styled ladies, so naturally out came the camera! There was a pub called the George and a Cornish Pasty shop opposite that reminded me of Dad and our pasty making days. Up ahead in the centre of the road was a dragon on top of a stone sculpted plinth, it marked one of the original gates to the city and I believe it is the place where Temple Bar had once stood. There were several buildings around with Temple in their name.

Australia House

St Clements Church

St Clement Danes

The Royal Courts of Justice

The George Pub

this dragon stands on a plynth in the centre of the road in Fleet Street, he is visible from quite a distance

It is believed that this is where Marble Bar originally stood and marks one of the original gates to the city

I thought he was pretty impressive

the Cornish Pasty Shop

 I couldn't resist a photo or two of the tiles in the underground toilets!!

the buildings are fascinating

The sign beside the door reads 'Middle Temple Lane' many of the buildings in this area have Temple in their name and many are related to law and lawyers.

 We wandered along Fleet Street taking photos and searching for Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, along the way we passed some enticing little pubs and had just about given up on finding Ye Olde Cheshire when we stumbled upon it and in we went for lunch. Now as I’ve mentioned this is a very old pub and the inside is quite dark we had to duck as we went down stairs to find a table. Now it is quite usual for Michael to be required to duck his head in some of these old buildings but it was the first time that I was in danger of decapitation!

I spotted the sign we had been searching for

the entry to the pub is down a laneway

It has outlived many monarchs

one of the dining areas

a pot shandy and a good lunch

Michael had to watch his head with the low ceilings!

 We had a lovely fish pie for lunch and left to continue our walk to Ludgate Hill and St Paul’s Cathedral and  the place where Temple Bar is now located. We spent some time wandering around here, there is quite a bit to take in around St Pauls. The original gates are there on the Temple Bar archway, walking through the arch and looking back to St Pauls made for some good photo opportunities and I had the camera at hand to take snapshots of St Pauls and surrounds from different angles.

St Paul's Cathedral

The dome at St Paul's

view of St Pauls through the Temple Bar arch

Looking back at St Pauls through Temple Bar,

The heavy old city gates at Temple Bar

 We climbed back on board another Big Red Bus and were off again ogling the sights. Tower Bridge is one of those iconic sights that are always cited as a must see in London and no wonder it so distinctive and the light today really showed it to perfection, it almost looked like a painting! We past the Tower of London and down by the river bank had good views of Cleopatra’s needle and the London Eye. The London skyline offers both old and new wonders from this aspect.

Tower Bridge always impressive.

Tower Bridge with HMS Belfast a World War II Cruiser in the centre of the photo. It is now a naval Museum

Crossing Tower Bridge

Modern London buildings dwarf the Tower of London

The city skyline towards The Tower of London from Tower Bridge

the Tower of London

Tower of London

Down by the river

Cleopatra's Needle

and one of the Sphinx that guard it

Boudicea

The London Eye

 You certainly see a lot from the top of a double decker bus but most of it is tantalising glimpses, if the guide on board is good at their job they point out the sites and have a multitude of banter that gives a potted history and interesting facts about the areas you are passing, some of the buses don’t have a human guide but rather a multi lingual audio guide that you use earphones to access. I would recommend these tours to help you orient yourself and give an idea of what things you would like to revisit as you can get on and off the bus at any of the places they stop. On the last leg of our tour, as it was around 4.30 or 5pm and getting dark, we had a lovely view of Harrods all lit up like a Christmas tree, the bus terminated in Paddington where we had boarded this morning quite close to our hotel.

Harrods is always lit up

like a christmas tree!!

We had dinner tonight at a local Indian restaurant where the owner would rush outside and do a real sales pitch on anyone who stopped to look at the menu displayed in the window. He hooked quite a few customers in this way, including us. He was an entertainment in himself and we had a lovely meal and an entertaining evening.