We have managed to see and do so many things during our week in London! We have walked more than 97km – and have the sore feet to prove it!! It has been a surreal experience with a nursery rhyme or monopoly board reference around every corner!

On day four of our week in London, we did the Hop-on Hop-off bus tours. They have been the best way to see as much as possible of each city we have been to in the most efficient way. I would absolutely recommend them!

We went past Westminster and Big Ben, the Kings Horse Guard and Downing Street, Westminster Abbey and Hyde Park, over the Tower Bridge and through the West End. Our main goal for this day was to see St Paul’s Cathedral… and I am so very glad that we did. It is a sensational building. The ceilings and the dome are just phenomenal. The space is vast and there are just so many things to look at.

Once we had looked at all of the things on the main floor, we climbed 257 steps up to the whispering gallery (another note to self about working on fitness!) Apparently you could whisper into a hole in the wall at one side, and be heard in the other – ideal for gossip and political intrigue back in the day – we didn’t test it, but saw plenty of people who did. It did offer a fabulous view of the dome (another 180+ steps would have taken us up there, which we declined) and also a great view of the main chapel.

We also went down into the crypt. It is a specie full of burials and memorials for all kinds of people – mostly military. It feels weird walking over engraved stones knowing someone’s remains are in there, but it is fascinating to read all of the inscriptions. There was a real sense of history reading some of the names down there!

The whole place is phenomenal and just makes you think about the amazing architecture and how they would have managed the construction all those years ago! – construction started in 1635 and took 75 years to complete! It is a truly spectacular place to visit.

We finished the day by going to Trivia! … we met up with Widowed friends (see side quest blogs 153 and 154) and took our team ‘the black widows’ international! It was very different to our usual Tuesday trivia, but we had a really fun time – and we came 3rd!

For our last day in London, D and I went to Buckingham Palace and did a tour. It was absolutely fabulous! It was a self guided walking tour – with audio headsets, through the staterooms. It was amazing to see some of the spaces that we have seen on tv, in so much detail. There is amazing artwork on the walls and the decor items are stunning. The information provided is super interesting and the times are set for the tour, you really don’t feel rushed. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any pictures inside, but the guide book is full of all kinds of information and pictures. – I have quite the collection of books from all the places we have been and am really looking forward to reading them all properly!

We finished our tour with some afternoon tea and then a stroll through the gardens and a walk through Hyde park. We made friends with a little grey squirrel who also enjoyed some scones with us, and in our walk to the bus stop we were able to watch the changing of the Horse Guards.

I can’t believe that we have had a whole week in London. The weather has been sensational and I am overwhelmed with all that we have seen and with the amazing things we have done. We talked about and planned it for such a long time (and dealt with all kinds of anxiety in the lead up) and now we are packing our suitcases back up, ready for the next part of the adventure.