London by bicycle

They were calling for a beautiful day in London complete with some sun and about 67 degrees so I decided it was a perfect day for the Fat Tire Royal London Bicycle tour.

I caught the tube to the Queensway tube stop where I met the guide outside on the street with his Fat Tire sign promptly at 11am. Seven of us showed up for the tour and we walked down the street to a warehouse where we were each given a bicycle. I was the only person that opted for a helmet but I wasn't taking any chances so early on in my trip. We started in Hyde Park and hit all the major attractions of London - Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square - where we stopped for lunch at the local pub.

It was my first pub meal so I went with my favorite - bangers and mash! I also had a cider so was even more grateful that I had a helmet. We continued on to see the Cabinet War Room, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. James' Park, Princess Di memorial and the Albert Memorial.

We ended our ride about 4pm. It was absolutely fabulous!! We spent less than 30 minutes on the streets and the pace was relaxed and enjoyable.

After we returned the bikes, I headed up Queensway to Moscow Road which turns in to Pembridge Square. I just wanted to see the old homestead. It's a hotel now with a bright orange door. The school next door where Princes Harry and William attended elementary school when I lived there in 1988 was just letting out and children were everywhere. It was definitely a trip down memory lane.

I continued up Pembridge Gardens to Notting Hill Gate and then walked along Hyde Park on Bayswater Road to Marble Arch. Shaunda met me there and we walked down Oxford Circus checking out all the tourist shops and other stores. I found a Thorntons and bought some toffee to take home. I also bought some of my favorite instant tea from Whittard's on Regent Street. We looked around Desigual - my sister's favorite store. She certainly has expensive tastes! We caught the tube to Snaresbrook and walked to the Nightingale - a pub just down the street from their home.

On Wednesdays, whoever wants to gathers in the corner and they jam on Irish music. About a dozen musicians were there this particular night and they were fabulous! We had dinner but it was the first pub meal that I really didn't like. The shepherd's pie had a very strange flavor and was WAY too salty! Shaunda and David ran in to someone they knew which made them feel like they were starting to settle in there in Wanstead. It was an awesome day and I was completely wiped out by the time we got home.