Day 4 - Starbucks and Weatherspoons

Think of all the sites you can see in London. The Houses of Parliament. Buckingham Palace. St Paul's Cathedral. The list is endless. However it seemed that we would spend the day touring Starbucks and Weatherspoons instead of Tower of London as planned.



We took the tube to the Tower of London. Monica had promised to show me the crown Jewel's, but at £16 a ticket she soon had other ideas. Instead it was a walking tour of the city, the square mile no doubt sponsored by Starbucks. We succumbed to the inevitable and went in for a caffe latte.



After walking around the city all morning (Monica assures me she was not lost but simply making sure that I didn't miss any of the sights. That must explain why I saw the Bank of England from at least 4 different angles!) we headed for Liverpool street station. Here we checked the timetable for the "Stanstead Express" for tomorrow, and went into a large Victorian style bar for lunch. It was a Weatherspoons establishment. A burger and a pint for a £5 in the centre of London, Bargain!




Canary Wharf and Tower Bridge in the background.

After lunch we resumed the walking tour after taking a bus to St Paul's. I was under the impression that most of the art museums and Churches in London were free entrance. Not St Paul's. They wanted £11 for the privilege, so we soon found ourselves on the steps. Whilst figuring out where to go next, I noticed a large crowd gathered near the door. They were crowding over a table that was set-up with dozens of monitors and other electrical wizardry. It was the Eastenders production crew. They were set for an outside shoot on the steps of St Paul's. I recognised the couple being filmed but don't know their names (Result!). Anyway, look out for me and Monica in the background. We got in on the shot!



Monica and St Paul's.

Leaving St Paul's behind, we went for a stroll over the Millennium bridge. Monica remembers it before they fixed the wobble problem. Sadly, they have long since fixed it. So we found ourselves on the south bank again. A quick walk down to Parliament to catch a bus to Victoria in time to meet Rafaella, Monica's friend.





Me and the Bridge.

At Victoria we went to the "Stage Door" pub for drinks. Back in the UK so I was on pints to the girls halves. The girls had a lot of catching up to do. 4 pints later and Raffaella had to catch her train and we had to go and meet Susan and Gary for dinner at Marble Arch. The place where we met was another Weatherspoons. Same menu, same prices. Not to worry at least we ate something. More than poor Susan. Her meal came out cold and had to be sent back. 2 hours later and still no sign of it returning.




St Paul's from the Millennium Bridge.