Six days or six hours?

Why do holidays just go so fast?, no 'age' comments please!

It feels like I was packing bags and driving South with anticipation about 6 hours ago not 6 days! I hate that, each time I visit my parents I tell myself that somehow I will take better notice of every moment, savor every minute of every day I am there and that it will in some magical way make it last longer....... that I will come home feeling I have been away much longer, despite my efforts I always feel I am back almost before I left.

We arrived early evening of Monday and spent the evening 'catching up'. On Tuesday all four of us spent the day in the pursuit of retail therapy and remarkably spent relatively little, relative to what?, I think PG would ask but you know what I mean!

Wednesday we hit town. The purpose was a personalised tour of some of the 'high spots', PG despite having worked in London for 2 years when he was younger spent most of it inebriated with friends, as one does at 20ish and saw little of the city itself. This is his second 'home grown' tour and by now most of the main places of interest have been on one itinerary or another.

We made it into town by 10, just late enough to avoid the worst of the rush hour and alighted at Marylebone at our 'starting point'

From there we got a bus (yes a big red one) to Marble arch (the place PG and I first set eyes on each other 3 years ago) and walked down Oxford Street past Selfridges to New Bond Street. I remembered Bond street as being full of designer clothes stores but it seems to have changed a little. The majority is now incredible jewelry shops, Graff, Tiffany, Asprey etc etc. Graff seemed to be a sticking point for me, how exactly does anyone afford a flawless 23.4 carat diamond I wonder? I have a definite passion for diamonds and this one was something else, I virtually had to be dragged kicking and screaming from the window!

On then down to Piccadilly, through Burlington Arcade, past the Ritz and through Green Park, past the new memorial to the Canadian troops that fell in the war to Buckingham Palace. There is a whole city here and what did PG find fascinating??......the squirrels in the park! ...and yes, to you who it concerns, I remembered to post the postcards!

Having meandered among the crowds and armed cops (they where un armed last time I was there)at the palace for a while we walked down The Mall and to St James' Palace and then to Trafalgar Square where we ate lunch with two ladies from Kansas who were on holiday and then on to the National Gallery. Sorry but I just can't go past without going in! To see for real Monet's 'Waterlillies', 'The Gare St Lazare', Van Gochs 'Chair' and 'Sunflowers' and Seurats 'Bathers' etc, never ceases to leave me in wonder. Yeah, I know they are perhaps much publicised works we all know well but to see the real thing, the one those guys actually painted is just amazing!

On then down Whitehall past Downing Street to Parliament Square and to The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben (webcam) and the Millennium wheel. Added interest here, a 'big wig' of some description was leaving the Foreign Office with the full protection furore, cops carrying sidearms stopping traffic and the motorcade of perhaps 10 vehicles enjoying a hasty and clear path thought the traffic, heavily escorted. For me armed cops are still quite a rare sight although sadly more common by the day it seems. I have to admit though to finding a guy armed and in uniform rather 'interesting'!

By now, sore feet prevailing we climbed onto a bus again and made for Knightsbridge and Harrods, circumnavigated that which is Al-Fayeds emporium, purchased a few items, drank coffee in Starbucks ....hell, Starbucks in Harrods, what is the world coming too..... and then another bus to Baker Street and among rush hour had the pleasure of standing on the tube all the way home! There are aspects of working in London I most definitely do not miss and that is one of them!

We ate dinner, gossiped more and fell into bed, a good day was had but our feet perhaps would tell another tale.

Pictures as promised, if I missed anything sorry but another day.....these took two hours to upload,grrrr. Get your scrolling finger ready.........

(again, click for big.)


Oxford Street


Bond Street


Burlington Arcade


Tiffany & Co.


Buckingham Palace


PG & Me, Buckingham Palace


Irony, Buckingham Palace


National gallery


St. Martins.


Cop


Stop the traffic


Downing Street


Downing street


Tis me! Trafalgar Square


Harrods


Big ben and The Houses of Parliament