On our way to Croatia, my son and I had a one day layover in London. Having never been to London other than an airport connection in the past, I decided to make the most of our stay this time around. We booked a hotel in the Westminster Abby location, where there is plenty to see in walking distance. The first suggestion made to us by our taxi cab driver was the double decker London tour bus. So after checking into our hotel and a change of clothes, we made our way outdoors to explore. We were instructed by our Hotel bellhop to take a right at the end of the block where we could catch the famous red double decker London tour buses.
London Tour Buses: We purchased our tickets, grabbed tea and biscuits to go at the local shop our bus was parked across from and made our way to our seats. Our British accented speaking bus driver was this tall skinny African American that made comedian Chris Rock seemed dull and boring. He had a dry sense of humor, very tongue and cheek. He knew how to grab the crowds attention, or at least those of us that understood English. We drove past the Westminster Abby church, Kingston Palace, Tower of London. You have the option of getting on and off the bus. If you want to see an overview of London, the tour bus is the best way.
We were starved into an hour into the ride, so we decided to hop off the bus looking for a pub to eat at. Our choice of meal Fish and Chips, you simply cannot go to London without trying this food staple. Of course when you do go out for fish and chips, ya gotta go to pub and watch some footie aka fudbol – soccer or in my native tongue nogomet. In my house we are Chelesa fans, my son and I made sure we sported our team spirit while in London wearing our shirts. After indulging in a food staple favorite, we made our way to the famous Tower of London, taking the tour. My son was into the tv drama show Reign, so he had a base line understanding of monarchs along with the history of King Henry and all his wives. After taking the grounds tour we walked across the famous London Bridge, walked passed the Clock Tower and the Ferris Wheel while enjoying some frozen custard another British treat.
So if you only have a day in London, I highly recommend purchasing tickets for the double decker tour bus with the option to get on and off. I would take the basic tour of the Tower of London, walk across the London Bridge if you are not a afraid of heights take a ride on the Ferris wheel. The London city pass is a great buy, if you are a Costco member you can purchase city passes for a reduced price.
