scubacruiserx2

After lunch we wanted a dessert but on the way we saw the Oxfam used book store . There was a book on the Queen that the Big Smile company will not stock so we tried there . Nope . A William Blake art photo book was next , nope . But Pat found a nice like new book that we liked for 3 GBP ! We found Baclava at The Greek Life shop a couple of stores down but Pat wanted something cool and the worker told her about a Gelato stand which she was allowed to get and eat with me inside . Afterwards I asked if I could use the wash room to get the honey off my hands and she allowed me to use the employees Loo . All was fine - until the lights went out . Maybe they forgot to pay their electric bill . But as I moved , they came back on - duh , motion activated ! 😅

Our next stop on our magical history tour was one for the tummy at our favorite fish and chippery - The Laughing Halibut . It's never an official visit until we visit the good people and food there . The owner and his family have been there as long as we remember serving the same good food at a great price .

Agreed , but we know living in Florida how some tourists can be . In fact in the Fire Brigade we also had a panic button that we had to use on more than one occasion . If we squawked our unit number followed by a 3 digit number on our radio it meant the cavalry would be coming quickly and armed to the teeth with a licence to kill or arrest . And since were not tired of London yet , then apparently we still have some life left in us . 🙂😉

Thank you for Minding my knowledge gap and supplying answers to some unasked questions dancing around in my mind . Very informative ! We've seen some of the knuckleheads on video that you are talking about trying to get their special photos with the mounted guards and their mounts . The guards have a lot more patience and discipline then I currently have . We also love the Tate Britain in London and have a dear friend from Manchester who paints in the style of the Pre- Raphaelite Brotherhood . Ophelia - John Everett Millais Christ in the house of his Parents - John Everett Millais I also fancy the works of William Blake but not many were on display this trip , so here's a couple of older ones from our trip with our grandson there in 2016 . He also wrote the song Jerusalem preformed here at the proms in the Royal Albert Hall and in the movie Chariots of Fire , which took the movie tittle from a lyric in the song ( and in the Bible ) . We had tickets for the Proms our last night in London .

Thank you for supplying the Artist and the Info . The only originals that we have seen from Leonardo are in the Hermitage . And thank you for your kind words and writing in and yes I love photos as a hobby . BTW we love to visit San Diego but not so much when I was at the NTC during Vietnam . Hospital Corp school was better as I had my car and surfboard - until they sent me to Camp LeJeune !

William Shakespeare was also here with a seagull hat . And Paddington Bear ( who would share a seat but not his sandwich ) But this area may be best known for cheap theatre tickets We had our tickets but not lunch . So we grabbed another cab to our favorite Fish and Chips place in London . The Horse Guards were out so I shot a couple of photos from the taxi through the windows . We have never seen them wearing soft caps before . Or missing the breastplate . Or a panic button The normal helmet and breastplate during a training session in the park

After some quite reflection we headed for Leicester Square which I first heard of on the Jethro Tull's song Jefferey goes to Leicester Square . When sighting this store there was a flash back to my childhood and my 1st Whopper in Miami where Burger King began when I was a child , before my wife was born . But we had other lunch plans on our minds . A busker with a pretty voice drew us to listen to her and record a quick video as people passed between the camera and the singer . C2304.MP4 It was the first hit for David Bowie , Space Oddity which came out about the same time as the Tull Album Stand up. Here's the original video which the rights belong to the artist . The singers name was Serena Kaos and as I was buying one of her CD's she explained that her next song was from the Fleetwood Mac Album that came about the time when my wife and I had just met . Unlike the song that is a breakup song , we have been together since 1976 . The Fleetwood Mac song is called Dreams and I think that she sings it better than the original singer . C2305.MP4

Nearby was the Notre Dame Church - a retreat from the hustle and bustle C2302.MP4

Our original plan was to go to Chinatown for dinner and walk to His Majesties Theatre and see the Phantom of the Opera . But my leg wasn't up to it so we took a taxi to Chinatown . C2296.MP4 We passed Trafalgar Square C2299.MP4 Karl Marx moved to London in early June 1849 and would remain based in the city for the rest of his life. The headquarters of the Communist League also moved to London. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Marx#:~:text=Marx moved to London in,League also moved to London.

I brought out the old Canon telephoto ( 2012 ) and mounted it on the new Canon body ( 2024 ) to shoot this cannon at the Horse Guards drill yard . And some flower close shots without walking on the grass . Next stop : Chinatown

We are off in about 15 minutes for another Sonogram on the leg . Hopefully more photo when we return .

Most of our photos of this trip so far have been from our pocket Sony camera . I'm currently down loading to the desk top our photos from our new Canon D 90 , which should be a higher quality - if and when they come in .

The hotel room faces East toward the sunrise in the morning . It's always best to keep the sun at your back for photos when using natural light , so we decided to cross the street to the river . We didn't want to get ran over by a horse bus so we used the crosswalks . I used a flash to read the WW II plaque with poppies . While we crossed the street safely when the light stopped the vehicular traffic , the bicycles almost nailed us riding full speed and yelling at the top of their lungs . They do not stop for people in their lane . Returning to the safety of the garden , we saw a statute of William Tyndale in front of the Hotel . He translated the Bible into English which was against the law of the Catholic Church . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyndale_Bible There was a time not so long ago that in every hotel and cruise ship there was a Gideon's Bible in the end table next to the bed . But in our 3 last hotel rooms and our 2 last cruises , The Book is missing . Who or what has caused this change ? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gideons_International

We spent our first evening looking for the Wimbledon semi finals on the Telly , but to no avail . We did find a show about Paramedics that we watched to see how it's done on this side of the pond . Their call was a Diabetic Coma with trouble obtaining an IV access to give Dextrose to wake up their patient . I did the same work in Miami Dade County for 28 + years . We were also Firefighters but I spent most of the time on a Rescue Truck and the least amount of time on a helicopter as a Flight Medic . Rescue Skin diver air deployment . I had to become SCUBA certified to fly on Air Rescue but this diver didn't have his tanks on and looks to be headed for a face plant . Sleep was sweet and we were up early for the buffet breakfast We chatted with the Concierge who looked a lot like a smaller version of our oldest grand son . We were trying to get the scoop on the Horse guards parade . The unmade bed before we set out . Strangely enough a Paramedic was parked outside of the hotel which I chatted up with some shop talk and questions . A statue dedicated to the Gurkha , from Nepal and famous for their fighting , dedication and their Khukuri , a forward-curving knife . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurkha The entrance to the Drill grounds . The Horse guards were not on their mounts until 10 AM , behind the black doors . A pano video clip C2293.MP4

The equestrian theme is carried out throughout the building . But the painting over our bed was well , different in less it was a Miohippus . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miohippus#:~:text=Miohippus (meaning "small horse",late Eocene to late Oligocene. My doctor who was in London said that we might meet for some Indian food on our first night depending on what his host had planned . As we were boarding the CB he was winging his way to Bombay , the city of his birth for a visit . But we did order some Indian take out for the table in the room which was very good .

Top Hat There is a rear entrance to the hotel here and a private garden where they use to serve breakfast but post Covid , dinner only .

After our nap we went out to get a few things like a London mug for my old fashioned soap and brush shaving mug . There was a small store under the Hungerford and Golden Jubilee Bridges a block or 2 away . We saw this tricked out Pedicab on the way and have had good luck with them in Key West and San Francisco . The shop was well guarded and walking behind our hotel a garden fronted the Thames near the Eye , was a nice walk .

The readjustment periods keep getting longer with longer trips but slow and steady is getting the job done .

Our room was not ready so we went to the Equus Bar in the hotel for lunch and a Pint . We were enjoying the quite there and watching the world go by . Mixed drinks named for famous people After lunch we crossed the street to take a photo of a statute and the hotel before taking a nap in a real bed .

We cruise less but enjoy it more . Our last European cruise was in 2019 so we paid the price after saving a couple of years during Covid . We wanted First Class on the red eye over but booked Premium Economy on the way back hoping for a upsell . We did try that at check in for the return flight like we did on our last VA flight in 2016 , but it didn't happen this time . Summer is more a peak time , thus fuller prices are charged .

We did hear that the drydock is true from the crew .

We caught a ride to the Royal Horseguards Hotel in London where we spent 2 nights . https://www.royalhorseguardshotel.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gmb_website_click

After landing and collecting our checked bags we went through Immigration with a photo and Facial Recognition . It's a very long walk and I had Cellulitis in my left leg just before we booked this cruise . 3 days and 2 nights in the hospital plus 6 different antibiotics made it feel good enough to walk slowly but painfully . The leg remains swollen and stairs are a real challenge but not enough for a temporary disabled permit or prescription pain killers . So it's OTC analgesics and play through the pain as my coaches used to say . We made reservations for breakfast at the Virgin Atlantic Revival Lounge to kill some time before our hotel would let us check in . The breakfast was good but the line for the 2 washing rooms was long . They do have about 10 showers with toilets , but the attendant would not allow us to use them since we didn't book them in advance .

Welcome to MicCanberra . We thought of and missed you and Rosie on this similar cruise that we had to abort with you . We hope that you are well and we still had the best Roll Call ever with you 9 years ago . Nolafan , it was great meeting and cruising with you and we hope that you enjoyed our cruise together . Well we're both in the same boat again during this H season watching the tropics and praying that we don't get the H word during this storm season . 🌀

Wakey , wakey ! We were knocked up about 2 hours from London to order breakfast . It was served near Ireland . Our flight had followed the East coast of the US and Canada before jumping over the pond .