Feeling refreshed after a pretty good sleep we trained to North Greenwich to the Emirates Air Line, which is a gondola ride across the Thames to Royal Victoria station. What a great view of London! We had prefect weather so the views were awesome.
On the other side of the ride, we walked to a fake beach that's been created by the Thames - I'm pretty sure the sand was fake too!! It felt a bit weird sitting on deckchairs in the sand in front of water but not being able to swim - there were very clear signs about the health dangers of swimming in the river!!! And then there was also the constant noise of the planes taking off from the London City Airport and flying right overhead!
After our short stop at the beach it was time to catch the light rail around to Canary Wharf and on to Island Garden which is at the end of the Isle of Dogs. From there we carried on walking, following the path along the Thames to the pedestrian walkway that took us under the river to Greenwich and the Cutty Sark.
We had a nice wander around the streets and parkland of Greenwich before relaxing back on a 40 min riverboat ride back to the St Catherine's Dock and the Tower of London. I reckon taking a trip in the river is an absolute must for anyone visiting London. It gives you a completely different perspective and view of the city.
For us it was a bit of de ja vue. When we lived here, we worked on a cruising hotel which used to take customers up and down the river between Windsor Castle and the Barrier, just past Greenwich. Back then, the area past central London and out to the barrier was pretty rough and run down - loads of abandoned warehouses and docks. So for us it was amazing to see just how much the riverside has developed.
Off the boat and more walking around the riverside, Tower of London and more ...... before catching a tube to meet up with Gracie at her work place in Baker Street for lunch at GBK (gourmet burger kitchen), kiwi owned burger joint.
Leaving Grace to get back to work, we walked to Leicester square and bought tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory theatre tonight at 7:30 for us, Grace and Michael. It was the on to Covent Garden for more reminiscing - that area used to be a bit of a favourite for us. As we had been walking so much and were feeling hot and sweaty (and had no time to get back to the B&B before the show) we needed to invest in new shirts so as not to upset any other theatre patrons.
Shirts bought it was time to relax at the Punch and Judy Pub in Covent Garden while we waited for Grace and Michael to join us before the show.
The show, which followed the original storyline, was absolutely fantastic. The set changes were very cleverly designed and the actors were outstanding. At the end of the show we finished the night off with a couple of drinks at a nearby pub before heading home for a much earned rest.
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