29 June to 1 July 2016: Absolutely Fabulous

We had three nights in downtown London in the Mayfair Area which turned out to be a great location. We walked almost everywhere, only taking a taxi once to gain some lost time. The first morning we drove to the hotel, no small feat, and took a walking tour of the immediate area including Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street and Chinatown. We spent the balance of the afternoon at the British Museum. For dinner we had a special treat, one of Cara’s childhood friends, Shan, and her boyfriend Alex met us for dinner in Oxford Circus. On the way back, we stumbled into the red carpet for the Absolutely Fabulous Movie Premier Party. I have heard about the British TV show but have never seen it. They must love it because some folks there were about to lose their minds, especially when Spencer’s limo pulled up, whomever he is. We had a blast being in the middle of the excitement even though we had no idea who was who.

The second day we walked, a lot; about 16 miles. The tour included Notting Hill, Hyde Park, Kensington Palace, Royal Albert Hall, Princess Dianna Monument, Natural History Museum, Harrods, Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, and The Eye.

The third day we our sightseeing included London Tower, including the Crown Jewels, Tower Bridge, Thames River cruise, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the South Bank Area. Cara and the kids got to have dinner with another of Cara’s childhood friends, Julia, and her family. Unfortunately I missed it because I came down with a cold and after two days of some serious sun up to sun down walking, I needed to call it quits early.

Here are a few of the many pictures we took. I’ll follow up with a few of the highlights in separate posts.

London Central

British and Natural Sciences Museum

River Thames