Waterloo and Westminster

After breakfast and dropping off laundry, our first task was to get comfortable using the London Underground. At our nearby Kings Cross station, we purchased Oyster cards, which let us pay as we go, and charges stop when we meet our daily maximum. After a false start, we made the journey across two lines to the Waterloo station, close to the Thames, the London Eye, and across the river from Parliament.



But first we took a bus tour. And not just any bus - these were water ducks, refurbished military vehicles that drive on land with six wheels plus go amphibious into the water.



The gentleman in front with the frizzy hair gave a cheeky narrative to the tour. I tried to take decent pictures but they're all rubbish because of the motion. Because I was so distracted with the camera, I wasn't following our route at all, though we did see lots of things, like some of the entrances to Buckingham Palace, Westminster, the buildings housing MI5 and MI6, Downing Street, Trafalgar Square, and lots of other things I wish I could remember.

Then we took our turn in the London Eye, that big Ferris wheel that's the number two tourist attraction in Europe. (What's the first? Margo guesses The Louvre.) The Eye takes exactly 30 minutes to make a full rotation. Here are some pictures.





Then we took the Tube to Piccadilly Circus to visit a tourist information centre.



Margo got some tickets for other attractions, which will save us time waiting in queues.

By this time it was late afternoon. We split up so that Margo could take in an evenmass choir performance at Westminster Abbey.