Wednesday 23rd April

I started today with a breakfast pot at Ottenlengi Marylebone, which was granola, yoghurt and fruit compote, and a hot chocolate. Then I caught the tube to St James station for the London Walks Royal London tour. I was there a little bit early so I crossed the river and took some photos of Westminster and Big Ben. This was the coldest and wettest day I had, as you’ll probably be able to see from the photos.

This tour takes you to various position to see the changing of the guards while the guide shares all sorts of interesting information about the guards and the Royals. It was great to get a fuller picture of what is actually going on, plus be in position to get an excellent view.

After the tour I was old and went towards Trafalgar Square to find a cafe to get warm in. I had a bowl of soup and was thoroughly warm before I left. I had 2 pm tickets for Westminster Abbey and the queue was pretty long even for ticket holders. Inside was a mad house—packed to the gills with tourists which was rather unpleasant. (I know I contributed to that) One thing that surprised my is that I expected it to bigger. What was really cool was seeing the tombs of some of the kings and queens who featured in the fictionalised, but following the historical timeline, account in Sharon Penman’s Welsh Trilogy.

When I got back to the hotel I hopped straight into bed for a nap. I was heading out later for dinner and feeling pretty tired. G arrived at the hotel, his work on hold until the following week so he could put his feet up and carb load in preparation for the marathon. I had dinner plans for 1 because we weren’t sure what time he’d arrive back in London and he wasn’t keen on the restaurant I’d picked. Chishuru is a modern West African restaurant. I don’t think I’ve never had West African cuisine so I was keen to try this. It’s a set menu with three choices for main.

I left full up to my eyeballs with good, if quite spicy, food and walked home as the sun was setting. The late sunset times made it feel much safer for me going out by myself in the evenings.

Steps: 22,938