London Parade

Woke up well rested and after a full English breakfast, we walked down to see the Lord Mayor's New Year's Day Parade. I say that because after yesterday, I did not want to be on my feet any more than necessary!

The weather was "mild" but there was definitely a cold wind. I was amazed at the performers and some of their outfits. I guess the adrenalin kept them warm! We found a nice spot on Whitehall between two of grandstands almost at the end of the route.

Forgot to mention it yesterday but in a bizarre series of events, my camera ended up in G's friends' car who was travelling up North yesterday, so I ended up in London with NO CAMERA! For someone like me, that's worse than having no cash!

So, G took most of the pictures of the Parade; I stood back and took pictures on my phone which sadly aren't very good quality. I have taken the two pictures on the left of this collage... the first to show a small section of the crowd, the other of two particular iconic London objects. G took the picture of one of the many American marching bands who were brilliant to watch. And lastly, I chose a passer-by holding a DSLR to ask him to take a picture of us at the end of our day out. He did an excellent job!

Today we've walked from Victoria to Westminster, up Whitehall, called in for a hot chocolate at a hotel at Charing Cross, then a quick stop at Covent Garden, then a bus to St. Paul's to walk over Millennium Bridge, then along South Bank to see the mini-Christmas market there before catching another bus back to Victoria. My feet are starting to protest big-time and my knees have decided to join them!

We managed to catch the fast train back to Bromley South, to get the car to drive back. Made it home by 10 but only enough energy to do one blip. It's been one of the best starts to a new year ever.