Under a tree outside St. James's Park, London
Our little cruise took us past such sights as Cleopatra's Needle (an ancient Egyptian obelisk which, at 3500 years old, is actually older than London itself), the very plain-looking National Theatre, the 365 ft tall St Paul's Cathedral and a replica of Shakespeare's Globe theatre.
We also passed London Bridge and the HMS Belfast (the largest cruiser ever commissioned by the Royal Navy), before stopping in front of Tower Bridge.
Then we got off the ferry and immediately headed for the Tower of London. Wanted to go see the Crown Jewels, but the entry fee was way too expensive.
So we ended up at The Tower Shop instead, which was crammed full of Tower souvenirs, history books, replica swords/armour, model knights/cannon, and everything Henry VIII-related - mugs, egg cups, coins, magnets, even teddy bears in royal garb.
We left the shop and walked the perimeter of the Tower, where we happened to pass by the infamous Traitors' Gate, through which many Tudor prisoners (including Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I) entered the Tower by barge from the river Thames.
Next we had a short stop at St. Katharine Docks, before finding the nearest bus stop. We had some ice cream before boarding the London tour bus again.
We were soon at Buckingham Palace, where it was extremely hot and extremely crowded (being a Saturday). So after a few quick photos of the palace and the Victoria Memorial, we headed down The Mall, which is a long tree-lined path adjacent to St. James's Park.
We got a good view of the many visitors in the park lying on the grass or lazing on deckchairs, so by the time we reached the end of The Mall, we decided that we should rest a while too.
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