SCandinavian Cruises - 2026
Thursday 7 May'26 - London
Today was classic "being a tourist" day... There were only 2 items "locked in", so 1st off, to the Borough Markets it was to be, a comfortable 15 minute walk across London Bridge. However, we discovered that only 12 minutes away ,in a slightly different direction, a detour to look at the Monument to the Great Fire of London was the first thing undertaken. After that, across the Thames to visit Borough Markets. Great range of various things needed by locals, along with the tourist trade. Can only imagine what it would have been like in years gone by. Even though it was early morning, the place was still buzzing!
Next up, Buckingham Palace with the thousands of others. I was little pissed in that, despite my text to him earlier in the day, Charlie was to busy with his garden party and forgot to send me my invite... After that, onto Piccadilly Circus where lunch was had in The Glassblower pub. I do like the pommy pubs, a real local community feel about them even though they are in a high tourist area! Next stop, Marble Arch, before heading off to an art exhibition with a difference, Frameless. A fair bit of walking but at least you get to see things and how could I go to London without a photo of the classic London Cab. Another interesting place passed was the Burlington Arcade.
Frameless was recommended by my good friends Robert & Linda and I can not impress upon you enough to make the effort if you find yourself in London. It is a vision and light show that uses masterpieces in a totally immersive way, each show within a single gallery and the show covers the ceiling, floor and all walls. There are 4 galleries in all, with each show lasting 20-25 minutes but you can walk in and out of the rooms as you see fit. I could have video'd so much in each room but the whole lot would have gone forever. To give you a bit of an understanding of how awe inspiring it is, in one of the videos, you'll see people within the room, moving through colour swatch piles "on the floor" (Colour in Motion gallery) and they would disperse as you moved through them, only for them move up onto the wall and eventually create a masterpiece. In this case, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat (1859-1891). An art exhibition is not something I would normally schedule BUT I was SO happy I went...
After that, onto Covent Gardens and an early dinner before attending Matilda, the Musical. 2nd time I had seen it and was still an enjoyable experience. On the way to the theatre, we walked down a well named street. After the show, thanks to the magnificent Underground system, an easy transfer back to hotel for a goods night's rest...