OK, technically it wasn't our first day in London but we didn't do much on arrival day other than survive and explore our neighbourhood.
Yesterday we spread a bit further afield.
Our first need (after coffee and showers) was breakfast. Apparently London enjoys a more leisurely start to the day on Sunday as most restaurants did not open until 10 and we were hungry. We decided to just head out to out first stop and see what we found on our way. It turns out that while there weren't many restaurants there were plenty of cafes where we could grab a snack.
We loaded the Oyster cards that one of my colleagues at the office had loaned to us and headed off on the tube.
Our first stop was the Museum of London. This is a free museum that documents the history of the UK's capital city from prehistoric to modern times. The museum also includes some new galleries - the Galleries of Modern London, that focus on the lives people lead from 1666 to the present. There was also a special display the shows how the Olympic Cauldron was made for the 2012 London Olympics.
We spent close to 3 hours wandering around the museum - a great spot to spend a morning.
Our lunch reservations were for 1 PM so we headed to Barbecoa. This is celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's tribute to fire and smoke. They featured a special Sunday lunch - a traditional English roast with all you can eat Yorkshire puddings, coal roasted potatoes, roasted cabbage, and roasted carrots. You were able to select one appetizer, one main, and dessert. You could also order all you can drink wine.
Our table had an incredible view of St. Paul's Cathedral - I would have sat there for three hours just looking out of the window.
Lunch was amazing.
After lunch we decided to wander around St. Paul's Cathedral for a bit. As we were doing this it started to get a bit drizzly. We heard some thunder and saw lightning. We sought shelter in one of those old red iconic telephone booths to the right of the Cathedral. There was room for both Paul and Jerry in there but no room for the others who also had the same great idea when it started to hail.
After the cloud had passed we hopped on the tube back to the Agate station, followed by a short walk back to the apartment.
The all-you can drink wine hit me and a nap was required!
Later we lounged around and went out to a restaurant near the apartment that is known for its hand-pulled Asian noodles and dumplings. Delicious!
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