Thank You London–We Loved Our Stay

When we were planning our year, London was a bit of an afterthought. Yes, we needed to stay up here during the Olympics – but our focus was on the Olympics and not the host city. As it turns out we’ve had some time to explore and have seen familiar places in a new light along with new sights and some unexpected treats. It has been a real reminder as to what a great city London is.

Whilst walking up to Trafalgar Square, I noticed that even Nelson on his column was getting in to the Olympic spirit. Along with the cheeky Union Flag painted on Nelson’s hat in Trafalgar Square, my highlights would include:

• The “Discovery trails” set up around historic/famous parts of London. We walked the  yellow trail through Spitalfields and Leadenhall markets, along Brick Lane and into the City. Walking past the base of the Gherkin was a real surprise. At strategic points the trail is decorated with giant hand-painted Wenlock and Mandeville figures illustrating some local aspect (e.g. Londinium Wenlock marks the site of an ancient Roman market);
• The BT London Live setups with multiple giant screens and stages set up in Hyde Park and Victoria Park. Watching Team GB win 6 gold medals on “Super Saturday” with Chris and Lucy and thousands of others in Hyde Park was particularly memorable.
• The Olympic rings hanging from Tower Bridge and the floating rings towed up and down the Thames. At night, all of the bridges along the Thames were illuminated and as we rode the river bus up from the O2 to Westminster it made for a spectacular trip.

So thanks to Boris for putting on a good show and to Londoners who seem to have taken a happy pill and have been so smiling and friendly. We really enjoyed our stay and you set the bar very high for other cities we’ll be visiting over the coming year.