On Friday evening after work I headed home and waited for Greg who was getting a taxi up from Addlestone to our place. After arriving and dropping his bags, we each grabbed a couple of beers and waited for Uns to get home. After a brief hi, Greg and myself headed out to the station, into London Bridge and over to Bond Street. I'd decided MEATliquor would be a good choice for dinner, followed by a walk down Oxford Circus, Regent Street, Piccadilly Circus, the M&M store, Leicester Square, Soho, China Town and finally finishing up in Trafalgar Square. It was probably a bit dark/late to enjoy Trafalgar Square, so we didn't hang around long but rather took a stroll over the Hungerford Bridge (technically the Golden Jubilee Bridge) with one of my favourite views of the London Eye, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and the Thames by night. From there it was an easy bus ride home.

On Saturday after breakfast at home, myself, Greg and Una headed into London Bridge and over to Borough Market. We took a bit of a walk around the market and then decided to pop into Southwark Cathedral when it started to rain. At least it wasn't too heavy rain, just a bit annoying. After a bit of a walk around the cathedral we decided to move on to the Mug House for a cheeky beer until it cleared up upside. From the pub we headed towards Tower Bridge and over towards the Tower of London where we had lunch looking into the river as well as City Hall with The Shard in the background.

After eating we decided to catch the Thames Clipper down the river to The London Eye where we hopped off. After checking out the Eye we walked over Westminster Bridge towards Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. After wandering around there we headed down past Whitehall, Downing Street, onto the Horse Guards Parade, through St. James Park and finally up to Buckingham Palace.

After a while around Buckingham Palace we headed down The Mall and into Trafalgar Square which was a bit clearer in the light of day compared to late on Friday night. Then it was back home briefly for some dinner and a change of clothes and back out once again to Hanover Street to the Slug and Lettuce for England's first World Cup game against Italy, which unfortunately they lost 2-1. But afterwards we made our way back through Trafalgar Square which was alive and festive with Italians celebrating their win.

Yesterday morning was a slightly later start to the day, beginning with a fry up at home. We landed up leaving a bit later than expected after the neighbours popped round asking to cut down the trees which was handy for us. Eventually they were done and Greg and myself headed into Piccadilly Circus and down to Hamleys for a bit of toy shopping for the boys, and myself :) After Hamleys it was over to Harrods for a wander through there. After Harrods we popped up to the edge of Hyde Park just for a look and then caught the train back to New Cross Gate to meet up with Uns at New Cross House for pizza and a beer. After eating, Greg and I made our way to the Montague Arms for a few to end our Sunday night.

I'd taken a day's leave today, so when Uns had to unfortunately head off work, Greg and I made our way into London Bridge, walked along the South Bank, over the Millennium Bridge and into St. Paul's. Since the weekend had mainly involved us missioning about, today seemed a good day to actually go into one of the attractions, and St. Paul's always worthwhile. We did the 90 minute guided tour and then trekked up to the top with it's stunning views over London.

Once back down, we headed back towards London Bridge, grabbed a bite to eat at the German Deli in Borough Market and then home. After a quick pack, we were back in the trains and towards Heathrow until we got to Northfields and we landed up with cancellations and delays on the tube. Not knowing how long that'll last, I managed to find Greg a taxi and pushed him into that and off to the airport! A bit of a manic end to an otherwise awesome weekend of the 'Sambros in London'.