South Bank, United Kingdom Travel Journals & Blogs

Christie Mitchell RTW 2022
- Jul 4, 2022, 12:02pm · ⛅ 70 °F Altitude: 79 ft
  England Greater London South Bank London Eye 51.503174, -0.11945351°30’11” N 0°7’10” W
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Day 105
London!
July 4, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 70 °F
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1
Miles: 8.1 Steps: 20135
Flights stairs: 17

Beautiful day in London today!

We had a great day seeing many tourist sites. Rode the top level of a classic double decker bus and then went to the London Dungeons. It’s a 90 minute haunted house kind of atmosphere walking you through the gruesome history of London - like 15 “scenes” with actors portraying history live with us as participants. It was very entertaining, scary but I actually learned a lot of the history. Unfortunately no pics allowed so only had the one they sold us in the end.

Then we headed to Kings Cross station to see platform 9 3/4 from Harry Potter - or what they set it up to be for the tourists. Cute. On the same vein, then went across town to see the Abbey Road crosswalk. Funny to watch everyone try to get pics on an active street without a street light.

We walked thru Hyde Park, saw Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria fountain and then strolled thru St James Park. It was very beautiful.

We eventually hit Admiralty arch, and Trafalgar Square - the direct center of London. Down the street we saw 10 Downing Street, the amazing looking Parliament and of course Big Ben (which was smaller than I imagined). We finished off our day with a ride on the London Eye - takes about 30 minutes to make a full rotation. Each pod holds 25-30 people. Went really high and really cool to see the city from that vantage point.

Overall, it was a great day seeing the city. London is pretty cool.Read more
Traveler Glad you’re enjoying London. We have our fast pass tickets for the London Eye on July 16th.,
7/5/22Reply
Christie Mitchell We didn’t have a fast pass, and the line WAS extremely intimidating… but in reality, it moved VERY fast. When they’re loading 25-30 people at a time, it moves quick
7/5/22Reply
Traveler Looks fun!
7/9/22Reply
Traveler We have one here in Boise that they brought over😳Converted it into a mobile coffee shop😜But not that modern or fancy:)
7/9/22Reply
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Traveler Ingolds in Europe
- Feb 19, 2023 Altitude: 25 m
  England Greater London South Bank London Eye 51.50336, -0.11951351°30’12” N 0°7’10” W
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Day 2
What day is it??!
February 19 in England
2
We made it! 24 hours flying, 30+ hours in transit. The girls were brilliant (OK, maybe not brilliant- but definitely better than it could have been!) Not a lot of sleep throughout, but we have charged through the day today and heading to bed early. Jet lag is real (Audrey calls it plane rot…)
Lots of things ticked off on our first day. Took the tube and minded the gap. As we emerged into the sunlight with our first look at England (the industrial area around the airport) Olive declared ‘it is SO beautiful!’ 🤦🏼‍♀️
Surprised the girls with a double decker bus tour hosted by Paddington bear. The girls LOVED it… until the motion of an old refurbished bus combined with plane rot made things a little hairy.
We can see Big Ben from the front of our hotel, so have walked and seen some sights. Nick and I didn’t love London last time we were briefly here, but the architecture captured our hearts today (and the glorious blue sky reflected on the Thames might have helped).
Let’s hope for sleep for all tonight!
PS Squirrels are very cute 🐿Read more
Traveler I love your story telling thank you for sharing. Also not wrong, Squirrels are super cute! :)
2/19/23Reply
Traveler such a great tea selection, did Paddington make you some marmalade sandwiches
2/19/23Reply
Traveler Yes!! Marmalade sandwiches were had!!
2/20/23Reply
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Traveler United Kingdom
- Aug 14, 2023, 5:30pm · ☁️ 20 °C Altitude: 19 m
  England Greater London South Bank London Eye 51.503342, -0.11967651°30’12” N 0°7’11” W
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Day 9
London Eye
August 14 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C
The London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel and the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over three million visitors annually.Read more
Traveler I am not good with heights, but I did it. I just about had a meltdown when nearly at the top they told us they had to reverse. It felt surprisingly stable, but I did not move from my seat, so all my photos are from that view with minimal movement.
8/15/23Reply
Traveler I’m so proud of you 🙌🏼🥰
8/17/23Reply
Traveler 😘
8/17/23Reply
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Traveler Vera's ungeplantes Interrail
- Aug 5, 2022, 5:53pm · ⛅ 23 °C Altitude: 8 m
  England Greater London South Bank 51.5, -0.11833351°30’0” N 0°7’6” W
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Day 9
Sightseeing
August 5, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Nachdem ich gestern überhaupt nicht fit war und im Hostel geblieben bin, war heute ein sehr laufintensiver Tag. Zusammen mit einer Mitbewohnerin habe ich die Stadt erkundet und viele touristische Orte besucht, in den nächsten Tagen werde ich mir ein paar Drehorte aus verschiedenen Filmen anschauen.Read more
See translation
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Griswalds Adventure Griswalds Tour to the UK
- Jul 29, 2023, 3:27pm · ⛅ 23 °C Altitude: 19 m
  England Greater London South Bank 51.501167, -0.11699851°30’4” N 0°7’1” W
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Day 3
London - Day 1
July 29 in England ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Up and about this morning. Straight to the Hop-on Hop-off bus. We covered a lot of places. The photos below are of, in order:
The River Thames, Tower of London, Big Ben,
Gate to Buckingham Palace,
Trafalgar Square.

There are thousands of people here. The line-up to the Tower of London was huge.
We are heading back out tonight to have another look.

We met up with a friend, Rev Betty, from Australia who we haven’t seen for years which was lovely.Read more
Traveler Looks like you had a jammed back day
7/29/23Reply
Pam McGee The Griswalds do London 😂
7/29/23Reply
colleen blofield Wow!! You certainly know how to fill a Day.
7/30/23Reply
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Griswalds Adventure Griswalds Tour to the UK
- Jul 30, 2023, 6:53pm · 🌧 18 °C Altitude: 19 m
  England Greater London South Bank 51.501216, -0.1170351°30’4” N 0°7’1” W
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Day 4
London - Day 2
July 30 in England ⋅ 🌧 18 °C
Today we took the train to Herne Bay to meet up with Wayne’s friends, Paul and Hayley, who he has been chatting on Skype with for twenty years. We also met Hayley’s daughter Kristy, her husband Sam and their little baby Alex. The countryside is beautiful and the fish and chips by the sea was lovely. Thanks so much Paul and Hayley for your hospitality. We had a great time.

The Clock Tower, (photo below), is believed to be one of the earliest purpose-built, free-standing clock towers in the United Kingdom. It now serves as a memorial to the fallen of the Second Boer War.

Back at the hotel now planning what we’ll do tomorrow.Read more
Traveler Was lovely meeting you both xx
7/30/23Reply
Traveler After 20 years it was great to meet you face to face thanks for a great day 🦘🦘
7/30/23Reply
Griswalds Adventure Thank you both again.
7/30/23Reply
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Griswalds Adventure Griswalds Tour to the UK
- Jul 31, 2023, 6:44pm · ☁️ 18 °C Altitude: 15 m
  England Greater London South Bank 51.501269, -0.1172951°30’5” N 0°7’2” W
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Day 5
London - Day 2
July 31 in England ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
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Out and about today having another look around. We went to Platform 9 3/4 at King Cross Station to see if we could board the Hogwarts Express - no luck today I think it decided to go without us. Went shopping at the Harry Potter Shop for Betty (aka Casey) and Audrey (aka Mikayla).

We then wandered around the area where our motel is, looking at all the different touristy things and visited a souvenir shop - I love souvenir shops.

There are literally thousands of people here and the traffic makes Sydney driving look easy.

We had a day of sun, wind, rain then back to sunny and windy. Days are about 20 degrees which is just nice.

We had afternoon tea in the little coffee shop in the hotel. Shared a raspberry and custard tart and a cappuccino each. Check out the hanging cup and saucer display hanging from the ceiling of the shop (picture below). It’s so cute but I’d hate to be cleaning it. Would you like me to bring you one home Sandra?Read more
colleen blofield WOW!!!!!!!!!
7/31/23Reply
Traveler Was Wayne on the other side of the wall? lol x
7/31/23Reply
Griswalds Adventure No. He was holding our purchases from the Harry Potter shop so I could get the photo amongst the hoards of people.
7/31/23Reply
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Griswalds Adventure Griswalds Tour to the UK
- Aug 1, 2023, 5:28pm · ☁️ 23 °C Altitude: 15 m
  England Greater London South Bank 51.501255, -0.11720151°30’5” N 0°7’2” W
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Day 6
London - Day 3
August 1 in England ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
Up and off this morning to meet our Tour Director and check in for our Tour which starts tomorrow.

We then jumped on the hop-on hop-off bus again for another tour of the city. This time we got off at Buckingham Palace. Wow what an impressive building. Apparently King Charles didn’t get the email we were coming and to prepare the High Tea as he was not in residence. How rude!!!

At the front of Buckingham Palace are four Guard Boxes, when the King is in residence all four of these have guards in them. Today there were only two. This indicates the King has left the building.

Below is some photos for you to view. I also included a video of the Guard change at one of Guard Boxes.

Just down the road from the Palace we stopped at a little cafe and had bruschetta and a milkshake for lunch. Omg those milkshakes were to die for. I haven’t tasted one as good in a very long time.

Back on the bus and head back to our Hotel which took longer than normal thanks to the amount of traffic.

Another great day.Read more
Trish Bailey Weather looks beautiful.
8/1/23Reply
Pam McGee You were lucky to see the changing of the guard!
8/2/23Reply
Griswalds Adventure Not the official changing of the guard ceremony but this will do.
8/2/23Reply
Julie Kirkman Photos are great.❤️
8/9/23Reply
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UK and Paris Sept. Oct. 2019
- Sep 22, 2019, 3:01pm · ⛅ 18 °C Altitude: 27 m
  England Greater London South Bank 51.50167, -0.1251°30’6” N 0°7’12” W
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London
September 22, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Great day. We took the train from Abbey wood to London Bridge. Olivia and Sam did so well to walk the 17km along the Thames with us without complaint! We all loved visiting the London Eye, Shrek and our favourite ..the London Dungeon.Read more
Fran 👍
9/22/19Reply
Traveler Well done kids xx
9/23/19Reply
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BTheEPIC Europe Trip 2022
- Jun 11, 2022, 11:54am · ⛅ 68 °F Altitude: 56 ft
  England Greater London South Bank 51.500725, -0.11690751°30’3” N 0°7’1” W
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Day 8
Got Hotel Room; Going Out Soon
June 11, 2022 in England ⋅ ⛅ 68 °F
We arrived at the hotel after the van ride. We got our room and trip info from the travel company here, as well as tickets to an excursion that weren’t already in the folder. The room is very fancy, as well is the whole hotel. We are going to walk around the city soon and explore what’s here.Read more
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