we decided to get on the bus & walk around central london since the weather was so hot & sunny. 

we walked past the london aquarium:

past the VERY long queue of people for the london eye:

then past waterloo bridge: 

then the REALLY busy covent garden:

where wayne got to stand next to a HUGE monster truck:

we ate freshly made sandwiches in covent garden & admired at all the little shops: 

on the way home we walked pasted the famous Savoy Hotel. so pretty:

bit of trivia about this hotel:

Back in 1246, a stretch of land between the Strand and the Thames was presented by Henry III to Peter, Count of Savoy, uncle and consort to the King’s wife. Peter built his Savoy Palace on the river, and the name has been associated with the place ever since.

Over 600 years later, Richard D’Oyly Carte chose the location for a new theatre to stage the famous operettas written by his friends Gilbert and Sullivan. He decided to call his new building the Savoy Theatre, and the productions were known henceforth as the Savoy Operas. Gilbert and Sullivan were huge on both sides of the Atlantic, and D’Oyly Carte spent a lot of time producing their shows in America. This meant he could stay in some of the newest and best hotels, which impressed him so much with their amazing new technologies that he decided to build his own hotel back in London.  The new Savoy on the river took five years to build and opened on August 6, 1889. It caused a sensation.

This, the first true luxury hotel in London, was also the first to be lit by electricity. It had the first electric lifts, known as ‘ascending rooms’. Guest rooms were connected by speaking tube to the valet, maid and floor waiter – and to other parts of the hotel. The Savoy later became the first hotel to provide most of its rooms with private bathrooms en suite. The ‘Savoy bathroom’ became famous for its cascading shower and quick filling bath.

D’Oyly Carte tempted the well-known hotel manager César Ritz to join his new wonder hotel. Ritz was delighted by the perfectly-appointed facilities and great potential at The Savoy. He brought in Auguste Escoffier, leading ‘celebrity chef ’ of his day, to run the kitchens. In the early years, Savoy guests included Sarah Bernhardt and Dame Nellie Melba, for whom Escoffier famously created Melba Toast when she was on a diet and Pêches Melba when she was not.

the savoy theatre: 

we LOVE wondering around london & make it look like we are still tourists (even if we’ve been here for over 8 years).  hope you all had a GREAT weekend!