After finding out the reason people in the hostel go to Marks & Spencer is that the grocery store is in the basement, we get some sandwiches (sausage roll for me) and head back to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guards. Interesting, but certainly the most crowded tourist attraction. Next we head northwest through Hyde Park, along the Serpentine. Striking west at the bridge, we come to Kensington Palace, then head north to Notting Hill. Portobello Market’s big day is Saturday, and there isn’t much to see on a Tuesday. There is a nice little bookstore there, Book and Comics Exchange on Pembridge Road (part of a great chain), where we both stock up.
Hopping on the tube, we get off at Waterloo, near the London Eye. It’s an overcast day and there’s no line, so we purchase tickets and go up. A great view, even when cloudy. The Dali Universe show is next door, so we go in. Very surreal. We eat at Mr. Au’s, an Asian chain with a buffet. Next we take a train to Croydon to meet a friend of Seth’s who was working there for a year. We wandered down to a nearby pub and chatted over a few pints.
[Originally published at GoHither.Net]