London in 8 hours

We might have missed a day touring Budapest, but we got to see London. We made the best of a bad situation and it turned out to be a terrific day.
The Metropolitan Hotel was wonderful!!!!!!! Excellent bed.( I think the floor would have felt great, we were exhausted)  We had an outstanding breakfast. Marty had the traditional English, I had French toast with Mango butter and berries. OMG. Near the park and very close to the palace.
We hit the sidewalk at 9am. First stop-Buckingham Palace. Lots of people around and London had a 10k race going on that involved hundreds of people. Many roads and sections of the park had barricades. Because of the race, there was no changing of the guard today. We looked around the entire area and then walked "the mall"- a beautiful tree-lined road that leads from the palace into London Town. Double decker buses everywhere. It was a perfect, sunny day to wander.
We saw the Parliment building, Big Ben, crossed the bridge and viewed the London Eye (ferris wheel). We were thinking about riding it just for the views, but the line was long and the ride takes an hour and we had too much to try to see.
Next, the Jewel Tower and Westminster Abby and gardens. We walked the halls around the gardens. Many gravestones, some dating back to 1015.
We watched them bring out the horses and guards. The horse guards stand guard for hours, protecting the Queen's park.
Chinatown, (bought some fun Chinese pastries), then to Piccadilly Circus. Watched several street performers. Stopped for a beer and cider at an outdoor cafe. Finally we visited the Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner and the Rose Garden.
Dinner at Green King pub. Fish and chips and cottage pie.
Collected our luggage, took an Uber back to the airport and are now waiting for our flight to Budapest. First it was delayed, then on time, now a minor delay. We are checked in, sitting at the gate. We will get there eventually tonight.














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