Double Decker Treats

Riding on the double decker buses turns out to be one of the girls' very favorite things to do. It's certainly their favorite mode of transportation. There is only one place to sit on a double decker: top, front!

 

 

 

 

And another of our favorite double decker treats -- well, triple-decker, if you look carefully -- would be afternoon tea. Crustless cucumber sandwiches, anyone? Best part for me, hands down, is the scones and clotted cream. I am in utter heaven. There are many fancy, famous places to take tea in London, but we opt for the Dean Street Townhouse Hotel, which is a cozy, candle-lit, more traditional and more casual spot. I highly recommend it, especially since it's about a quarter the price of the fancy spots and, frankly, we prefer the ambiance.

 

 

 

The thing that baffles us is a trio of Japanese women at the next table who are there when we arrive, still there when we leave, yet have three layers of uneaten treats at their table the whole time. A part of me wants to reach over and steal their scones. But upon reflection, it just doesn't seem like something the Queen would do at high tea.

 

 

 

Looks Right

 

One of the things that strikes us most about London is that it appears to be a more living, changing city than Paris. Paris' charm seems to lie largely in how little it changes -- a classic beauty. London, on the other hand, is a combination of the old and the shockingly new. This skyscraper won't even be open for another month or so, for example.

Some of the best views of this are from the upper, outer galleries of St. Paul's cathedral dome.

 

 

The skyline is on fire, and I'm in love with the view and the photos.

 

Then there are the classic looks: the iconic (and rather obsolete) red phonebooth, the tube, and Big Ben.

 

  

I just have to remember to look the right way when I'm trying to cross the streets to get that perfect photo.