Day 199 - Discovering London from the Top Deck

Our first full day in London started with something we hadn't had in a while… a proper sleep-in.

After weeks of hard beds, noisy surroundings and restless nights, the comfortable accommodation here in London made a noticeable difference. Nobody was in a rush to get up, and for once it felt like we could simply enjoy a slow morning.

Because we'd stocked up on groceries the day before, breakfast was easy. We cooked bacon and eggs, made some toast and attempted to include baked beans to create a traditional English breakfast. Unfortunately, the baked beans ended up forgotten in the microwave, so they never quite made it to the table.

Still, with coffee for Kia and me and tea for the kids, it was a great way to start the day.

Our plan was simple: explore London aboard one of the famous hop-on hop-off sightseeing buses.

What should have been a straightforward booking quickly turned into a minor travel headache.

Earlier that morning, I'd jumped online, found what looked like the correct website, booked our tickets and paid. Then I waited for the confirmation email.

Nothing arrived.

I checked spam folders.

Nothing.

I contacted the company.

"We don't have your booking," they told me.

The payment was still sitting as pending on our card, but nobody could locate the order.

As we got ourselves ready and headed towards the train station, I found myself juggling customer support messages while trying to navigate London's public transport system.

One thing that immediately stood out was the cost.

Although we're staying relatively close to central London in Selhurst, a day of train travel for the family wasn't cheap. By the time we'd travelled in and back, the train fares alone were around $60 Australian.

Coming from Australia, where we often complain about public transport costs, London certainly gave us a fresh perspective.

When we finally arrived in the city, we walked directly to the bus company's kiosk and explained the situation.

The staff member couldn't have been more helpful.

Despite still being unable to locate the original booking, he gave us the largest discount he could offer on a family ticket and even extended the validity period beyond the standard 24 hours. Instead of expiring the following morning, we'd have until the end of the next day to use it.

It was a small gesture, but one that instantly relieved a lot of stress.

We're still hoping the original payment never processes and eventually drops off our card, but at least our day could continue.

With tickets in hand, we climbed aboard the top deck of the bus.

And from that point on, London delivered.

We started on the Blue Route, one of the larger loops that circles many of the city's most famous landmarks. The route wound its way through neighbourhoods like Kensington, Paddington and countless streets whose names seemed familiar from movies, books and history lessons.

The kids were fascinated.

Both times we rode the bus we managed to secure seats right at the back of the top deck, giving us uninterrupted views across the city. With the audio guides plugged into our headphones, every building, monument and street corner suddenly came with a story attached.

London isn't just a city.

It's layers upon layers of history stacked on top of one another.

As we cruised through the streets we passed Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and countless other landmarks. Every few minutes another famous location appeared around the corner.

At around one o'clock our stomachs reminded us it was time for lunch.

We hopped off near Hyde Park and went searching for food. What started as a quick wander through a food court somehow led us into a huge shopping centre. Rather than buying expensive meals, we picked up fresh bread rolls, ham and cheese and made ourselves simple sandwiches.

It felt very European.

Back on the bus, we assembled lunch while rolling through the streets of London.

Not many lunches come with views like that.

From around 11:30 in the morning until almost 4:00 in the afternoon, we circled the city, taking in as much as we could from our seats high above the traffic.

We crossed London Bridge.

We admired Tower Bridge.

We saw the historic Tower of London, home to the Crown Jewels.

We passed famous parks, monuments, museums and buildings whose names have appeared in history books for centuries.

For the kids, it became one giant worldschooling lesson.

History wasn't something written in a textbook today.

It was right outside the window.

By the time we completed the loop and returned to our starting point, we'd spent nearly five hours exploring the city.

And honestly, it didn't feel like enough.

One thing both Kia and I noticed throughout the day was how comfortable we felt.

After our time in Morocco, London felt incredibly easy.

The city was clean.

The buildings were beautiful.

Everything was familiar enough to navigate.

Most importantly, everyone spoke English, which instantly removes a layer of complexity from everyday life.

After months of constantly translating, interpreting and navigating language barriers, there was something incredibly comforting about simply understanding everything around us.

Eventually we caught the train back to Selhurst.

The day wasn't over yet, though.

We stopped at the local shops near our accommodation to grab supplies for dinner and a few essentials before heading home.

For the first time in a while, we were back at the accommodation early enough to actually get things done.

Washing was put on.

Dinner was cooked.

The kids relaxed and watched a movie.

Kia spent some time working through an online course she's been completing.

I finally managed to catch up on several overdue blog posts and updates for the website.

It felt productive without being rushed.

Busy without being exhausting.

The kind of day that's easy to appreciate when you've been travelling for over six months.

As the evening wound down and everyone headed to bed, there was a shared feeling of excitement about what tomorrow might bring.

Our bus tickets still had time remaining.

We hadn't yet taken the Thames River cruise included with the pass.

And now that we'd completed a full lap of the city, we had a much better idea of which places we wanted to revisit and explore properly.

Day one in London was a success.

And after just a few hours, it was easy to understand why this city captures the imagination of so many people.