Baltic Adventure - Day 15

London, England

Tuesday, July 6: The m.s. Westerdam made port at Harwich, England, our final destination, early in the morning. After debarking the ship and retrieving our luggage from the terminal, we found our driver waiting to take us to London. The weather was beautiful and we had a lovely two-hour drive to the city through the English countryside.

Once we made it through the mid-day London traffic, our driver dropped us at Luna Simone Hotel. Debra and I had stayed here before. It's a friendly, family run operation with reasonably priced, clean rooms. Small, but comfortable. We highly recommend it if you're on a budget. There are several pubs in the immediate area, a laundry mat, and it's just a short walk to several nice restaurants and two subway stations, including Victoria Station.

As soon as we were settled at the hotel, we decided to hit the streets. We stopped first at a local pub for a lunch of fresh fish & chips. Then he headed for the London Underground (subway) for a quick ride over to Embankment station, where we could take the foot bridge across the Thames River to the London Eye -- a giant Ferris Wheel of sorts, with 32 large passenger capsules that hold about 15 to 20 people each. Taller than the Statue of Liberty, the Eye provides a spectacular 360-degree view of London, especially on a day with such beautiful weather.

After completing our full rotation on the Eye, we walked along the river past the London Aquarium and then across the bridge to Parliament and Big Ben. Then it was back to the Underground for a quick trip to Victoria Station and a short walk back to the hotel. Soon thereafter, we hooked up with Liz and Derek Moorin, our friends from Torquay (who were also staying at the same hotel), and headed off to join our friends Trisha and Stan for dinner at Shepherds Restaurant. Enjoying a wonderful dinner with good friends was a wonderful way to wrap up our first day in London.