Day 5

Something drastic happened with the weather. Our cool temps are gone for now. We are told that Thursday is going to be the hottest day in xxx number of years. I don't recall the number of years as I was to stunned to comprehend. I guess we brought the hot weather from Central CA! It was 93F today with 54% humidity. Not comfortable. We had some bigger plans for today but the heat got to us. 

We did have a delicious lunch at Cote Brasserie. We chose this spot because we wanted to eat outside and it was the only shady place. The food was quite good and the atmosphere was relaxing. They have a tasty, early, 2 or 3 course menu at a good price. We chose 2 courses as it was plenty for us. The Apple Roquefort salad was so good, I could have made a lunch of just that. The creamiest Roquefort I have ever eaten! We might come back here if there is time. 

Time for a nice ice-cold drink!

Apple Roquefort Salad

 Haddock Fishcake with poached egg

After that we walked back to the London Towers to catch the boat ride on the Thames. I will say the commentator was worth the ride. He was very entertaining. Photos were barely possible because of the crowded boat. We only rode from The Towers to Westminster then got off. That was enjoyable. We got on at The Tower of London and off at Westminster. We were going to tour that but it was just too hot and crowded. We also put the London Eye off for another day. Happily, we took a Pedicab back to our hotel. The young man was fun to chat with and we enjoyed a different view of the city. Plus, the breeze was refreshing. I think he made the trip faster than a taxi would have because they have special bicycle lanes and believe me, they do speed along

Loved the Pedicab Ride

A bit about our hotel. It is quite a budget place but more than adequate for us. It is clean and comfortable and we would rather choose to spend our money on other things. There is a restaurant here and a snack bar are. They also have vending machines. What I like best is the friendly staff. They smile and greet us going in and out, always ask if we need anything, and seem happy to meet any need. 

Snack Bar Area (and bar)

It might not sound like we did much but the heat was oppressive to us. We had fun, that's all that matters. We felt parched by the time we got back to the hotel, but we did drink plenty of water. 

We could not get good photos due to crowds and blocking views but we saw these today. 

The RAF Memorial on the Victoria Embankment, London (opposite the London Eye). Erected in 1923 as a memorial to “all ranks of the Royal Navy Air Service, Royal Flying Corps, Royal Air Force and those Air Forces from every part of the British Empire who gave their lives in winning victory for their King and Country 1914-1918”. An inscription commemorating those lost in the 1939-1945 war was added in 1946. The base is portland stone, the eagle and globe are bronze. Photographed by Adrian Pingstone in June 2005 and released to the public domain. We were told the eagle is made of melted artillery shells, but the information does not confirm that. 

Cleopatra's Needle in London is one of three similarly named Egyptian obelisks and is located in the City of Westminster, on the Victoria Embankment near the Golden Jubilee Bridges. It is close to the Embankment underground station. It was presented to the United Kingdom in 1819 by the ruler of Egypt and Sudan Muhammad Ali, in commemoration of the victories of Lord Nelson at the Battle of the Nile and Sir Ralph Abercromby at the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. Although the British government welcomed the gesture, it declined to fund the expense of transporting it to London. Made of red granite, the obelisk stands about 69 ft high, weighs about 224 short tons and is inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphs. We are told the Sphinx were place incorrectly looking to the needle, not looking out to guard it, but they decided to leave it that way.