London Bus Tour: Round 1

As an outsider to the bus tour experience, my opinion was much like my opinion of Star Wars: nerdy, lame, and totally cliche. Then I watched Star Wars and became an instant believer. Same is true of bus tours: they are EPIC! Especially when you have a tour guide named Nobby from Essex who has a British accent and knows EVERYTHING about London. There really is nothing better... We began at the stop closest to our hostel, Victoria Station, and were sure to snag a seat on the upper deck despite the usual London overcast and promises of scattered showers, thank goodness for free ponchos! I wish ponchos were a fashion craze because then I would actually look forward to rain; call me crazy but I love a good poncho. On the ride we saw a bunch of fancy buildings and heard a lot of London's history. Little factoids like the first Hard Rock Cafe was established right there in London in 1971 by two Americans trying to find a decent burger. One day Eric Clapton walked in and his favorite table was taken. He brought in one of his guitars, signed and with the neck pointing to his table. Other rock stars like Beatles drummer Ringo Starra dn Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page followed his lead. Additionally, if you want to make a reservation for Saturday noon tea at the Ritz, it's a year waiting list. There are no skyscrapers in London because the city is built upon a foundation of clay. In 1666, the Great Fire of London burned 80% of London. If you feed the pidgeons it's a 500 euro fine. The saying "God Bless You" after sneezing originated during the time of the Plague (one minute you were sneezing and the next you were dead). All the apartments in the Victoria area were painted Queen Anne white and must remain so. We drove by the Royal Academy of Music where Elton John learned to play the piano, cruised along Oxford street where all the shopping tourists flocked, Trafalgar Square where the huge lions are made of melted down canons captured from the French, past Parliament on the opening day of Parliament (we heard the canons being fired to signal the Queen was entering Parliament), and Tower Bridge among many others!