Transport for the day was provided by the ‘original tour’ bus company. We were planning to have a day using these open top tourist buses to get around to some highlights and listen to the accompanying audio, and it so happened that because of road restrictions due the TdF, they were offering 2 days (with limited service on race day) for the price of 1.
Arriving at
Piccadilly Circus, we decided to have lunch at Jamie Oliver’s Diner, where the
kids menu is displayed in old viewfinders (the photo below shows two on the
table). It was the first of many
occasions where we noted Jamie being ‘everywhere’ in England. The meal was fine, without being great.
After lunch
we walked to Fortnum & Mason, where William admired some of the fancy
carvings and Grace bought several varieties of Turkish Delight.
Next stop was Buckingham Palace, a key location to watch the stage finish of the Tour de France. The photo below was taken well after the cyclists had passed, and in the opposite direction to their path down The Mall.
The race photo, taken from almost the same spot as the photo above, shows a large number of cyclists passing through the massive crowd lining the Mall for the stage finish. The photo was taken by Andrew while hanging off the side of the large Queen Victoria statue outside the Palace. The statue was covered with many people but provided the best vantage point for late arrivals. While waiting for the first cyclists to arrive, one of the spectators sitting on the statue saw his bike about to be stolen nearby, and was able to thwart the theft and assist police to catch the thief by yelling and chasing him.
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