Globe Trotter Richard Conway enjoys a trip closer to home….

October 31st, 2009

Many people would argue that the best way to travel around London is by underground. I decided to try something different. The open top bus tours around London let you jump on and off at the various attractions round the city and you can at least see the different sights even if you don’t have time to visit them all.

The London Aquarium is based in the Westminster area of central London and has great views of Big Ben over the river, and the London Eye just a few yards down the road. There are quite literally thousands of fish and underwater creatures in the aquarium and I found myself trying to spot many of the different types that I had encountered on my diving course in the Egyptian Red Sea.

The main attraction in most aquariums is the shark tank and the London Aquarium is no different. The huge predators stalk around the massive tank staring back at the school children peering in at them. I was just glad that I wasn’t in the water with them this time!

Heading over to Piccadilly I wasn’t sure what to expect from Ripley’s Believe it or Not, the descriptions do not really do the place justice. Spread over five floors there is everything from strange memorabilia to a mirror maze. I originally thought we would have been in and out within an hour or so….little did I know that three hours later we would still be wondering around laughing at some of the strange displays!

Take for example, this man who decided to carve a hole in his head for a candle so that he could do tours round the city at night! If only the torch had been invented slightly earlier! 

A great plus of the open top bus tours is that you get a free boat cruise down the River Thames. Even though the weather wasn’t the best (it is now October after all!) it was still a nice way to end my day in the capital.

Overall it was a fun day and I would even recommend the trip to residents of the capital. There is so much to see and do and if you want to make it feel like an actual day off…take the bus!