Duck Tours

Bill writes: There are several competing bus tours of London.Two of them are the traditional double-decker buses (though with open tops) that you've probably seen before, at least in movies. But one of the more unusual bus tours is the Duck Tours. The bus they use is an amphibious vehicle from WWII. They have a fleet of eight buses, each named after a heroine from Shakespeare's plays; this one was the Cleopatra. (The guide noted that none was named Ophelia.)




It was a fairly tight squeeze inside, and rather cold, as it was in the 30's or so and the "windows" such as they are, are plastic sheets that flapped in the breeze.



We had a very cockney tour guide, which was a an added dimension, once we were able to sort out her fairly obscure Michael Caine impersonations and rhyming slang.

We visited all the usual sites--the palace, some of the parks, and the like. But what makes the Duck Tour special is that we made our way down to the south bank of the Thames, and then into the Thames, for a unique view of places like the Houses of Parliament. Just before we got to the water, the driver stopped, got off, and a boat captain replaced him for this part of the voyage.



This is what we look like to people on shore.




After a spin around the Thame, it was back up onto land and time for lunch at the Lettuce and Snail. Not an appetizing name for a restaurant, but the food is excellent there.