Thursday 8 September: Last day in London

Premier(?) Tours: A quick and early breakfast this morning before walking to a nearby hotel to join a tour group. When we booked, the woman had said pick-up is at 7:30 sharp, and they don't wait for latecomers. When the bus finally arrived at ten to eight we asked the driver about this discrepancy. "Pickup is at 7:30, but I've got three dfferent hotels all scheduled at that time". First black mark against Premier Tours.

First stop was Victoria coach station where we milled around for another half hour before being divided into groups for our respective tours. Another black mark.

Next to the Tower of London. This was built by William the Conqueror way back in the 1080s, and has been gradually enlarged and updated ever since. We had a brief guided tour and introduction by one of the Beefeaters, then went in to see the crown jewells. It goes without saying they were just magnificent. The wait-in-line time is well occupied with big video screens showing the detail of the various pieces, plus the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. However, as we were the first group in the place, we didn't have to wait, and there were no crowds. OK, take one black mark off Premier Tours.

We then spent quite a lot of time going through the various displays of armour and weapons, before we had to get back on the coach. If you're going to the Tower, allow at least half a day - two hours is not enough.

On to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard. Or as our guide euphemistically put it "the closing stages". What we actually saw was a band and two squadrons of soldiers marching away from the palace after the ceremony was over. Another black mark.

Next stop was Westminster Abbey. We were a bit reluctant about this after our negative experience of a few days ago, but we were not prepared for the death-defying experience which followed. A change of guides, and this time we had a strange little fellow named Armin Hennessey. Armin had a very peculiar sense of humour (even for a Brit) and kept us well entertained, even if we didn't learn all that much history. We saw a few things we had missed previously, such as the chapter house (magnificent) and the even more magnificent chapel of Henry VII. However the tour missed some important features, such as the tombs of Queen Elizabeth the first and Queen Mary. Some of the group members were grumbling loudly about not having their money's worth.

From the abbey, Armin then somehow shepherded a group of some 30 tourists across some of the busiest streets in London, against the lights, and in flagrant violation of the traffic laws. Some of the little old ladies didn't cope well with being stranded in the middle of the road with black cabs and double-decker buses whizzing past only centimetres away. Some of the more youthful Australians weren't too impressed either!

Having survived the crossing of the road, we were then subjected to trial by water. We had been promised a "traditional" English fish'n'chips lunch. Herded onto a Thames cruise boat, we were seated in front of a rather sad plate of greasy fish and limp chips, wrapped in paper. It could technically be described as food, but not a lot more could be said for it. The only drink to accompany lunch was water - after we asked twice. Another strike!

The final stop for the "Premier" tour was the London Eye. This is the huge ferris wheel which towers above the Thames. It was magnificent, and the weather was great. The views were really good, so this was a high point to end our tour. In summing up, Premier Tours did not come out of it very well. Not a total disaster (though somebody could have been killed), but very poor value for money. We couldn't recommend them.

After the Eye, we headed back to Greys of Westminster to pick up some paperwork, which will give us a refund of the VAT on the Coolpix. We only found out about this possibility by accident - why Greys didn't volunteer the information our first visit we don't know - and they couldn't explain. Greys promote themselves as a legendary home of Nikon - in our experience this claim is highly exaggerated. It's a pokey little shop with a rather smarmy salesman and very average service. I know we only bought a Coolpix there, but another shop (London Camera Exchange) gave us much better treatment when we purchased a memory card.

Goodbye Britain. This is our last full day in the UK. Tomorrow we have an early flight to Berlin. Looking back, we have covered a lot of ground in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England. A lot of scenery, a lot of towns, and a lot of driving. If doing ths trip again we would probably go to fewer places, and spend more time in each.