We caught the 10.14 train down to London. The only stop was at Colchester, so we made London within the hour. The weather was perfect. When we reached Liverpool Street we headed for the bus to go to Farringdon. I asked a conductor who told us that we wanted a No.8 which was the other side of the station coming out at Bishopsgate. As soon as we arrived there a No.8 was coming along. We went upstairs and after a while Keith thought that we were going the wrong way, so we got off. The conductor had not come upstairs so we hadn't paid. When we got off the bus he was at the front collecting a fare. Keith suggested that we forget Farringdon and the bookshop we'd seen there once and just "follow our noses."

We came across the Stock Exchange. Although we were in the right street there were gates which said "Private Road." We walked on away from the gates and I asked a man who was a porter outside a nearby hotel and he directed us back along that road saying, "Just go through those gates and through another set and you will come out at the Exchange just go in and turn left up the stairs." Did we look like men in pin striped suits and bowler hats?!!!

It is always interesting just walking around the back streets. After a while we found ourselves back outside Liverpool Street station again, it was nearly 12 o'clock so we decided to head for Finsbury Park which is just around the corner from Liverpool Street. Just inside the gate we found a seat - the pigeons had had a hey day on them but a green plastic bag to sit on soon solved that. Although we did not walk around the park (as we had done before) it is a lovely Park. The first in London, originally a fen lay there, and it was known as Fensbury. The first bowling green originated also from there. We sat by the wooden kiosk, many people going in and coming out with a glass of wine to have with their lunch. Outside the kiosk two hanging baskets with red geraniums. A man having eaten his lunch (not from the kiosk) decided it would be a good idea to leave his rubbish by the railings of the kiosk, I don't know why when there are always rubbish bins around.

After lunch we moved on and headed towards the Bank where we were to do the "Legendary London Walk," for a fiver a head. We stopped in a Starbucks and rested for about a half an hour. We then walked over the road to the Bank Underground Station. No sign of any "blue badge holders". I asked a newspaper man and he said "Sometimes they stop just here." It was by now 2.10 we then went down the underground and found there were eight different exits. We didn't know which one we had to be at, we tried every one of them but still no "blue badge holder".

Never mind - not to be put off we caught a bus to Charing Cross Station. From there we walked up to Charing Cross Road. Turned into Cecil Court and Keith found a Beat Book for just £12 (it would have cost us £10 for the walk). To find a book there for £12 when most of them are in their hundreds was quite someting. A signed chapbook by Allen Ginsberg was going for £45. We caught a bus to the Aldwych, and headed up to Covent Garden.

A man singing opera was to be heard as we approached and we stopped to watch him. A woman came round saying "collecting for the singer." Keith replied, "We have only just got here." We walked on and went into a café, Keith eager to read his book. We looked in at the market afterwards which was by then clearing up. Keith saw a nice summer weight army jacket but it was too big for him. From there I was interested to find the museum, which housed theatrical costumes. We went into the Drury Lane Theatre and was told that it was only along the road but it was closed on Mondays. We were very surprised to find that Phantom of the Opera was in the next street. When we first went there we were just looking for Suffolk Street and had no idea that the next street was Drury Lane (you live and learn).

We walked on and decided to find a square with greenery for a rest before heading back to Liverpool Street. Keith looked on the map and found that there was one just off Kingsway (a road we had used many times when we had stayed at Passfield Hall). We found it and were very surprised to learn that we were near Lincoln's Inn. We rested on the Green (so many lovely greens and squares in London). When we left the park we noticed the Nuffield Centre for Scientific Research. Alongside that was the Law Society and next to that the Land Registry. Lincoln's Inn itself was a beautiful Tudor building.

As we were walking we realised that we were at the back of the High Court. You can turn any corner in London and will be surprised at what you might find. We caught the bus back to Liverpool Street and the train was in it went out at platform 16, we never realised there was a 16. The train made quite a few stops, but we were soon heading for the bike sheds to find our bikes loyally waiting. Glided home.