Dawn to Dusk Tour of London

We had another action-packed day filled with sightseeing and an amazing meal at an outstanding Indian restaurant.

In the morning, we walked along the Thames, passing the iconic London Eye and Big Ben. As expected, plenty of other tourists and school groups were out enjoying the sights too.

Next, it was off to Borough Market, where we were greeted by more revelers and food from around the globe. The line for the paella had over 30 people waiting patiently for a taste of the Spanish delicacy. We opted for oysters instead — Ashley had two giant ones, while I went with four smaller ones.

From there, we made our way to the 68th floor of The Shard. The building towers high above the London skyline, offering spectacular panoramic views of the city. We captured pictures from every possible angle — our best shots, oddly enough, came through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the bathroom.

We hurried onto the Tube to meet the rest of the crew for a 4:00 pm lunch/dinner at the popular Dishoom. It’s so popular that even arriving early at 3:15 pm, the line already stretched down the block. Once seated, we had a meal for the ages — samosas, lamb, chicken, rice, and garlic naan. The food was incredible.

After a brief nap at the hotel, we headed back out around 9:00 pm to capture London at night. We retraced our morning route, now illuminated and buzzing with bars full of young people. Along the way, we crossed paths with a group of Egyptian men huddled around an iPhone watching a World Cup match. When their team won on penalty kicks, they marched toward Big Ben singing in their mother tongue.

Finally, we took the Tube to Tower Hill to snap more photos of Tower Bridge — the nighttime version even more striking than by daylight. So much packed into another 12-hour day!