Today we drive from our hotel in Stratford City in the east of London into the city centre. We like the mixture of old and new buildings along our route.

We park LucY right next to Covent Garden and then walk around the area. For lunch, we head to the Banana Warehouse with its many small food stalls. Gabi goes for a slice of pizza, while I choose a pad thai. For dessert, we share a wheelcake filled with vanilla and chocolate custard.

With new energy, we stroll to our favourite science fiction store “Forbidden Planet”, where Gabi finds the “Rooster Fighter” comics she was looking for. Apart from that, the amount of plastic figurines on offer is getting out of hand – at the expense of the great things that used to be available here.

From here we head to the Foyles bookshop, which has a lot to offer as always. Then we walk past Chinatown to the large Lego store in Leicester Square. It’s a shame that the museum section had to make way for a Christmas sales area. On the way back to the car, we stop by the musical theatre where the Back to the Future musical is playing. Unfortunately, the souvenir stand is not yet open. But at least I can get a photo in front of the building.

When the evening approaches, we drive back to the Westfield shopping centre and do a bit more shopping. John Lewis has really lovely Christmas tree baubles! We get an astronaut for our Christmas tree.

And we’re in luck: Nando’s has chicken today. We order a butterfly platter with four side dishes: chips, broccoli, peas and garlic bread. The cookies we bought in Covent Garden for dessert are only available much later.