Tourists in London - Duck Tours

I don't know if it's just me but I love love love being a tourist in my own city. So when Duck Tours offered me free tickets to go on their Duck Tour Bus I jumped at the chance, so did Fiancé Knowles and my flat mate and her boyfriend!
I've been on a Duck Tour before in Branston in America and it was awesome. I was a bit worried that the novelty factor of driving a massive yellow bus into the water would lose its effect but really didn't need to! The only difference was that this time I kept watching the side, you know just in case a tidal wave should decide to rear its head and soak us all.
Taking the tour in the city I love so much actually added more novelty. I thought I knew London, thought I knew the ins and outs...I was wrong. The Tour guide was full of insightful facts and stories...as well as awful dad jokes to keep us all entertained.
We were definitely a mixed bus of tourists, Londoners, children, parents, couples, grandparents and a ‘lovely’ loud America who made it her business to make it known whenever she missed just one word of whatever the tour guide said (made all the more annoying when it meant him repeating one of the awful dad jokes I previously mentioned).
The blogger and Instagram obsessive in me loved the different view of London from the Thames once we set sail. Once my brain eventually accepted that the bus was in fact able to float and ‘drive’ on water I really enjoyed the Thames portion of the experience. Just a word of warning it goes against all your instincts to begin with and my whole body was literally screaming abandon ship while replaying that scene from The Office US where Micheal drives into the lake. Thankfully the most drama we saw on our trip was the closing of a bridge resulting in a slight detour.

If you get the chance definitely do give Duck Tours a go. Great for showing visiting relatives round London without having to get them to walk everywhere and you learn loads along the way. Below are just a few of the facts I learnt on my day with Duck Tours:

1. 1. The flag that flies outside Buckingham Palace when the Queen is in residency is the size of a tennis court
2. 2. In 2007 it was made illegal to break into Buckingham Palace after Micheal Fagan did so...twice!
3. 3. Intricate lion heads line the Thames wall to help mitigate flooding they are the source of the saying ‘When London stinks the Lions drink’
4. 4. It is possible to get the door man of the Ritz to crack a smile if you quack at him loud enough
5. 5. You will feel like a prize idiot quacking around London
6. 6. At its fastest the Thames moves at 6 knots an hour, thankfully the Duck Tour Bus/Boat moves faster!
7. 7. The city of London used to close around 9pm and if you got stuck you'd have to pay a small fee to a boat to carry you across as there weren't many boats. Often half way across the less trustworthy boats would normally stop and demand more money to carry you the rest of the way safely
8. 8. Loud Americans are annoying but being typically British resulted in some stern tutting and eye rolling from us and nothing more.

 We had a great time on the Duck Tour and it's definitely something i would recommend to all ages especially tourists and wannabe tourists!