We started the day at the most touristic place seeing the most touristic attraction: the change of guards at Buckingham Palace.
It was so hot and crowded that it was almost not fun.
But even though I am not a royal fan, I caught myself pacing fast from one side to the other with my camera when the guards started marching while playing the drums.
Regardless of how you feel about the Queen and the monarchy, I think it's still a beautiful traditional spectacle.
FROM: https://www.royal.uk/changing-guard
"Carried out by soldiers on active duty from the Foot Guards who have guarded the Sovereign and the Royal Palaces since 1660, the sight of their famous bearskin hats and red tunics is indelibly linked with Buckingham Palace and the British Monarchy."
From there we took the Hop-On Hop-Off bus for a marathon of touristic places and things. We think this is the best way to cover it all, since the buses come often and you don't need to figure out how to get to the next attraction. There are different companies doing these tours, but we choose the Golden Line, which cost us 31 pounds each adult.
Our first stop and there he was: Big Ben.
Right beside the Westminster Abbey, place of all royal religious ceremonies: weddings, funerals, baptisms.
This church was built more than a THOUSAND years ago!!!!
But we didn't go in because it was 22 pounds per person.
I have seen the inside enough churches in my life to have an idea what it would look like in the interior.
FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United Kingdom's most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. Between 1540 and 1556, the abbey had the status of a cathedral. Since 1560, the building is no longer an abbey nor a cathedral, having instead the status of a Church of England "Royal Peculiar"—a church responsible directly to the sovereign. The building itself is the original abbey church.
Outside, great statutes of great men.
Here the girls hang out with Nelson Mandela, but we also saw Gandhi and Churchill, among others.
No women, so far.
We kept going until we hit one my favourite places to people watch: Piccadilly Circus.
This is kind of a Times Square of London.
It's always busy and according to the audio tour in the bus, this is the place that receives more tourists by square foot at the same time in the entire world!
FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piccadilly_Circus
The Circus is close to major shopping and entertainment areas in the West End. Its status as a major traffic junction has made Piccadilly Circus a busy meeting place and a tourist attraction in its own right. The Circus is particularly known for its video display and neon signs mounted on the corner building on the northern side, as well as the Shaftesbury memorial fountain and statue, which is popularly, though mistakenly, believed to be of Eros. It is surrounded by several notable buildings, including the London Pavilion and Criterion Theatre. Directly underneath the plaza is Piccadilly Circus tube station, part of the London Underground system.
Even the legendary Jedi Master was there.
"Mommy, can we take a picture with flying Yoda?"
We find that eating is always a challenge when you are travelling with kids.
There are many options at Piccadilly Circus area, but most of them are terrible fast food. And we ended up in one of those - TGI Fridays - because it reminded Mike of his trips with his family to the USA as a child.
"Wanna ride on my Harley?"
With our stomachs full and feeling gross - we got back on the bus for the next stop: Trafalgar Square.
It was actually more fun than I anticipated, with its large spaces and gigantic statues.
Really Good is the newest major piece of art around here.
This thumbs up was inaugurated last year.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-37497335
It's not everyday that you get to play with lions, is it?
Please don't fall off your lion!
I normally would avoid taking a shot of Mr. Nelson's butt, but I thought that plane justifies the picture.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson%27s_Column
Portuguese (from Brazil) was the language of choice for the girls in the tour bus... and mine, of course.
Covent Garden is the a sweet place to just have a good time and smile.
I also have great memories from hanging out here 20 years ago.
It always involved music.
https://www.coventgarden.london
Finally, the last stop for us was the incredible Tower Bridge and Tower of London.
These are a must see attractions when visiting London.
Again, we din't enter anywhere because of lack of time, but it was amazing to just walk around and have creative conversations about castles, princesses, traitors and alligators with the girls.
I love the old and the new mixed together.
FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_Bridge
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge crosses the River Thamesclose to the Tower of London and has become an iconic symbol of London, resulting in it sometimes being confused with London Bridge, situated some 0.5 mi (0.80 km) upstream.
FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_London
The Tower of London, officially Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England.
The tour ended with another view of the majestic Big Ben, from the top of the double decker tour bus.
FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben
Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London and is usually extended to refer to both the clock and the clock tower as well.[2][3] The tower is officially known as Elizabeth Tower, renamed to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II in 2012; previously, it was known simply as the Clock Tower.
When completed in 1859, it was, says clockmaker Ian Westworth, “the prince of timekeepers: the biggest, most accurate four-faced striking and chimingclock in the world.” The tower had its 150th anniversary on 31 May 2009, during which celebratory events took place.
A British cultural icon, the tower is one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom and is often in the establishing shot of films set in London.
A quick view of what is waiting for us tomorrow: the London Eye.
REGENT CANAL WHARF ROAD: A HIDDEN PEARL
By the time we got home it was dinner time and we decided to get ready and leave right away for our favourite spot in our Islington neighbourhood.
Although today is Monday the Regent Canal Wharf Road was busy because it is also a holiday here.
We had dinner at a local and fancy (and not so cheap) restaurant along the canal but like many places here, we were pretty disappointed with the food.
The walk along the canal afterwards was the highlight of the evening.
No comments:
Post a Comment