We started the day off with a true English breakfast at our hotel. This consisted of eggs, ham, sausage, beans and tomatoes. It was pretty good overall, but I didn't care for the beans or the tomatoes. It was a big breakfast to start our day.
Then we headed out to Buckingham Palace. To get anywhere in London, we usually took the tube, and it involved going down two escalators, and some stairs, and then sometimes we had to change lines to get certain places. It took some time to get used to. And also, we learned to just squeeze on, and there was not much space for personal space.
When we got to Buckingham Palace, we took some photos, and then got our spot for the changing of the guard. We waited a good 90 minutes. in a pretty crowded space to see the traditional changing of the guards. The ceremony was pretty neat. There were two bands, the red and blue guards (the old and the new) and a lot of marching. It was neat to see, but I did not enjoy being so crowded that I couldn't even turn around, and it was a long time to stand in one place. I was happy to move on once it was over.
Next, we went to the Churchill War Rooms since they were within walking distance. We got the audio guide and we got to listen to some really interesting facts as we walked through the tour. I really enjoyed this museum, and I learned alot about Winston Churchill and a lot of what went on in WWII in London. We could have stayed here for hours to listen and see everything, but we moved on after an hour since we had other things to see.
Next up was Westminster Abbey, and this was one of my favorite things I saw during our trip. Westminster Abbey has such an important history, and it is a very beautiful church. This church is unbelievable with all the stain glass windows and sculptures. Also, it is huge. We spent a good hour and a half walking around in awe. It blew us away. Unfortunately, they are really strict about no pictures in the church, so we didn't get to take a single picture in there, but it was amazing. Every since King or Queen since 1066 has been crowned at Westminster Abbey. That's pretty crazy.
Next, we did a little shopping and then went to the Shard. We rode an elevator up to top, and then got some beautiful pictures of London at sunset. It was beautiful, and we spent a lot of time up there just enjoying the views and the wonderful weather. We ended the night with Pizza and beer, and were ready to call it a night.
My pictures are a little out of order because my phone couldn't always figure out the time because of the time difference between home and London.
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| Buckingham Palace |
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| English Breakfast |
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| The crowd at changing of the guards |
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| Sunset at the Shard |
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| Westminster Abbey |
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| Westminster Abbey |
We started our fourth day at St. Paul's Cathedral. This was another really cool church. It was absolutely beautiful. We listened to an audioguide here, which was cool to hear all the history and all the significance of what we were looking at.
We also got to walk up 500 stairs (some were questionable and very narrow) to get to the top of the globe. The views were breathtaking (both because we had to walk so many stairs, and because it was beautiful). The views were even better than what we saw at the shard. We took a bunch of pictures, and then just enjoyed the views for a while.
Next, we went to Shakespear's Globe to tour the theatre. This was really neat, and we got a good lesson from our tour guide as well. I really wish we could of seen a show at the globe, but we couldn't fit it into our schedule. I guess we will have to go to one the next time we go to London.
We had some really good burgers for lunch, and then it was time for the British Museum. That was really cool, but really overwhelming. There was so much stuff to look at. Luckily, we had a Rick Steve's audioguide on our phones that we listened to, and that helped direct us to the highlights, but it was still a lot of see and look at. We got to see the Rosetta Stone, Mummies, and parts of the parthenon. It was very interesting and made me appreciate some of our history a little more.
Next, we went to Leicester Square and accidentally stumbled across a movie premiere for A Star is Born. We got to see Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper (from a distance) so that was really cool. I can't say I have ever been to a movie premiere before.
We ate at a very nice Indian Restaurant and then went to a theatre show called Mousetrap. It wasn't a musical, it was just a theatre drama that has been in London for fifty some years. It was done very well, and we enjoyed it.
It was another great day, and after another face time with the kids we called it a night.
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| Small stairwells |
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| Globe Theatre |
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| St. Paul's Cathedral |
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| The Rosetta Stone |
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