This Old World: Lost In London

The days leading up to the London trip, I feared that I would title my entry Lonely in London because my friends fail at communicating anything to me. As luck would have it, I found another traveling companion and we got lost in London on our own.

We arrived on Thursday, and being so inclined, I went to bed early after switching rooms (thank goodness, as I did not like the look of my first roommate).

The view from my window at the hotel.

The next morning I met up with other people, and we set off shortly before 10 am. The group of 6 split shortly before Piccadilly Circuit because I hated standing around. We became the quick moving group of 2 and the slow group of 4.

Admiring the buildings in London

Along with the silly souvineer shops

We got lost on our way to Piccadilly Circuit and found the Seven Dials.

Eventually we found Piccadilly, which is the London Apple or something. Didn't seem that busy to me (Time:Approximately 10:30 ish).

Following the walking tour provided for us, we made a roundabout path to Buckingham Palace and returned to the British museum. After walking around there about, we went back to the hotel for a rest where I soaked my feet, and then we were off for dinner and a traditional Irish music jam session.

Pictures from Trafalger Square

And looking towards Big Ben, our next destination.

I could probably make the tower of Piza look straight with my photography skills.

Government building(s).

Nice view of the tower on Parlament from the park.

And then we realized we past Westminister Abby

Stopped here for lunch because I was required to come here (I think I was supposed to do the tour, but oh well).

We took a park to Buckingham Palace

And went to the British Museum.

I am considering buying something with this slogan for one of my friends back home.

The next morning we bought day tickets for the underground and made our way to the Tower of London. Crossing Tower Bridge we walked past London Bridge and entered the Catherine and Mary church, which Shakespeare had been a member of for several years. Eating Lunch in the Borough Marketplace, a farmer’s market, we continued on to the Globe theatre. As our route was unconventional, I managed to find where the Globe theatre stood in Shakespeare’s day. Walking past the current globe, and letting my travel companion go on the beach of the Thames river, we set off across the millenniums bridge. From there it was a straight shot to St. Paul’s cathedral and more of the underground to find the Imperial War Museum.

The Shard, London's newest (incomplete) attraction. It will be a viewing platform twice the height of the London Eye.

At the IWM we learned about submarines in the child’s section and a little about British Heroes in the Gallary of Heroes (11 women have earned the George Cross, but the section only had information on three women, one was little more than a girl). The IWM also has a step-by-step processes of how the Holacost happened, including some Nazi propaganda from that time. Deeply moving, and I wasn’t even reading everything.

I could not take pictures of any of the exhibitions.

Back into the fresh air, we set off back for the hotel and retired early again.

Next day we packed up from the hotel and set off for Hampton Court Palace, exploring the life of Young Henry the VIII, the Tutor and Georgian Apartments, some of the grounds, and the kitchen areas, not in that order.