London Day

I'll say right up front that London has never been on my list of places I wanted to see. I don't know why, but I've just not been interested. After spending a day touring the city, my opinion is the same. Still, I'm glad I saw it.

(Caveat: as I replied to Michelle below, I should have added the following. I know many people love visiting London and have a wonderful time there, so: " It was Bank Holidays, so there were thousands of tourists, literally. Another time, more time, a different tour company, and cooler weather (it was in the 80's the day we were there) and my opinion would probably be very different. Add in that I was very tired from the overnight trip and the arduous journey from airport to hotel, add in my painful knee, and the recipe for enjoyment is not a good one."

There are lots of beautiful buildings, for sure. Tons of history, stories everywhere.

We chose the Golden Hop-On-Hop-Off tours as the best way to see a lot in a little time. I think, in retrospect, that another tour company might have been a better choice. This company used mostly taped narrative, not live presenters on their buses. The one man we did have really told very little about what we were seeing. That was disappointing. In Dublin the presenters on the buses were great, real storytellers.

Still, we saw some of the things we wanted to see:

The Tower Bridge: we learned later that this was built using stone from Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, where we would be later on. We saw it first from a distance, but later actually walked across it. I was thinking of the days of horses and carriages, of people being carried across to the Tower of London for imprisonment. A far different scene from today.

 It was a very busy day when we were there, lots of traffic and tourists.

The Tower of London, where so many met their fate:

This aerial photo, from the Historic Royal Palaces website, shows the full complex. Being rescued, or escaping from this fortress would have been miraculous, but a few managed it. We did not take the tour, which really would have required a day or two by itself, but it would be well worth doing, should I ever get back to London.



Big Ben: Was a disappointment, as the legendary clock tower is shrouded in scaffolding as restoration work is being done. According to a Londoner we met on the street, the clock has been like this for 2-3 years, and will likely remain so for a few more years.

 #10 Downing Street was heavily protected and gated. No chance of getting in there!

There were plenty of protesters on the streets nearby, however.

We were lucky enough to catch the horse guards on duty. Judy was thrilled to see horses, as she's a horse owner herself.

I thought these guys were kinda cute, especially the way they had to look so stern and serious.

More protesters, these a Free Nepal demonstration.

An alternative way to get around town. We didn't try it but it looked tempting.

Armed guards everywhere on Downing Street.

The London Eye. Somehow I'd never heard of this but what a fun way to see the city! It takes about 30 minutes or so to go all the way around in the glassed-in cages on the wheel. But stand in line for 3 hours to get on board? No thanks.

Scotland Yard! We also passed Baker Street, and that was one place I wanted to go but didn't make it this trip.

Buildings, buildings, buildings. The modern architecture mixed with the old was fascinating. This pointed one looks unfinished but it's actually complete.

Colored glass "fins" surrounded this round hotel.

I liked this odd-looking structure with the bulge in its side. I supposed there's no earthquake worries here, as almost all the new high-rises were all glass.

This one is simply the reinforced facade of an old building. It's been completely demolished behind, and in the process of being rebuilt, keeping the old face.

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