London, England - here we come.
We took the Eurostar (train) from Paris, France to London, England. Below are a couple videos taken during the train ride and when pulling into the station in London.
Going into the station from the platform where we arrived.
I took over 500 pictures and videos during our three days here and I'm going to divide them up according to our adventures on Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3.
Let us continue with our Day 1 tour. Here are some pics taken as we are on our way to tour London. I will be adding random pics throughout this post. The pics and videos follow in order of the events of the day.
In this video our London tour guide is telling us about London. He is explaining the different zones of London and the housing prices depending on the zone you live in.
Very, very, very short video talking about the flags on the street.
Yes, they have KFC in London.
A London Street Sign
The London Eye
The London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the Thames River in London. It is Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over three million visitors annually.
Big Ben
Big Ben is probably the world's most famous clock. The Houses of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower, commonly called Big Ben, are among London's most iconic landmarks and must-see London attractions. Big Ben is actually the name of one of the clock bells, not the tower itself.
Westminster Abbey (https://www.westminster-abbey.org)
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. Westminster Abbey is famous because it is one of the United Kingdom's most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation and a burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, all coronations of English and British monarchs have occurred in Westminster Abbey. You can tour Westminster Abbey. You do not have to join a tour, you can use the audio guide which directs you around the Abbey enabling you to see everything of interest. You should allow one and one-half to two hours for your tour.
Views of Westminster Abbey
Front Entrance
Other Views
Video walking past Westminster Abbey.
Nine-second panoramic view video.
Parliament Square
Parliament Square is a square at the northwest end of the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster in central London. Laid out in the 19th century, it features a large open green area in the center with trees to its west, and it contains twelve statues of statesmen and other notable individuals. Surrounded by some of the most important monuments in London like the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the Supreme Court, the square contains statues of famous British politicians such as Winston Churchill and other important figures like Mahatma Ghandi, Millicent Fawcett, and Nelson Mandela to name a few. This link will take you to a map of the statues in Parliament Square. https://images.app.goo.gl/oBCjswu9oZ3t3cSF9
The one and only Nelson Mandela!
Had to capture Ar'Ree, Cookie, Lauren and Shawn as they posed in front of Mandela's statue.
Cookie, Lauren, and Shawn showing some family love.
Last pic before heading to our next stop.
Buckingham Palace - Here We Come
Birdcage Walk is the road which runs along the entire southern side of the park. It's so named because King James I had a particular penchant for exotic birds, and kept many of them in cages and aviaries lining this street. https://london.cylex-uk.co.uk/map/birdcage%20walk.html
Video highlighting our walk to Buckingham Palace.
Sign within the park.
Views of Buckingham Palace in the background.
Sign showing walking times to various locations.
The gate we entered to head to the Palace grounds. Sure hope the rain holds out until after we've explored and got our pictures. That sky doesn't look too promising.
Viewing the amazing statues as you come upon the front of Buckingham Palace.
Views of the front of Buckingham Palace.
Video of panoramic view of Palace. In the video I state that Queen Elizabeth II is at Windsor Castle and will not be returning to Buckingham Palace. As of the posting of this video and blog, the Queen has passed away.
Views of the various locked gates surrounding the Palace. The detail on some of these gates is impeccable.
I had to get a few pics in while at the Palace.
One of the Palace guards on duty.
Buckingham Palace Gate Sign at the Bus Stop.
Telephone booths - London style. I was warned not to go inside nor touch anything on the inside or the outside. Wonder if they are red for that very reason! Didn't have to tell me twice. (lol)
We finished our tour just in time as it started raining while we were waiting for the bus to pick us up. It's hard to take decent pics from the bus - let alone when it's raining - but I'll do my best if you want to continue watching until we reach our hotel.
The Victoria Palace Theatre
The Royal Albert Hall (https://www.royalalberthall.com)
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. It is one of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, and it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no government funding. The Royal Albert Hall can seat 5,272 people.
Harrods London (www.harrods.com)
Could barely see the sign due to the rain but it's on my list to pay a visit while in London. You can't come to London and not stop in Harrods. So plan to hear more in an upcoming post.
This is a picture of the High Street Kensington metro station (they call the metro the Tube). This is the station closest to our hotel which is around the corner and a couple blocks down. We are staying at the Copthorne Tara Hotel while in London.
Well this has been a long day. We got right off the train and started touring London and are just now getting checked into our hotel and settling in. Tomorrow will be a full day as well so I'm going to grab something to eat, take a nice hot shower, and crawl into bed.
Hope you will come along with me for another day in London.
Until then......
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