Buckingham Palace
Today, I had no tours planned, no waiting for buses to pick me up, and no trains to catch. It was one of the best days on my trip as I could wake up a bit later, walk at my own pace, and go back to my hotel when I wanted. There is much to be said for really independent travel. I planned to do the sightseeing that I had originally planned to do on 7/7. I hadn’t been in London for a full day since 7/7 so I was interested in seeing what the mood was here––London was very back to normal (except for its continuing heat wave) and also very full of tourists. I took a bus from my hotel to Hyde Park Corner and then walked to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard. The statue in the photo is the Queen Victoria Memorial. (Note: I have already put on this site many photos of London that I took when I was in London with my daughter in September 2004––Starting on page 1 of My Albums: Paris, Brussels, London 2004, Day 7.)
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Another statue on the Queen Victoria Memorial.
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
I was here early enough to find a spot to stand right in front of the iron fence surrounding the palace––I thought that this would be a great place to watch the actual Changing of the Guards inside the palace gates. But people started crowding around me and I was squashed. You also had to put your camera and arms through the fence in order to take photos. This photo shows a collection of arms that were through the fence.
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
I was here early enough to find a spot to stand right in front of the iron fence surrounding the palace––I thought that this would be a great place to watch the actual Changing of the Guards inside the palace gates. But people started crowding around me and I was squashed. You also had to put your camera and arms through the fence in order to take photos. This photo shows a collection of arms that were through the fence.
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Photo of the two bands that entered the palace grounds. If you decide to brave a spot near the iron fence, you should line yourself up with the arch in the photo––you should get a better view of the ceremony.
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Before the bands and new guards came into the palace grounds, the guards were in blue uniforms.
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
During the ceremony, the guards changed to ones in red uniforms.
Buckingham Palace
St. James Palace
After the ceremony was over, I walked along The Mall to St. James Palace. This palace was built by King Henry VIII in the 1530s. This is where Prince Charles often stays.
St. James Palace
Picadilly Circus
I then walked to Picadilly (a street), stopping off for coffee and pastry, to Picadilly Circus. Picadilly had many very nice stores on it––good window shopping––and also an outdoor market selling foreign goods. As I didn’t have to get anywhere at a certain time, I strolled through the market and found some things to buy––two pillow covers from Kashmir and a jacket probably from India. This photo is of Picadilly Circus. It is a contrast to most of the rest of London with its garish advertising. The statue is of Eros.
Picadilly Circus
Picadilly Circus
Close–up of the Eros statue.
Picadilly Circus
Picadilly Circus
Another view.
Picadilly Circus
Picadilly Circus
A bus advertising the movie Madagascar passed by.
Picadilly Circus
Trafalgar Square
I walked from Picadilly Circus to Trafalgar Square. In the photo, you can see the National Gallery in the left back and St. Martin–in–the–Fields Church on the right with the Nelson Column in the foreground. Trafalgar Square is London’s main square and it is where Londoner’s celebrated on 7/6 the awarding of the Olympics to London. It is also where a large memorial service was held for the bombing victims of 7/7.
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
A close–up of Lord Nelson on top of the column. Nelson beat the French fleet at Trafalgar but also lost his life there.
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
View of Trafalgar Square. You can see Big Ben in the photo.
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square
The National Gallery. This museum has Britain’s top collection of European paintings from the 13th to the 20th centuries.
Trafalgar Square
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church
This church was built in the 1720s. Its spire is Gothic and its body is of a Greek–like temple.
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church
London Buildings
I next walked from Trafalgar Square to Westminister Abbey. This are some buildings I passed on the way.
London Buildings
Horse Guards
On Whitehall (street), I passed the Horse Guards. I caught one of the guards looking out the window to view the crowd here.
Horse Guards
Horse Guards
Close–up of the Horse Guard. He did know I was taking photos of him and he smiled at me.
Horse Guards
Horse Guards
A tourist having her photo taken in front of one of the Horse Guards. At times, the Horse Guards are being mobbed by tourists with their cameras and they have to remain absolutely still no matter how bad it gets for them.
Horse Guards
Along Whitehall
Memorial to The Women of World War II on the street.
Along Whitehall
Along Whitehall
Close–up of the memorial.
Along Whitehall
Along Whitehall
Government buildings are being guarded here. No. 10 Downing Street (the residence of the prime minister) is also here.
Along Whitehall
Along Whitehall
More London buildings and another memorial.
Along Whitehall
Along Whitehall
London street scene.
Along Whitehall
Westminster Abbey
I visited Westminster Abbey with my daughter last year and thought it so fascinating that I wanted to visit it again––but it was closed (early closing time on Saturdays).
Westminster Abbey
Big Ben
View of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye taken from near Westminster Abbey. The patch of green is Parliament Square, the site of London demonstrations.
Big Ben
Big Ben
Big Ben and the London Eye.
Big Ben
March
As I was starting to cross Westminster Bridge, there was a parade going by. I asked a policeman near me what type of parade it was––the National Front, Britain’s Nazi Party. There didn’t seem to be many participating in the parade (a good sign perhaps), but it was interesting to see the London policemen (in light green jackets) entirely surrounding the marchers.
March
March
Another view of the march. I wonder now that Britain is changing many of its anti–terrorist laws that such parades will be allowed in the future.
March
View from Other Side of Bridge
I was curious if I could get a good photo of the Houses of Parliament from the other side of the Thames, so I walked over Westminster Bridge. No, the bridge was in the way and there appeared to be too much in the way on the other side of the bridge to get a good photo there either. I wanted to visit St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was a distance from here, so I hopped on the hop–on hop–off bus which would drop me off at St. Paul’s.
View from Other Side of Bridge
St. Paul’s Cathedral
There was so much scaffolding at St. Paul’s Cathedral last year, both inside and outside, that my daughter and I didn’t get a good view of it. This year, most of the scaffolding on the outside was gone and none was on the inside. The ceiling in the front part of the cathedral is bare, but toward the rear the ceiling is covered with beautiful mosaic, many of them Italian and as spectacular as those in Italy. No photos allowed inside the church. St. Paul’s was built between 1675 and 1710; its architect was Christopher Wren. Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married here in 1981.
St. Paul’s Cathedral
St. Paul’s Cathedral
A view of the cathedral’s dome. It was close to 5 p.m. and I was tired and decided to call it a day. I hopped back on the hop–on hop–off bus and got off at Green Park, where I could take a bus back to my hotel. The buses that stopped were too full to get on, but I finally got on a bus by following two elderly women, who got fed up by not being able to get on a bus, through the back door of the bus (you aren’t supposed to do this––you can tell how great the security was on the buses since no one stopped us; I already had a bus ticket, so I wasn’t trying to get on the bus for free!). I ate dinner again at the sushi restaurant across the street from my hotel––I had tempora shrimp. After dinner, I had to pack my suitcase as tomorrow I would be leaving on my tour of Scotland (my Scotland albums will be found by going to Albums, Western Europe, Scotland).
