September 30 (London Sightseeing)

On Sunday, we again took the tube but this time we went to Green Park station. We were on our way to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. The weather turned glorious – it was warm and sunny for most of our sightseeing day. The walk through Green Park brought out my camera, for the first time. There were numerous canvas and wooden chairs scattered throughout the park, and a sign charging to use them. I think it was £4 for two hours (or maybe £2 for four hours). I’ll have to check my photos again. There was a group of 4 brightly dressed “monks” in front of us (Hari Krishna?) and they strolled off through the park to do whatever it is monks do on a Sunday afternoon.

The crowds thickened the closer we got the palace. And suddenly, there it was, in the middle of the city. I don’t know what I expected but I didn’t expect this. It seemed smaller than I imagined and, dare I say it, kind of boring with its plain, boxy exterior. The gates were quite embellished however (see photos) and the gardens were beautiful and obviously very well tended. The tourists surrounding us were speaking so many different languages, I couldn’t figure out what half of them were. The police, mounted on huge white horses and bikes, were doing a fine job of keeping everyone back of the line. We could hear the band playing the Dam Busters March. Most of the activity seemed to be taking place behind the gates and we couldn’t see very much. Once the band starting playing Frank Sinatra songs (yes, really!), we decided to leave. We did manage to see the band march off and they were quite impressive.

We walked along Birdcage Walk, named after the Royal Menagerie and Aviary which were located there during the reign of King James I. We strolled along to the Victoria Embankment and stopped for lunch at the Churchill Café, a little Italian joint that had a special of roasted chicken, fries and salad for £7.50. We had that and coffee. The meal was quite good and quickly served by harried Italian waiters. We were enjoying our meal until a French couple sat down behind us with their two children. Both parents proceeded to chain smoke during their entire time at the table. It was a forecast of things to come in France. :(

After lunch, we decided to go over to the Parliament Buildings, which were quite impressive, including the large statue of Richard the Lionheart on his horse. We took a lot of photos here, as well as shots of Westminster Abbey and another statue of George V. Unfortunately, the Abbey was closed for choir practice so we meandered around the west side of the building, photographing the 10 Christian martyrs who are depicted in statues above the Great West Door. I spotted a small walkway leading into the Dean’s Yard. The outside walls were covered with red maple ivy and the green dappled lawn was breathtaking (see photos). Then we discovered the door to The Cloisters which was one of the highlights of our trip. We walked slowly along the stone corridors, reading the ancient funeral effigies on the walls, enjoying the quiet and relative coolness of the well-trodden passageways. We also went inside the Museum to view various royal costumes preserved and displayed on life size wax figures of the original owners. We found a small garden at the end of one hallway and several small doorways, about 5 feet tall.

After we left the Abbey, we walked halfway across Westminster Bridge over the River Thames and took some photos of The London Eye on the far bank. We waited for double decker bus no. 11 to the Financial District and walked towards the Tower of London. We encountered a small parade along the way, with people in period costumes. I’m not sure what that was about. We headed towards the river and the first thing we saw was the Tower Bridge about to open to let a ship through. Again, refer to my photos. We spent two hours touring the Tower of London and saw so many wonderful things but the most impressive was the tour of the Crown Jewels, which were on display there. They were enclosed in glass cases, with slow moving sidewalks on either side of the case. We viewed both sides and the size and quantity of the jewels was mind boggling! We toured so many of the buildings and just as we were about to leave (they were closing in a few minutes, we spotted Moira Cameron, the first female Beefeater in history to go on duty at the Tower of London. Cameron, 42, beat five men to the £20,000 per-year job as a Yeomen Warder. She told me she has 22 years of military experience. I was honoured to have my photo taken with her.

Enjoy My Photos of London