Where We Be
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| London, England |
Our 46-day trip to England and Scotland began
and ended in London -- a world-class city with
sights known to just about every human being
on the planet: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the
Tower of London, Tower Bridge, the London
Eye...and the list goes on. We gave ourselves
four days to refresh our memories of London
from a trip we took here some forty-odd years
ago. London-Paris was our very first shared trip
abroad in 1985. Back then, Big Ben was covered
in scaffolding and the London Eye didn't even
exist, but otherwise London feels much the
same, and we mean that in a good way.
We based ourselves near Hyde Park this time,
staying at Lancaster Hall Hotel, and used the
Tube to get around. On Day 1 (our jet-lagged
arrival day) we explored Hyde Park itself. On
Day 2 we went on a nine-mile walking tour of
London, revisiting all of the major sights of the
city from both the North Bank and South Bank of
the River Thames. We even threw in Notting Hill
for good measure. Days 3 and 4 were primarily
devoted to London's amazing museums. We'd
visited the British Museum before, but the Tate
Modern, Natural History Museum, Victoria &
Albert Museum, and National Gallery were all
new to us. All were free (donations welcome).
and ended in London -- a world-class city with
sights known to just about every human being
on the planet: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the
Tower of London, Tower Bridge, the London
Eye...and the list goes on. We gave ourselves
four days to refresh our memories of London
from a trip we took here some forty-odd years
ago. London-Paris was our very first shared trip
abroad in 1985. Back then, Big Ben was covered
in scaffolding and the London Eye didn't even
exist, but otherwise London feels much the
same, and we mean that in a good way.
We based ourselves near Hyde Park this time,
staying at Lancaster Hall Hotel, and used the
Tube to get around. On Day 1 (our jet-lagged
arrival day) we explored Hyde Park itself. On
Day 2 we went on a nine-mile walking tour of
London, revisiting all of the major sights of the
city from both the North Bank and South Bank of
the River Thames. We even threw in Notting Hill
for good measure. Days 3 and 4 were primarily
devoted to London's amazing museums. We'd
visited the British Museum before, but the Tate
Modern, Natural History Museum, Victoria &
Albert Museum, and National Gallery were all
new to us. All were free (donations welcome).
| Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament as seen from the South Bank of the River Thames |
| Guard at Buckingham Palace |
| Buckingham Palace |
| Westminster Abbey |
| The Houses of Parliament |
| The London Eye |
| Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (a modern reconstruction) |
| Close by is the iconic Tower Bridge |
| The formidableTower of London greeted us outside the Tower Hill Tube stop |
| The Italian Garden at Hyde Park |
| The gorgeous exterior of London's Natural History Museum |
| The interior of the Natural History Museum features a blue whale skeleton and a realistic animatronic T-rex |
| The Victoria and Albert Museum features elegant architecture and the Cast Courts – plaster casts of famous sculptures from around the world |
| The Tate Modern boasts modern industrial architecture -- and Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe silkscreens |
| The British Museum has a world-famous Egypt collection as well as the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon |
| The National Gallery features a fine collection of paintings by Van Gogh and Monet, among others |
| Five London Museums in Four Days |
| Hyde Park |
| Major City Sights |
| Lovely flower displays in April |
| Royal Albert Hall |
| The Shard and the London skyline as seen from Tower Bridge |
| St. Paul's Cathedral as seen from the Tate Modern |
| Big Ben |
| We made a final bonus stop at Notting Hill Bookshop |
| A Mandarin duck -- in London? |
| Thin House -- just 6 feet wide at its thinnest point! |
| Enjoying a pint in a pub -- a classic part of the London experience |