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My first stop in London was the famous Harrod's department store, where you can
literally find anything you need. From Egyptian jewelery to fresh fruit to toys
to clothes to automobiles, Harrod's has it all, for a price. They even have a
tour agency in the basement, so I booked myself on a tour of the London streets
to get myself off to a good start.
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No trip to London would be complete without a walk around Parliament. This picture
was taken from Queen Victoria Park and shows only one end, a very small part of the
Pariamentary buildings.
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Directly across from the modern day Parliament is the Jewel Tower, also once used
as govenment offices. Today it houses a historical museum complete with the
history of the Parliamentary process.
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One of my only regrets about my trip to London was that I was never able to make
it inside Westminster Abbey. Both of my attempts were thwarted: once when the
abbey was making preparations for a ceremony, and then again as I returned too
late to make the 3:30 last entry time.
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At the other end of Parliament stands Big Ben, which was the name given to the
bell inside the clock tower, not to the tower itself -- I'm not sure why the
English make this distinction, but I was told on 3 separate occassions not to
get the tower confused with the bell. This photo is taken with me standing
on Westminster Bridge.
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The English sure know their gardening. This photo of tulips was taken in Saint
James Park. All of the flowers are meticulously aligned and sorted. It's truly
amazing how much care goes into the gardens about London.
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If you go to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard, go early. The
ceremony is fabulous, complete with multiple marching bands, the Colored Guard
(shown here), mounted soldiers.
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Get as close to the font and center of the Buckingham Gates as you can, else you'll
be struggling to get pictures over the backs of peoples heads and through the bars,
as this photo was taken.
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The Tower of London should really be called the Towers of London as there are
13 Towers in this complex: Middle Tower, Byward Tower, Bell Tower, Cradle Tower,
St. Tomas's Tower, Wakefield Tower, Lanthorn Tower, Salt Tower, Broad Arrow Tower,
Constable Tower, Martin Tower, Beauchamp Tower, and The Bloody Tower.
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The White Tower currently houses a magnificent display of arms and armour.
The White Tower was built around 1078, possibly by Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester.
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