London, Day Two

We absolutely love London! We bought a two day pass for the hop on hop off bus, which has given us a good overview of the city and allowed us to see many of the sites that we were most interested in. While this service can be a bit frustrating because of the occasional long wait for a bus, we feel that it is well worth it to get oriented to the city. Tomorrow we will try the subway (underground), and see how we do when we are on our own!

We drove past Harrod's Dept. store,

Canada Place,

and Alfred Hitchock's house.

 

Our first stop was Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. Trafalgar Square is a popular gathering place, and New Year's Eve is ushered in here. It was originally built to honour Lord Nelson who led the victory over Napoleon. The monument is a popular place for young people sitting enjoying the beautiful sunny day.

The National Gallery has the most amazing art collection of pretty much every famous artist. The building itself is impresive, with high decorative ceilings and beautiful woodwork. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any pictures.

We went on a walking tour past the Parliament Buildings,

House of Lords

and Big Ben.

In the afternoon, we went to visit the Queen at Buckingham Palace, but she declined our invitation to tea. However, we toured many beautiful rooms with amazing furniture, porcelain, and art by such masters as Rembrandt. We had a small glimpse into the lives of royalty, including photos, toys and special clothes worn by royal babies and children. Once again, we were not allowed to take pictures. My favourite part of the tour was the gardens behind the castle, as much of it is left natural, and includes a beautiful lake.

It felt like we walked about 10 miles, which helped us to overcome the effects of jet lag and drop into bed exhausted!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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