The first sight I visited in London was Buckingham Palace. I made sure to arrive about an hour before the Changing of the Guard so I would have time to take some photos of the palace.
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| Buckingham Palace |
I got there early enough that I had time to take a quick stroll around St James's Park right next to it.
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| St. James's Park |
I headed back to the Palace with plenty of time to spare so I could move up close to the fence to have the best possible view of the Changing of the Guard. According to this link, the ceremony spans three locations and the activities in Buckingham Palace start at 11:45am. Since I was standing right next to the fence, I was able to position my camera in between the pickets so my photos were thankfully not obstructed.
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| Changing of the Guard |
I actually visited Buckingham Palace again a few days later so I could go inside. The State Rooms of Buckingham Palace are opened to the public during the summer months. Entrance to the Palace is actually not through the main facade but through an entrance via the gardens. (I gotta say though that while I did go into the State Rooms - I kept my entrance ticket - I actually don't remember what I saw inside.)
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| Queen Victoria Memorial at Buckingham Palace |
I also visited the Tower of London, which is where the Crown Jewels are kept. You might be familiar with this landmark if you watched Spider-Man: Far From Home. This trip came before cameras and phones had massive storage so I have only one picture taken inside the Tower.
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| Inside the Tower of London |
I joined a guided tour led by one of the Yeoman Warders, more popularly known as Beefeaters, who are the guards of the Tower of London. It was in this tour that I learned that Humpty Dumpty supposedly refers to King Richard III. (Read more about this reference here https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/02/28/humpty-dumpty/).
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| Photo with a Beefeater at the Tower of London |
The River Thames is the second longest river in the UK. I decided to take a Thames River cruise so I could get a different glimpse of the city. Some of the best landmarks you will see along the river are the Tower Bridge...
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| Tower Bridge |
...and Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster, where the Houses of Parliament convene.
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| Big Ben viewed from the River Thames |
I also took the Hop-on Hop-off London Sightseeing Tour on their iconic double-decker bus. Naturally, I sat on the second level, allowing me to take photos of some beautiful city landmarks, such as St. Paul's Cathedral...
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| St. Paul's Cathedral |
...and Westminster Abbey (Unfortunately, I only got to see this landmark in passing; I didn't actually go here and experience it more thoroughly).
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| Westminster Abbey |
As I was in London for several days, I did get to visit quite a few places so I will write more in my next blog post.
Next post: More London Landmarks
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