London

Travel Dates: October 22, 2013 to October 25, 2013

London. A hustling-and-bustling big city with awe-inspiring architecture leading back to the Gothic era, juxtaposed by modern-day traffic teeming with cars, red double-decker tour buses, and pedestrians zipping through narrow streets rich with history.

London's bumper-to-bumper

 After figuring out the rather complex public transportation system, we made it to the Palace of Westminster (Parliament) and Westminster Abbey, gazed up at the jaw-dropping, intricate buildings, and listened to the pure peals of Big Ben.

Happy to see Parliament after some crazy bus rides there

Across the bank from Big Ben

Westminster Abbey: Burial site of Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots

Intricate architecture details

We took the double-decker bus to see such sites as:

The National Gallery with statue of Hahn/Cock in front

Nelson's Column at Trafalgar Square

St. Paul's Cathedral

Tower Bridge

The statue of Queen Boadicea of the Iceni tribe, who led a revolt against the Romans

Cruising around town

A picture with the horseguard

One of the highlights of London: Indian food. We dropped by a restaurant called Hot Stuff for dinner during our first night in town and had one of the best Indian meals ever.

Spicy Indian food cuts through the London chill

The next day, it's off the the London Dungeon, a Universal-Studios sort of walking tour where actors reenacted such legends as Anne Boleyn (decapitated wife of Henry VIII) Jack the Ripper (on the prowl for prostitutes to murder), Sweeney Todd (where Mrs. Lovett gets her famous "meat" pie ingredients), Guy Fawkes (gunpowder, treason, and plot), The Torturer (playing with all sorts of torture devices deep in the bowels of the London Dungeon), The Plague Doctor (hear ye, Bubonic Plague), and The Judge (guilty, guilty, guilty!).

 

Next, off to The British Museum with the ornate pediment. The outside is in a classic Roman style with ionic columns, so I didn't expect the inside to look so modern and well-lit.

Artistic angles inside the rotunda of the British Museum

Free museums: Another great part of London. Since this was the first museum we visited in Europe, we were in awe at all the magnificent, ancient works on display. Equally impressive were the throngs of schoolchildren on field trips. First off, it must be a crazy bus ride through traffic to shuffle a group of kids here. But what we thoroughly enjoyed was the sight of the kids in their Harry-Potter-like capes, getting a fully interactive lecture in front of original artworks  by knowledgeable teachers. Plenty of art students also sat in front of a painting to take notes, study it, and attempt to emulate it through sketches or oil-on-canvas. What a rich education that must be, to have direct access to these resources!

Burnished silver shield

Checking out the Egyptian wing

Writing in stone. How long could it have taken to write a novel back then?

Ginger, naturally-preserved by hot sand

Mummy

Coins of different kingdoms

Greek Armor

We spent so much time at the British Museum that we missed out on the Jack the Ripper walking tour I had intended to go on. Instead, we made our way over to the Tower of London and walked around the perimeter of the vast castle.

Egg-shaped London City Hall

Beefeaters guarding London Tower

The famous Fish n Chips

Local schoolkids were doing some sort of social experiment and going around asking if they could give free hugs. They picked the courtyard near the Tower of London around dinnertime to see if any of the tourists would oblige. Free hugs it is! One of the friendlier groups of Londoners that we came across.

As the sun began to set, we caught one of the last Thames River Cruises from Tower Pier back to Westminster Pier. We chose to sit in the upper deck despite the biting wind, but we got great views of the city skyline at sunset, and the City Cruises tour guide was a lot better--more educational and entertaining--than the double-decker bus drivers.

Modern London buildings all lit up

 

Shakespeare's Globe. I weep that I did not make it here to see a play.

Back at Westminster Pier, we rode the London Eye some 440 feet in the air to see London lit up in lights.

The Eye, the giant Ferris wheel erected in 1999

All aboard in one of the pods

London at night

On our last full day in the city, we ventured out by a two-hour train ride to the quaint town of Windsor to see the castle, Queen Elizabeth II's preferred residence. Queen Mary's lavish dollhouse can also be seen here, but Windsor does not allow any indoor photography.

"Mind the Gap"

The towers of Windsor

Panoramic view of Windsor's South Wing

I missed the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace, so we saw a lower-key one at Windsor. I rather enjoyed this as we got there early enough to get a front-and-center viewing area.

Got a picture with one of the stoic guards!

 St. George's Chapel was one of the more impressive chapels I visited. The interior architecture is ornate and beautiful, done in the Gothic style, with a ceiling so high you'd have to crane your neck way back to see the flying buttresses.

The gardens

The view from a tower at Windsor Castle

For lunch, we ventured back to town outside of the castle and stopped by Gourmet Burger Kitchen for some of the best burgers we've ever eaten.

Tung's Camemburger with Camembert cheese and a hashbrown

I'm charmed by this little town. I wouldn't have minded staying here instead of London. It's quieter, slower-paced, and the people are nice.

For our last night in London, we toured the lively Trafalgar Square. I got a boost  up to take a picture with one of the "coddle-able lions" guarding the base of Nelson's Column.

 

That's it for London! Off to Paris we go.