Its a Foggy Day in London Town

London. A blend of the old and new, of history and progress, of culture and religion. I love this city. My first trip to London was very short - 3 days (1 of which was spent at Stonehenge and Bath). Not enough time to see a fraction of all that there is to explore and savor. I decided to get in as much as possible while I was there. Starting with the main attractions and fitting in what else I could. Though I enjoyed my trip very much it left me very much wanting more. I felt like I did not get my fill of this city. There was so much that I was only able to glance at when what I really wanted was to explore every nook and cranny. I didn't get to visit any of the museums, parks, and a few other iconic places such as the Globe Theater and Buckingham Palace, just to name a few. Some of the places don't allow you to take any pictures inside so I had to make do with exterior shots. That is why on my trip this August we plan to spend a week just in London. I fear that might not be enough...

 

This is the Southwark Cathedral. It is the oldest Gothic cathedral in London dating back to around 1220 A.D. 

 Pictures do not do justice to the beauty of these cathedrals.

 Inside is a commemorative statue in honor of Edmund Shakespeare. Southwark Cathedral is located near the Globe Theater, which is an exact replica of the original theater where all of Shakespeare's plays were performed. Only men were allowed to act so young boys or men played all of the women characters. I can't exactly picture a man playing Juliet!

 Beautiful stained glass windows. I wish churches still kept this wonderful tradition alive.

 In front of the Tower of London which is more of a giant castle that was built on the banks of the Thames River. The river water would create the moat around the castle though there isn't one there now. Later the London Bridge would be built near by.

 Entrance and draw bridge to enter the London Tower. 

The green grass below is where the moat used to be.

 View of the London Bridge from the Tower of London at dusk.

 My friend Cassandra, who I met on my trip and spent the majority of my sightseeing with. Both of us are exhausted from not having slept for over 24 hours.

Busy downtown London from atop of a "Big Red Bus". I find it interesting how the old architecture mixes well with neon signs and modern lighting (not to mention cars!)

 

The Tower Bridge from the other side of the river - the more "modern side".

 

Smack in the middle of Downtown London. Notice the giant plasma TV as well as the "Underground" signs for the "Tube" aka subway.

 

  The beautify Her Majesty's Theater. I plan to come back here next time to watch a Broadway production - probably the famous "Phantom of the Opera"

 In the background you have the Westminster Abbey where so many royals have been baptized, married, and buried!

 The London Eye. This is the largest Ferris wheel in Europe standing at 443 ft! I did not take a ride as the tickets are quite expensive! And the day was cloudy too :)

 Parliament and Big Ben

 Riding on the top floor of the Big Red Bus. I highly recommend this tour!

 St. Paul's Cathedral. This church is magnificent! Sadly there are no pictures allowed inside. I actually climbed all the way to the top steeple and the views were breathtaking!

 The modern side of London :) Zoomed in all the way from the top of St. Paul's Cathedral

 Inside the Tower of London! The "White Tower" was centered in the middle of the Tower of London.

 Walking on the walls of the Tower of London and exploring the different towers. Some of the famous people that were kept prisoner here included William Wallace (think Braveheart), Ann Boleyn (2nd wife of Henry the 8th), and Princes Elizabeth (future Queen Elizabeth I). I felt like I was in a fairy tale - a real castle!

 Some of the historical reenactments performed during the day.

 

 A miniature replica of the Tower of London

 This tower holds the CROWN JEWELS. The wait was long but definitely worth it to see all those beautiful jewels, crowns, necklaces, etc.

 Big Ben! 

 Westminster Abbey - recently made famous once again by the marriage of Prince William and Kate. It is absolutely breathtaking inside and so many famous royalty as well as military, literary, and social figures are buried in its walls and floors. To be able to stand at the graves of "Bloody Mary" and Queen Elizabeth I was quite the experience!

 Westminster Abbey, side view.

 The Victoria Memorial,  a large fountain in honor of Queen Victoria who was the first monarch to reside at Buckingham Palace.

 Buckingham Palace. The palace is open to visitors from August to October. Though I was there I during that period I did not have time to go inside. I really regretted it! But not this time! We already bought our tickets!

 

Lastly, the most famous shopping area in all of London! Harrods! Anna and I are planning to take "High Tea" there next time we visit and do a bit of shopping ourselves :)

On a side note: When I got to Paris I was checking how much space I had left on my camera and accidentally deleted all of my pictures from London! I was devastated! I asked around and everyone said there is nothing to be done! But luckily I did a bit of online research (on my phone though it cost me!) and found out there is software that can restore lost pics. So I bought another card and saved the one with London pictures on it till I got home. I managed to save about 75% of the photos! However, I did lose a few of my favorite shots. If that ever happens to you remember you can always save them BUT don't take any pics on the card because that will over write the "memory" and then you can't restore them anymore. 

This time around I hope to have time to visit so much more and I plan to take pictures of everything, permission or not ;)