Since we had very limited time to see the sights in London, we did as much as we could in 24 hours. Up first was the Tower of London which normally opens at 9a.m., about one hour before most other attractions, except (of course we didn’t know) on Mondays. When we arrived, there was already a queue to get in, but the ticket windows were not opening until 10:00a.m. I waited for tickets, Kevin waited in the queue and we were one of the very first through the gates that morning.
We went to see the Crown Jewels first, as that is known to attract large crowds as the day goes on. I felt obligated to keep saying “Paula” in my best Charles Boyer accent…. (Gaslight is to this day one of my all time favourite classic films) Here are some photos from the Tower of London.
We spent nearly two hours at the Tower and decided that Big Ben and Westminster Abbey were next on our list of sights to visit. As we walked over towards the Tube station, we saw people setting up barriers on the roads, the Tour de France was scheduled to pass through London today and the streets were mobbed with onlookers.
We hopped onto the Underground and got off at Westminster station. As we came up the stairs we were directly under Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and just across the Thames from the London Eye. We walked around to get a good look at the architecture of Parliament and then crossed the street and got into the queue for Westminster Abbey, which was by far, the highlight of our time in London. The audio tour narrated by Jeremy Irons was entertaining and educational. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed in the Abbey, but here are some exterior shots from the area.
Even though we both feel that the very premise of a monarchy is utterly ridiculous, we decided to hop back on the train and go see Buckingham Palace. We got off at Green Park, where there was a bicycling festival going on, an official fan zone of the Tour de France. There were vendors, concessions, exhibitions, musicians and more, including a huge video screen showing live footage of the racers who would soon be traveling by. One of the food vendors was offering free samples of its alcoholic lemon flavored beverage, which was quite refreshing on a warm and humid day. We walked through the park and over to the palace and shot a few more photos. We then headed back to the Underground, passing through Green Park again, and enjoyed yet another free sample of the refreshing lemon beverage.
We were leaving for Leeds on a 9:30 a.m. train from King’s Cross Station the next morning, and decided to take the Tube there now, then back to our hotel, so we would have a general idea of how long it would take us in the morning. Oh, and there was one more reason I wanted to go to King’s Cross….