Sightseeing in London
One very early morning wake up call, coupled with a refreshing rain-dappled walk to the train station, and we were on route to London Euston, ready for a two day city break in the big smoke. With ravaging storms making our travel uncertain, we endured the slightly longer than expected journey to arrive just before 9am. Hopping onto the Underground (for the very first time) our stop was a mere stone’s throw away, Green Park to see Buckingham Palace.
It felt very surreal to be standing in front of Buckingham Place for the first time, but feeling like I’d been there before. Many times. With the Royal Wedding, Queen’s Jubilee and the birth of the royal baby, Prince George, the palace has never been far from the news. Nonetheless, it was still an exciting landmark to see. We strolled down The Mall, pausing only to snap what tickled our fancy on the way. Within minutes, we had reach Trafalgar Square and were welcomed by Nelson’s Column standing tall and proud.
The clear blue skies that had graced our early morning started to turn grey and before we knew it, the heavens opened and the crowds of tourists had dispersed, leaving us alone in Trafalgar Square. We decided to join them and darted into The National Gallery, we were lucky enough to see two of Vincent van Gogh’s famed ‘Sunflowers’ together for the first time in our lifetime. Exciting, hey? We strolled through the gallery, observing Monet to Manet, Renoir to Degas. It was all such a welcome change. With lunch time quickly approaching, we went to see the Horse Guards. Testing his photography skills, John took some portraits of the guards whilst I strolled outside to see the horses.
Before I knew it, we’d stumbled across Downing Street. Well, it didn’t look at all like I’d expected. I imagined it as a long street with long Georgian houses. It all seemed rather small. Strolling around the corner to Big Ben, my sentiments were echoed here too! With tourists speaking every language flocking around Big Ben, we struggled to squeeze ourselves in to take that iconic picture. A short wind-blown trip across the bridge and we’d found the perfect backdrop.
I guess, with London, you’ve seen so many of the main sights before you’ve even visited. With it being our capital city, it’s constantly in the media. If it’s not in the media, it’s the setting of many a movie or book. Within 3 hours, I’d already fallen in love with the city. It’s just so, so very British! Nothing compares to seeing such iconic sights right in front of your eyes. We’d snapped hundreds of photographs, all before lunch time!
