Strolling Around London

February 16, 2019

Saturday Morning found us up early, eating breakfast a the little cafe in our neighborhood and then catching the bus to Portobello Road.

We strolled around looking for bargains...

...bought some great souvenir's, then headed off for central London.

First stop... Buckingham Palace. We got there in time to see the Household Calvary coming into the Palace complex.

Amazed by the incredible Victoria Memorial.

Watching people watch the horses and riders while I make my way towards the gate and fence.

Due to the drizzly weather, the Palace Guards were not in their beautiful red tunics, but were in dull gray overcoats.

Somewhere I have lost Darryl. 

Is he over by the park?

Or maybe out by the road?

Nope... I can't find him anywhere. But look! I had to take a selfie with the palace.

With no sign of Darryl I decided to go to high ground thinking maybe he would spot me. 

With my pretty light aqua sweatshirt on I tended to stand out in the sea of black, gray, brown and navy jackets.

Still no Darryl. Well, I guess I'll just have to take another picture without him. Usually we take these selfies together.

The detail on this memorial is incredible. I spent almost half an hour looking at all the figures and characters and I still don't think I saw them all.

Looking down The Mall.

The gates to Buckingham Palace Gardens

Yay!!! Together at last!

So now we take our 'normal' selfies.

The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk, it leads you to Birdcage Walk along St. James Park toward Westminster Abbey.

And what do you see along Birdcage Walk? Wild green Parrots.

The Guards Museum

Churchill's War Rooms and his WWII underground offices. ( I think)

Guess what this is? It's a sad sight for a clock enthusiast like Darryl. This is the Tower of Big Ben Clock. It has been undergoing extensive repairs and renovations for a couple of years now. We couldn't see or hear anything. Sad for us, but I'm grateful they are taking care of this piece of history.

Parliament Square Garden and the Statue of Abraham Lincoln.

The West Entrance of Westminster Abbey.

What a gorgeous place of worship.

The Palace of Westminster..

Home of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The Winston Churchill Statue in Parliament Garden. There was a line for Photos at this statue.

The only place guarded more heavily than Buckingham Palace is No. 10 Downing Street.

The Household Calvary Museum..

and Parade grounds. Posing with a Horse Soldier.

The Parade grounds and stables. 

Darryl and the Turkish Cannon

The Great Scotland Yard!

Walking over to Trafalgar Square you can see the monument that stands 169 ft. high.

Nelson's Column at Trafalgar Square, built to honor Admiral Horatio Nelson who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. He was one of England's greatest Military men.

An interesting story about how London got the news of the Victory at Trafalgar and the Death of the much admired Admiral.

Coming into Piccadilly Circus and the West End.

Circus was the right name for this place as it does have a crazy 'circus' type atmosphere about it. Shops Theaters, jumbo-tron screens, restaurants and cafes all bustling with people. 

And the Shaftsbury Memorial Fountain which seems to be a gathering place for the curious and the curiosities.

I think this guy lost a bet or something.

We did a little shopping at a bookstore here at Piccadilly Circus and then walked toward Hyde Park to find the location of the Hyde Park Chapel where we will go to church tomorrow and figure out the transportation. We also found the bus stop where our tour will leave from on Monday. It was a busy day and I was glad when we got on the subway toward our little hotel.
When we got back to our hotel we went to a local Deli and had some of the most delicious Mediterranean food and Baklava I've ever eaten. My knees and feet hurt so bad. Another long day of walking. 22,169 steps / 9.62 miles.