Seeing the sights of London.... finally

Back into the Bush, again...

Into the St Christopher's and the good old Belushi's Bar - This place has become my home away from home.
There is actually a live feed into the bar through this link!!

(Emil should get the thanks for notifying me of this.. it is well wicked- I often used it to see what was happening in the bar, without having to go down and check :)

The plan was to chill around London for the next 2 weeks, I especially needed to do some sight seeing in London, and have some much needed recovery time!!

Hyde Park

After a few days of recovery I finally went out and (you guessed it) did some sightseeing in London :)
First stop was Hyde Park (this is only about a 20 minuet bus ride away (and takes even less time on the train lol)

Art Exhibitions in Hyde Park

Walking through the park there was some art exhibitions set up, these where definitely cool.

You can actually see me in this picture
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The Albert Memorial

This is a picture of the Albert Memorial and you can see The Royal Albert Hall behind it.
I walked through the park along the Lancaster Walk, which just cuts across it and comes out at the monument.

Wellington Arch

From here it was past the Wellington Arch on the way to Buckingham Palace. This Arch (and the Marble Arch found in the North of Hyde Park) where planned in 1825 by George IV to commemorate Britain's victories in the Napoleonic wars.

 

Victoria Memorial

This is the Victoria Memorial, and is situated in the Queen's Garden right out the front of Buckingham Palace. It was completed in 1911, and is constructed of 2,300 tons of white marble. The sculpture has a nautical theme which are expressive of London's naval power.

Buckingham Palace

Me at Buckingham Palace, I think this is the first time I have ever worn a scarf (and certainly not to be the last).
I didn't get to see the changing of the guards that day but I think it is just as the name suggest's :)

Next stop was St James park on the way towards the centre of London city and the River Thames. These crazy little critters climb the fences when they think you have got food to give them...

Hence there is a lot of fat little squirrels throughout most of the parks in London.

Big Ben

Finally I got to see Big Ben, a major landmark I really wanted to see.
(another tick of the list :)

It is the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world, and the third largest free standing clock tower.

Despite the overcast day, it was still an impressive sight.

The London Eye

The London Eye or Millennium Wheel,is a 135 metre tall Ferris wheel and the biggest in Europe.
It is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, with over 3.5 million people visiting it annually, and is just across the river from Big Ben.

House of Lords

There are a lot of other sights I did see throughout the day that haven't got a mention so far. I passed The Cenotaph and The House of Lords in my travels and got to experience Harrods
- England's most famous (and expensive) department store. I went inside for a quick look - it was absolutely mammoth!! it occupies a 20,000m² site and has over 50,000m² of selling space... Absolutely Freakin Huge!!!

Mortimer Street

Some of the sights of London ✔ done... It had been a good day, thanks to Emil who helped me navigate around town, he has made a good impromptu tour guide now in more than 1 country :)

Me wearing some randoms hat.
Probably drunk lol

That night we kicked it with Paul a mate from Oktoberfest, and got to see some pubs and clubs around London which I hadn't seen, and proceeded to get pretty wasted.

Another great day in London Town.

First Beer of the Day

During the next week I went with Olli to the Camden Markets. This place was a sea of entertainment. There is lots of street artists, food stalls and plenty of shops. I had a magician pick on me - he took a £5 note off me for his act, then at the end of his set proceeded to produce it from the inside of a walnut which was inside an egg.... (this was his only good trick, and it made me stay for the whole act lol)

Street Performer

This guy was actually pretty good. The picture is of him juggling machetes on a giant unicycle. He was on this thing for at least 20 minuets doing various tricks (which was a feat on its own).

Camden was good fun and a nice easy morning, there was lots to see and good food to sample. Definitely worth the visit.

This plaque was in Camden, and was a good find. There is a lot of these interesting things that can be found around London. Sometime you just have to be lucky to find them :)




(link to FB pics from around London)




It was good to see more of London then the inside if a beer glass, although that has given me lots of fun memories as well :) Despite what it may seen there is more to travelling than just the beer, although it has been an integral part.


Signing off for another round. Be back again soon.. Morty :)