London Calling!

I have travelled quite a bit around Europe and seen lots of places and things (and still feel like I've barely scratched the surface). But in all those travels, I have never been to the United Kingdom! And, like Europe, there are so many places and things there. I could never get through it all in one trip, or even 3 or 4 trips. So I had decided to just enjoy the time that I did have, and not to rush to fit everything in. It'll still be there next time (unless, of course, there is an epic planetary disaster or Putin decides to go nuclear...).

I had found a really good deal for my accommodation. It was fairly central (in Whitechapel), a self-contained, one bedroom apartment. I had 4 nights booked, so three full days to explore as much of London as I could, without rushing through things and not making the most of it. I just had to keep reminding myself that I would be back. This wasn't a 'one-chance-only' visit. 

I had flown in to Gatwick Airport and, to be honest, I was a bit nervous about navigating 'The Tube', otherwise known as 'The London Underground'. The maps of it really just look like colourful spaghetti. But the apartment manager had told me which stations to change trains at, and that the Aldgate East stop was the one nearest to where I was staying. And I managed to get there without a hitch (except Aldgate East Station doesn't have a lift. More stairs!) 🙄

My only sight-seeing on the first afternoon was a wander around my immediate neighbourhood. The apartment had a big kitchen with all the utensils and crockery and pots/pans that anyone would ever need, so I wanted to get some food for the next four days. And I wanted to see what else was nearby.





These horse statues were quite striking in real life. They were in the square outside my apartment block. And there was also a small supermarket there. Dinner sorted. Too easy! Breakfast is usually a coffee and a pastry (I have become quite partial to a Pain au Raisin). Lunch is whatever I can get, wherever I am.

Pain au Raisin

The plan for the next morning was to go and have a look at Buckingham Palace. Had I done my research before I left the house, I would have known that the Changing of the Guard happens at 10:45am on certain days of the week. So turning up at 10:30 and expecting to have a quick look through the gates and maybe take a selfie was well outside the realms of possibility... The crowds were huge!





What I could see of the ceremony looked pretty good (short person in tall crowd). I just held my phone in the air and took random photos, hoping that it was pointing in the right direction and that one in ten might come out alright.

I decided to leave. I could spend half the morning here and not get a good view of anything. As it turned out, this was a great idea! As I was heading off towards St James's Park, I found more of them...



And I did get my selfie... just not as close to the palace as I had anticipated 😊

From the Palace I headed into St James's Park with a view to cutting across to Westminster Abbey. But I almost didn't make it because I found ....... SQUIRRELS! I had never seen a squirrel before, and I had actually told my sister that I wanted to see a squirrel and/or a fox. And here I was! Squirrels everywhere! 



For a while I just stood and gaped. And then I took photos...! They are obviously citified squirrels... they will eat out of your hand if you offer them something. And despite signs EVERYWHERE stating "don't feed the animals, it may harm them", people were still feeding them for that perfect 'Insta' moment.

There was also a very dignified heron, parading back and forth along the bank of the lake, doing an excellent impression of the King's Guard. Ohhh..... but the squirrels... I could have spent the whole remainder of my holiday sitting in this park hanging out with squirrels (and pigeons and ducks and herons). Unfortunately there was a lot of people there too, but I ignored them. 😆




Anyway, sooner or later I had to drag myself away from the wildlife and keep moving. The next 'wildlife' I saw was this monstrosity, obviously a tribute to the late Queen's corgis, but truly ugly!


And then, there it was. Westminster Abbey. It always amazes me that so many of these famous landmarks are right in the middle of the city, or at least on prime real estate. But in their time, these WERE the centre of the city. The royal and holy hubs that the cities around them were built to service.


The inside is appropriately grand and opulent, but also a bit hodgepodge. Many parts have been added or remodelled over the centuries, seemingly with little thought of how it would fit in to the whole. I must admit that I had a slightly greater appreciation of the space than I would have a couple of years ago. Having watched King Charles II's coronation (yes, I did...) and then going into the space where it happened added something to my view of it. 

I took hundreds of photos. I'll just put a selection here...






That's the first few. Scroll to the bottom if you've had enough...








That is just a few of the hundreds of photos I took inside Westminster Abbey. This wasn't the end of the day, but I think this post is long enough. Here is a sneak peek of next time... What I saw when I walked around the corner from Westminster...









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