Monday, June 6, 2011 @ 9:45 PM in 2011 London
Today started out as another rainy day. We ate breakfast and decided we would try to get to the Westminster Abbey early so we could tour it before it got busy. When we got there, it seemed like everyone else had the same idea so we had to stand outside in the rain in a line to purchase tickets. We actually didn't get there early enough to catch a guided tour in a timeslot that sounded good, so we we opted for the audio tour. We got guided through the church and the tour highlighted several spots. No photography was allowed inside.
After that we walked outside and took some photos of Big Ben, then headed down the Mall toward Buckingham Palace. We took some photos at Buckingham Palace and got to see some of the guards walking around. We decided we would grab some lunch and head to St Peter's Cathedral. We had lunch at a place called The Nag's Head. I had a Strongbow cider and some bangers and mash with peas and carrots. Lunch was good and then we headed off to St. Peter's. We had to take a few different tube lines but ended up getting out right in front of the cathedral.
We waited in a small line but got our tickets and found a free guided tour that was starting just as we got in, so we joined up with that. The tour took us through the cathedral where we learned about the construction, history, the crypt and more. Again, no photography was allowed inside the church unfortunately. After the hour and a half tour ended, we took the 500 something steps up to the top of the cathedral where we got a good view of London and surrounding areas. We came back down and got some water, then decided we would see a movie after dinner.
For dinner, we headed back to the Covent Garden area and had some more fish n chips and a beer. We found the movie theater and watched the movie Senna, about the F1 driver from Brazil. From there, we aimlessly walked around and ended up walking through Soho, Piccadilly Circus, and Chinatown. All of those areas were super packed and seemed a little seedy. Piccadilly Circus had a few buildings under construction and a big park around Soho and the circus was all blocked off for updates. We decided we had a full day and came back to the hotel to get ready for bed.
It was a good day with a lot of walking. The rain stopped around noon, but it was still gloomy the rest of the day. Tomorrow is supposed to be a lot nicer.
Teaser photos:
Posted from: England