London Day 2

Saturday, March 19

The next day we woke up early and headed out to watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. Upon arrival however it became apparent that we were not early enough to get a good vantage point considering the thousands of other tourists crammed in the plaza in front of the Palace. We eventually managed to find a spot on the island in the middle of the roundabout, where we were able to see some of the parade at the beginning of the ceremony, however, we couldn’t see much of what was going on within in the gates, so we decided to leave early. Considering the amount of people there, this was easier said than done, but we managed to navigate our way through the masses towards St. James park, which was fun to see in all it’s springtime glory. After cutting across the park, we got some burgers, onion rings, and chips for lunch at a quintessential English pub.

Upon finishing our delicious lunch we then proceeded on to visit Westminster Abbey. After waiting in line for a little and getting our audio guides, we explored the abbey while listening to a bit of history interspersed with choral music. Overall, it was an amazing experience. It was cool to see all the beautiful architecture and learn about the role the abbey has played in England’s rich history. Right next to Westminster are the Houses of Parliament, which we took a lot of photos of before hopping back on the subway to go visit The British Museum. Some highlights at the British Museum included: the Rosetta Stone, Greek & Roman Statuary, Egyptian mummies, Asian antiquities, and the large atrium in the middle of the museum.
 

Outside view of the Nave of Westminster Abbey

Big Ben & The London Eye

The Houses of Parliament

The River Thames & London Eye

Atrium at the British Museum

When the museum closed, we decided to go back and take a ride on the London Eye at Sunset, however upon arrival we decided that we did not want to wait in line with all the hundreds of people in front of us. Instead we walked around a took photo before crossing back over the Thames River and taking the metro back to a stop near our hotel. Along the walk back to the hotel, we stopped in a Chinese restaurant and ordered some Peking Duck, which suprisingly I have not had since I visited Chinatown in NYC with my parents during spring break when I was in 7th grade. After dinner, we were exhausted so we returned to the hotel for an evening of lounging around the hotel room, reading, editing photos, and writing.