After arriving in London on the morning of May 18th, I decided to spend the first couple days exploring as much of the city as possible. Its a huge, very diverse city with lots of museums, restaurants and pubs. More languages are spoken in London than anywhere else in Europe. Below are a few of the most famous/interesting sights from my first foray into the city. I primarily focused on Westminster, popularly known as the area which houses the United Kingdom's government. Everything in and around Westminster is pretty easy to find. Westminster has some of the most famous sights in London: Parliament & Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery, the Banqueting House, etc. The Jubilee Line on the underground (which is the line nearest to where I'm staying) has a stop at Westminster and as you can see on the below map, everything is pretty close and accessible by foot.
Westminster Abbey (above) is an obvious must-see for London and the first place I went. It can be a little crowded, but the audio guides do a good job of explaining the most famous spots in this amazing and historic place. There is so much history in this building, the audio guides really are a must. Without the guide, it would be very easy to miss something or not fully appreciate what you are seeing. On July 7th I'll be returning for Evensong being held at the Abbey in celebration of Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday. Below is a shot of Big Ben & Parliament (notice the large police presence due to a protest in support of the Tamil Tigers). I haven't yet been inside Parliament, although I have tickets for the 'Prime Minister's Questions' (PMQ's) for July 15th. This is when the Prime Minister is brought before Parliament and made to debate/answer any questions for a half hour.
Trafalgar Square and Westminster Abbey/Parliament are within easy walking distance. I walked up Parliament Street, which turns into Whitehall, passing the Banqueting House on my right. I have not yet been there, but it is the site where William and Mary officially accepted the crown and most famously, Charles I was executed on a scaffold outside the house.
I was able to snap the above picture of one of the ever present double-decker buses with the London Eye in the background on my way. Also on the way to the square is the Horse Guards Barracks. They offer parades from time-to-time, but generally have a couple guards on horseback posted in front during the day. Makes for a good picture!
Finally I reached the famous Trafalgar Square (below). This photo was taken from a bench at the foot of the National Gallery. Although there isn't much to do in the square, it is a famous London landmark and generally considered one of the main centers of the city. The second picture is a better view of Nelson's Column, the focal point of the square, with the National Gallery in the background. The column was erected to celebrate Lord Admiral Nelson who defeated the French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar, effectively ending the threat of a French-led invasion of Britain during the Napoleonic Wars.
I went into the National Gallery for a little bit. It is free, including audio guides, they only ask for a donation. They had some impressive pieces but perhaps I was a little spoiled from my recent trip to Italy as I didn't find it too impressive. Nevertheless, it's worth a look.
I also spent a full day in the British Museum. It is absolutely amazing. I spent hours looking through all the different exhibits and I was only able to scratch the surface. It got pretty crowded which was a bit annoying after awhile. The number of people was not the problem, but the fact that everyone was taking pictures of everything. I felt like you couldn't look at anything without camera flashes going off every other second, particularly with some of the most famous pieces (Rosetta Stone, mummies, etc). But it is well worth the annoyance and an absolute must-see.
I was only able to scratch the surface on these first couple days. Unfortunately my internship at the Embassy was to start on the 20th, so that I barely had enough time to get my bearings and recover from the jet lag before starting.
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