This is my first time participating in the weekly photo challenge. I was seeing a lot of interesting shots from fellow bloggers on this week’s challenge and I wanted to include two of my favorite window photos I took this past year:
One of the beautiful windows at Westminster Abbey in London.
Mia at our hotel window with a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower in the background.
Mia and I in front of two classic London Icons (a black cab & a red double-decker bus). I love that one of the cab drivers has an Old Guys Rule shirts on!
This is part three of a three-part series of our London, England Adventure. This post will include some of the remaining photos that we took while touring London. I hope that you have enjoyed my posts from England!
Here are a few photos of London Icons:
Mia sitting on one of the green & white relaxing chairs at St. James’s Park. It was so nice to just stop and relax for about 20 minutes to take a break from exploring.
The London Bridge Sign.
A classic red telephone booth close to St. Paul’s Cathedral.
“Hahn/Cock” sculpture by Katharina Fritsch at Trafalgar Square.
Mia and I in front of classic red telephone booths. Mia asked, “What’s a telephone booth?!” Boy, did that make us feel old! This was the first time she has ever seen one. 🙂
The Ghost Bus Tours
London Tip #7: Check closing times for all attractions as many close earlier than you might expect. After living in Central Florida for the past 25 years, we have been used to places staying open pretty late for tourists especially in the summer. However, it seems that places in Europe close much earlier. Therefore, you must plan accordingly to make sure that you fit as much in as possible especially if you only have a few days in London.
London has to have some of the most beautifully designed architecture in the world. Many of the buildings have such detail that you cannot help wanting to stop and just look around and enjoy all of it. St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower Bridge really stood out to me and were truly breathtaking. Here are a few more photos from our adventure:
St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The amazing detail of St. Paul’s Cathedral.
Columns at St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The beautiful St. Paul’s Cathedral.
The beautiful Tower Bridge taken from the London Bridge.
Tower Bridge taken from the top of a double-decker bus.
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge.
Mia and Danny at Trafalgar Square.
Mia and I at Trafalgar Square.
Nelson’s Column at Trafalgar Square.
Trafalgar Square
Trafalgar Square.
One of the many lion statues in London.
Clock on Fleet Street.
Statue of Queen Elizabeth on Fleet Street.
Sunday Post building on Fleet Street.
The Royal Courts of Justice.
Banners along Regent St. to celebrate 60 years since the coronation of The Queen.
Saying goodbye to London! We hope to visit again one day!
Our next planned adventure in Europe will be our first trip to Paris! It is already time for me to start researching where and what we should explore there. Please let me know if anyone has any tips or suggestions on must sees there!
One of my favorite photos from our trip: Big Ben and a red double-decker bus which I took while riding on the top of a double-decker bus. A must-see at least once in your lifetime!
I am finally continuing with my London posts. It has been a very busy time for us as we were moving to a little bigger place the last couple of days. Mia has her own bedroom now, so she was very happy to unpack her toys that have been in storage. She also started her first day of 1st grade today and had a great day which was a big relief for us! I couldn’t sleep last night and was so nervous for her, but it all turned out fine and we are very happy with her new teacher!
This is post number two in a three-part series from our recent adventure in London, England. In this post, I will feature Big Ben, the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, & the London Eye. All but Westminster Abbey have an amazing view along the Thames River and were a short walk from our hotel.
Continuing from my last post, this is London Tip #5: The Golden Jubilee Bridge that is right next to Big Ben and the one you cross over to get to the London Eye gets unbelievably crowded! However, you can get some of the best photos in this area, so you may want to visit it earlier in the day or right before sunset to avoid a million people in your photos with you!
Big Ben has to be one of the most recognizable structures in the world. It was so impressive to see in person and reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Hook. It is one of those places when you see it for the first time in real life, you just say “Wow, that is amazing!” Here are a few photos of Big Ben & The Palace of Westminster (click on photos for a larger image):
For more information about touring the Houses of Parliament, please visit: Houses of Parliament Please note: Only permanent UK residents are allowed to tour Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben.
Westminster Abbey was my favorite place that we toured while in London. This is certainly worth the price of admission and has many surprises inside! It is not just an old gothic church, but a place filled with rich history (founded in 960) and also has an impressive collection of artwork. It is the coronation church and also the final resting place and memorial site of many significant people. King Edward’s Chair, the throne which is used for coronations is also housed here.
London Tip #6: Do not pass up touring the inside of Westminster Abbey! If you only have one day, I would suggest taking the time to tour this church. Also, do not be intimidated by the line to get it. It moved very quickly for us and was worth the 20-30 minutes we waited in line. I would also recommend the Cellarium Cafe which is perfect for a nice break with afternoon tea and light snacks.
Here are a few photos from Westminster Abbey (please note: photography and filming are not allowed while you are touring the inside of the Abbey):
The beautiful entrance to Westminster Abbey.
For more information about touring Westminster Abbey, please visit: Westminster Abbey
The London Eye was within walking distance to where we stayed and was of course one of those things in London that you just have to do! It is located in the South Bank right along the Thames River. We were able to see so much of London from the top and you get to see out for a distance of about 25 miles from the top. The views from the London Eye are absolutely breathtaking and was definitely something that we are glad that we were able to experience. I would love to experience it at night the next time we visit as I am sure it would be very beautiful with all of the city lights on.
Here are a few photos from our experience on the London Eye:
The London Eye and the Thames River.
Mia and I having fun on the London Eye!
The amazing view from the London Eye!
Mia enjoying the London Eye!
For more information about the London Eye, please visit: London Eye
You can read part 1 of this series at the following link: London Part 1
Red Pin Adventures 