A day playing tourist in London

So this morning I woke bright and early (blooming body clock doesn't know I'm on holiday!)  and headed for London.  It started out a bit fresh and cloudy, but ideal for walking around, don't want it too hot in London.

 I decided to go to the Tower first as I haven't been for a while

 decided against joining the Yeoman Warder tour though - huge crowd, wouldn't have a chance of hearing

 so I wandered around on my own.


Traitor's Gate where they brought the prisoners in up the river for incarceration

 portcullis

 official residences inside the Tower

 chapel on the left, Crown Jewels building on the right

 I joined what seemed to be a fairly short queue to see the Crown Jewels - it was slow moving though (LOTS of school parties - all over London in fact)


no photography allowed, but very impressive jewels and Coronation paraphenalia.   It always amazes me seeing the gold cloak how tiny The Queen is. 

Guards on duty outside

after coming out from the Crown Jewels viewing, Iheaded for the White Tower
past a piece of Roman city wall

 the wall of the White Tower as I was climbing the steps to the entrance

 sorry about the glare from the glass

I have showed the next photos before, but not the "blurb" that explains a bit about them!


I'll try and show things I haven't before, or at least in a different way

 

breast plate anyone!

 noticed a cabinet against a wall -


 they have made some changes to the displays since I was there last, so I am not sure this was on view before

 I still love this ledger of receipts though - and still think it would make a fabulous journal!

 they've improved the lighting here, it always used to be really dark

 spiral staircases everywhere (hated the one to go up the Bloody Tower which was half the width of this one and nothing to hold on to)

 firearms

 it was pretty crowded so I decided to head out

stopping for some pics of the river and Tower Bridge

 despite the cloud there was no hint of rain and it was pleasant to walk around as I said.

 I headed down the road towards the tube station

ironwork on the roadside

 I wanted to go to St Pauls and got off the tube

near the Bank of England

 taking pictures of buildings I liked, not necessarily knowing what they are

unless there is a handy sign!

 as I walked down Cheapside I saw the entrance to a shopping complex that I recognised



a few years ago I had done a Charles Dickens walk with my friend Lin and we were told about this place with a roof top terrace

 where you can get glorious views of London


(there is a bar, Madisons up there but I just went for the view)

 couldn't see the sign by this as someone was in the way.

love the view of St Pauls through it though!

 today cloud, when i was here before, it was sunset - fantastic that night!

I love it up there!

seem to have got my finger in the way though on the selfie!

 the bar is behind the flowers

 even the lifts are beautiful

 glass!

you get a great view while you zoom down!

 from there it is obviously just a hop to St Pauls

 I sat on the steps and ate my sandwich

 and had a little play

 I do think some of the pillars could do with a good scrub clean though!

I was about to walk off in the other direction, when I remembered

 back the other way in a small garden this fabulous stainless steel sculpture

 I crossed the road (there's one over there too)

 the clouds suddenly cleared and the sun came out

 I just love the reflections you get in these sculptures

 I headed down towards the Millenium bridge


couldn't resist these big stainless steel balls though, more great reflections

 crossing the bridge, fab views

 great view of St Paul's behind

 it's a very modern bridge (built for the Millenium, obviously)

 the river was very busy..

 I've been watching this tv programme about an Illumination programme for 15 of London's bridges (which is fascinating and I look forward to seeing them finished)


they were talking to this man (who's name I didn't catch) who paints on the chewing gum left behind .... I'd never noticed it before but made a point of looking for them

apparently, the police used to try and stop him, but as he's painting the chewing gum (wish people would take it home or throw it in the bin) it doesn't count as the bridge itself, so he's not doing criminal damage, so they largely leave him to it...

he wasn't there today, I expect he goes when it's not so busy

 pleasure cruises..

 tugs were towing huge barges of containers about - it's been ages since I saw the river so busy (presumably they have to wait for high tide for the depth)

 I decided as I was now on the south side of the river, to pop into Tate Modern



never been before, lots of the galleries are free, though they do have some exhibitions that cost

 wheelchair busker, playing steel drum.

 I love how as you come off the bridge you get a split level view

 Tate Modern

I only went through a few galleries

 I liked this one

 although some of the interpretations of most modern art confuses me

 this looked like the mark making Seth Apter does. 
I liked this one too

 and these seemed very impressionist to me (Monet-like)

 although that's not what the blurb said!

 I did like them though

 outside the buildings are as modern as the Tate art

 the Tate

 I jumped on a bus as my legs were starting to ache


this is at Charing Cross station

and this was over the road

hope you can read it.

it's a Coutts bank branch supporting LGBTQ

 as I walked from the bus towards Trafalgar Square, I passed St Martin in the Fields, a famous church on the edge of Trafalgar Square


I noticed a sign for a cafe... I was desperate for a cuppa...

 what a pretty little cafe, under a canvas awning for some shade...


a lovely cup of tea too.



the chairs were really comfy, I could have sat there for ages...

 the sign was right!  London's hidden cafe indeed

 I walked round to the front of the church

 before crossing the road into Traflagar Square to show you a proper look

 Nelson's Column, in case you didn't know!

 I would have gone down into the square to the fountains, but there were clearing up the fanzone from yesterday's Cricket World Cup so it was all taped off444

 National Gallery - no energy to go in today

 it was hard to keep all the lorries taking the barriers away, out of the photos

 one of the lions

 Nelson atop his column

 fresco round Nelson's Column

 I was taking Admiralty Arch at the head of the Mall, but the street lights are quite fancy!

 look how blue the sky was now

 that's better, despite all the traffic

 I headed down Whitehall - they had been saying on the radio (I was listening to it as I walked)  that the England Cricket team were to have a reception in Downing Street - but not what time...

 entrance to Horseguards Parade

 complete with Guard and his horse!


the usual number of tourists posing by the side of the horses..

 you have to take a quick shot before the next bus comes by!

 Downing Street behind it's bars - people were starting to gather, but I didn't linger - just as well, as they didn't arrive till about 7pm..

 the Cenotaph

 love all the carving

soon I was down at Westminster - Big Ben still under wraps for it's repair programme...

 as is much of the Palace of Westminster

 more photo-grabbing in between buses!


London Eye.


must go up it again one day - today would have been perfect weather!

 a much-decorated Westminster Bridge sign

 as I tried to find a bus stop back to Victoria, I went into a little garden (that I'd found last time I was in London actually)

last time I hadn't seen the statue of Emeline Pankhurst though

 Lambeth Bridge - I was getting off track but luckily

 there are plenty of maps on the streets so I crossed the road and jumped on a bus that came along really quickly

getting back to Victoria at 4 - wanted to be out of London before rush hour



hope you've enjoyed today -   tomorrow we're back to Kew as my cousin is coming for the day.