Wednesday, June 13, 2018

June 13 - Around London

So, with one day in London we decide to grab  Hop On, Hop Off bus tour.

Great idea, except for one thing - I saw so much that my brain exploded and I can hardly remember any of it.  And, a lot of my photos suffered from being peak-a-boo shots to having the heads of all my new friends on the bus in the photo.  But I got them back - I was in a lot of their shots as well.  BUT - I do not use a selfie stick.  (I saw one couple attach their phone to the back of the seat in front of them and aim it back at themselves for the entire time they were on the bus.

So, here's what I will do - I'll put up some of the better shots and you can score me on accuracy and correct me where necessary.

First shots - these are of a gorgeous old hotel  I think it is the Hilton.  It was not far from Euston Station.














St. Pancras Station.  












The Royal Courts of Justice - this one was easy, since I caught the name in the photo.








 I forget what this one is about, and I know I've seen it before.  Is it the Heraldic Dragon Monument at Temple Bar?  I had to wait until I was behind the monument because of the sun's angle.  Unfortunately, the bus cut off the sculptural detail below the photo.






 This one's a gimmee to identify - St. Paul's Cathedral.

This one not so much.  It's a market just down the street from the Cathedral and near the Bank odf England Museum.

A pretty spot.  Anybody recognize it?








 One of the new landmarks on the skyline - the Shard.  Is was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, and is the tallest building in the United Kingdom.













My only picture of Tower Bridge - bad sun angle.






 City Hall - just as we are going to cross the Tower Bridge.














And on the other side is the Tower of London.  It's more picturesque from the water side.  Built in 1078 by William the Conqueror.











A view from around the corner.












Another 'modern' attraction - the London Eye.  A giant ferris wheel with 32 pods holding 25 people each. It takes about 1/2 hour for a rotation, which is slow enough so that it can be loaded and unloaded without stopping.

I'd visit a museum before going on this ride.










My only halfway decent picture of Westminster Abbey.  Darn bus wouldn't pull up in front of it for me.

I wasn't able to get any good pictures of the houses of Parliament or Buckingham Palace.  Hopping off the bus would have been necessary and the day was wearing on - I think the trip is taking longer due to construction and detours.



The Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner







Harrod's - no, we didn't buy anything here.












That's about it.  We ran out of energy down the street at Kensington Palace (William wasn't home), so we jumped off, had some lunch and took the Tube back to the hotel.  

The JO, JO bus is a great idea, but you need a week for it in London, just to check out the sights along the route.  After that, you need more weeks to go into each of the sights.

I'm trying for a quick trip to the British Museum after I deliver Laura and her bike to Heathrow Airport tomorrow afternoon.  She has to get back to take Kye to the vets in Vancouver for a close look at the lump on his liver.

I'll keep pedaling, starting again Friday.


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