Friday was our first full day in London, and we really saw a lot of sights. After adjusting to our second new currency (the extremely valuable Sterling Pound), we hit the tube and the touristy places. We left our hostel in the posh Westminster section of the city for the opposite side of town to see the Tower of London. This structure and grounds were home to the British royals and city guards for over 500 years starting in the 11th century. Many famous kings and queens of Britain living here, and many royals and famous Brits were killed there (including Anne Boleyn and St. Thomas More) at the executioner's grounds. The Queen's Collection of Crown Jewels are located at the Tower of London as well. The famous Tower Bridge also borders the walls, which is often featured in films as London Bridge.
After stopping by St. Paul's Cathedral and grabbing lunch at a Pizza Express (we can finally read the menus and order in English again!), we toured two of Britain's famous and free-of-charge museums. The British Museum is home to many ancient artifacts, including the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies, and pieces of the Greek Parthenon. Next, we went to the National Gallery of Art, which holds famous works like Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Van Eyck's Family Portrait. Trafalgar Square, the largest traffic circle in the city, lies at the base of this museum.
Towards the end of the day, we visited Piccadilly Circus in the heart of the city, which has large television screens and ads much like Times Square in NYC. After a quick detour to King's Cross to see Platform 9 3/4 of Harry Potter fame, we ate dinner at Leicester Square in a Mexican restaurant. Britain really does not have much of its own cuisine (though we ate dinner the night before at a pub with fish and chips), so it is nice to have a variety of cuisines to try here in the big city.
Today, we had another full day of tourist activities. We started our day at Westminster Abbey, sight of many coronations, marriages, and funerals of the British monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned here in 1953, and Lady Diana's funeral was held here in 1997 The structure is magnificent and full of history. The tombs of Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots are in the center, with many other kings and queens surrounding them. Also buried at the Abbey are famous Brits such as Lewis Carroll, Lord Tennyson, Charles Darwin, and Isaac Newton.
A hop-skip-and-a-jump across town, we took advantage of another free Museum, the Tate Modern. It houses ultra modern works by many artists including Picasso and Lichtenstein. After stopping by the neighboring Globe Theatre of Shakespeare fame, we crossed the Millennium bridge to the other side of the Thames River. We concluded our day at Harrods, a gigantic luxury department store. It is hard to describe in words, but the fact that there is an "Egyptian Escalator" complete with a real live opera singer for entertainment to take you up and down the 6 floors may give you a hint. We purchased famous Harrods Whoopies macaroon treats and enjoyed them out in Hyde Park, the largest in the city.
Tonight, we are off to dinner and a pub crawl in the city. We've covered so much of the city already, so we will need to be creative in our plans for tomorrow. Monday morning it's off to Dublin! CHEERS!
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