London Sights - Jellen's Adventures

Today was an amazing day. We started out with a plan to see Trafalgar Square, built in the 19th Century. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the British Naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars over France and Spain that took place on 21 October 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar.

Kermit stopped for a photo op

On to Westminster via the British Parliament buildings, a few Embassy’s and 10 Downing Street

So we found our own, 10 Adam St, right next door to our hotel 🙂

Winston Churchill was a British statesman, military officer, and Prime Minister from 1940 to 1945, during WW2, and again from 1951 to 1955. For some 62 of the years between 1900 and 1964, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) and represented a total of five constituencies over that time. Ideologically an adherent to economic liberalism and imperialism, he was for most of his career a member of the Conservative Party, which he led from 1940 to 1955. He was a member of the Liberal Party from 1904 to 1924.

Big Ben, thought of by many as the giant clocktower, is really the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, and, by extension, for the clock tower itself, which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster. Originally known simply as the Clock Tower, it was renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The clock is a striking clock with five bells. The clock face is big enough to drive a double decker bus through it!

We had a bit of time before our cruise on the River Themes so we walked more of these magical streets of London.

Our cruise ship departed from right under the London Eye. The London Eye was erected for the 1980 Olympics and was supposed to be there for 5 only years. It was so popular, but also expensive to maintain. British Airways funded the Eye and their investment was returned within a few short years.

Don’t mistake it for a ‘ferris wheel’ as it is only supported on one side and the pods are on the outside. Each pod is numbered but, people were so suspicious they wouldn’t get on #13 pod so they removed it. (see the missing pod)

We‘re READY for our boat tour!

London has fascinating architecture and it’s growing like crazy demonstrated by all the sky scraping cranes in the cityscape. There are really not height restrictions so architects are free to flex their design muscles 🙂

The Shard is the most famous and most expensive. A unit can cost up to $40 million British Pounds and you don’t have a balcony, can’t open a window, can’t have a garden and saddest of all no pets.

The bridges are incredible and so many beautiful old buildings dotting the river side.

This is the London Bridge not much to look at…everyone thinks the beautiful Tower Bridge is the London Bridge

This is the iconic Tower Bridge

The Tower Bridge
(aka the “London Bridge”)

The Waterloo Bridge (aka The Ladies Bridge) was mostly built by women in the 1930’s whilst the men were preparing for war. It was finished under budget and completed on time…put the women in charge! The stone used also makes it self cleaning when it rains.

The Black Friar bridge was built and completed before the old bridge was fully torn down. They couldn’t remove the pillars of the old bridge because they would have had to use dynamite and it would damage the new bridge, so they remain.

It was a beautiful ride on the Thames.

Off the boat and more exploring to do along the Queens Walk.

Kermie found a poster of his peeps

Nice wall art along the river path

We went by The Anchor pub on the boat and definitely needed to find it again. Set on the historic banks of the Thames, the Anchor stands at the heart of Bankside – a living landmark in a district. Once famed for its theatres, taverns and unruly spirit beyond the reach of the city. A pub has stood on this site since at least the 15th century, when it was known as the castle, serving actors, watermen and travelers drawn to this lively stretch of river, just yards from where Shakespeare’s original globe theatre once stood.

Rebuilt after the great fire of southwark in 1676, and now a grade 11 listed pub, it later became the brewery tap for the legendary Anchor Brewery – once the largest in the world and birthplace of Russian imperial stout. It has long been woven into London’s social and cultural life. Today, its maze of rooms and riverside views, with St. Paul’s cathedral rising beyond, and offers a place to pause within one of the capital’s most storied settings.