As we neared the end of our stay in London, we still had a long list of landmarks to visit, not the least of which was Big Ben. Unfortunately, he was undergoing a facelift. Or rather, body work, since the clock face was the only visible part not under restoration. Because it was nearby, we visited the London Eye, the Ferris wheel with supposedly amazing views of the city. Tickets were sold out the day of our visit, so we settled for a picture of just the ride itself.
On the way to Big Ben, we walked through Hyde Park, admiring the huge trees that line the paths, and viewing the monuments throughout the park. We inadvertently walked through "Speakers Corner," where public speakers and protesters gather. Being that we both have low tolerance for religious zealots and Covid risks, we sped through there quickly.
After exiting Hyde Park, we walked to Buckingham Palace, where the Queen lives. Since we had seen the palace and the changing-of-the-guards on our previous visit to London, we only stayed long enough to snap a few photos. Plus, it was raining. Again.
Besides famous landmarks in the city, we also enjoyed exploring neighborhoods near our hotel, west of London. This included Regents Park, another huge park within walking distance of our hotel. Darcie walked around the park perimeter some mornings and enjoyed seeing biking pelotons zip around the road, which bans car parking in the morning. She also enjoyed giraffe sightings. The London Zoo is located within Regents Park, but the giraffes are let outside of their stalls in the morning and, well, you can't miss them...
Primrose Hill, another park more-or-less adjacent to Regents Park, was smaller but offered an expansive view of the London skyline--no expensive ticket or reservation needed. Take that, London Eye!
On the way to Regents Park is Lords Cricket Ground, where cricket matches are played. When England was playing India, the queue to enter the grounds snaked around many blocks, and the fans wore blazers, hats, and other fancy attire! Although we were curious about the sport, apparently cricket matches can last for days. Since our patience does not, we skipped the event.
Notting Hill--yes, from that Julia Roberts/Hugh Grant film--was also walking distance from our hotel. The colorful houses added vibrancy to the residential areas and gray skies. We also visited Portobello Road, where trendy shoppes, bars and restaurants mushroomed.
On a different day, we homed-in on Sherlock Holmes' home, 221B Baker Street, and the next door Sherlock Holmes Museum, which was closed when we visited.
Lastly, as a Dr. Who fan, Dale had to visit the TARDIS. The Tardis is Dr. Who's time-traveling box, disguised as a blue British Police Box from the 60's.
We loved our stay in London! However, as you can see from our photos, it was often cloudy and rainy. As someone once quipped: "Take a perfect day, add six hours of rain and fog, and you have instant London." With nearly 3 months left for his Europe assignment, Dale suggested that we visit Barcelona to get some sun and aprender algún español. We bought some shorts at Marcs & Spencer and flew to Spain at the end of August.
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