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Published: June 17th 2009
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A Place Of Wonder
The first impression of England were form the plane's window, and one of a green patchwork quilt as we flew over the area north of London. The scenery slowly gave way to a mottled grey of the metropolitan areas we followed the Thames passed the London Eye and Hyde Park on our way to Heathrow Airport.
Finding the hostel was fun as the directions given only worked if the was no disruptions on the underground and of course, lucky me, there was a line closure just where I needed to go. Eventually I made it and was greeted with my first impression of
London. There are more Australians here than there are at home!!!!
The easiest way to familiarise yourself with this city I think, is to take a walk along the Thames. Not only does it let you get your bearings but it also shows you a lot of the main sights all in one hit. The next morning I started at
St Paul's Cathedral and walked passed the
Bank of England all the way up to the
Tower of London and Tower Bridge. After checking out the crown jewels and the history
of London dating back to the first century, I followed the Thames down on the North side passing
London Bridge, Millennium Bridge and Tate Modern Gallery, all the way down to the
Ministry of Defence and the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. An amazing walk in itself that takes in statues, sculptures and streetscapes as well as showing off the London Eye and the National Theatre on the other side of the river. From there, it was just round the corner to
Westminster Abbey, the Admirality and 10 Downing Street before heading up the road to
Trafalger Square and
Nelson's Column. Off to the left and it was through
St James Park to
Buckingham Palace before calling it a day. All up, I think I must have walked about 15km and seen nearly all the main sights in one day!!!!
Or so I thought....
Day two in London and the weather was not looking flash.... an English summer kinda weather... you know, grey, miserable and about to rain. I decided to look for indoor activities and headed off to
Oxford Circus on the tube. Oxford and Regent Streets are a shopping paradise with designer brands lining both
sides. Just behind it all though is
Soho where tiny cafes and interesting shops are dotted through the back alleys and walkways. This carries on all the way down to
Picadilly Circus where the
West End is in full swing. Theatres are everywhere and ticket shops are even more frequent. There's even a Ripley's Believe It Or Not there. Down to Trafalger Square again, I jumped inside the
National Gallery to view some of the great masterpieces of the millennium. They were all there again, from Michelangelo to unfinished works of Da Vinci, from Raphael and Rembrandt to Monet and Van Gogh, as well as some Renoir and Picasso. Unfortunately, unlike in Russia, they don't like you taking photos inside there though, so the memories will have to suffice.
Back on the tube and over to
Green Park, the East entrance to Buckingham Palace, for a stroll through the gardens and up to
Wellington Arch and
Park Lane (have you noticed how much Monopoly uses all the famous places!!!)Down through Knightsbridge, I pass the colossus that is
Harrods before arriving at the
National History Museum. Spending a couple hours walking around there losing myself in dinosaurs and gemstones, I
emerge and find myself on the doorstep of
Kensington Palace and Gardens. Joined to
Hyde Park it creates a lovely walk that culminated in the far corner at
Marble Arch. All I can say is thank God that daylight lasts until 10pm over here at the moment because the day had gotten away from me.
Think I've seen everything now??? Not on your life!!!
All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost - J. R. R. Tolkien, "Lord of the Rings"
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