Enchanting London

Day 2 in London started off with a nice view from the hotel:

We explored the lobby area

Breakfast was included, and we were allowed one item from the menu as well as the continental breakfast.  The menu offerings were English Breakfast, pancakes, waffles, Eggs Benedict and a few other items.  Since this was our first full day, we just had to have English Breakfast, which consisted of baked beans, egg, bacon, sausage, grilled tomatoes, and black pudding (which I did not eat as this makes me feel a bit uneasy).  

Here’s a view of our table, and then a view of the restaurant

Now to the outside which beckoned me with all its might.

We headed to Charing Cross Station and bought our travel passes – I was told it was best to buy Oyster Cards, that are basically tube and bus passes that you swipe for unlimited travel during a certain period of days.  2 adult Oyster 3 day passes were £60, that contained a £5 refundable deposit per pass – so the net cost was £50, plus £3.60 per day for my son’s travel pass.  London certainly is not cheap for getting around or eating out, but it is well worth it.  These passes can be used unlimited amounts per day and after you have used £8.60 or so up in a day, it won’t take any more from the balance off your card, so you can keep on taking more rides after you have maxed that amount out, and you won’t pay anything further – the key is to at least use it up to the value of £8.60 in that day.  However, I think a single ride is about £2.70 or £3.30 or so, so it makes sense to get the Oyster Pass and you can use it on the red double decker buses (just not the Big Bus sightseeing buses).

Oh, the train is here!

So where to today?  I thought we’d just wander around and might as well start off with Buckingham Palace.  This involved taking the train to Green Park and then walking through the park to the Palace.  We could have walked to Buckingham Palace from our hotel in Trafalgar Square, it would only have been a 12 minute walk or so.

Once we had come out of Green Park station, this is some of what we saw

I had always fancied going into the Ritz Hotel, this is a favorite hotel of the well-off, including celebrities and royalty.  Therefore, my curiosity peaked and I could not resist going in.  

I can just imagine Princess Diana being welcomed by this employee of the Ritz and then entering the hotel. 

Here are some pictures taken in the hotel

Here I am at the Ritz

Last one of the Ritz

Better stay on track and get to Buckingham Palace – so we headed through Green Park.  English parks are so beautiful, just how parks are supposed to be – with lakes, ducks, and lots of greenery.  The parks in London are some of the best I’ve ever seen.  People in London really make use of the parks, and frequent them often.

Here’s my little girl enjoying Green Park

 Just a nice building I saw in Green Park

Here is that building again

Here’s an English Bobby (another word for police man) in Green Park

We have arrived at Buckingham Palace, every time I see this place – it feels like the first time, and that is how I feel about most of the places in London, they are special to me time and time again.

There’s me and Chandi with the blooming flowers of the Palace behind us

This memorial just opposite Buckingham Palace is another must-see and very popular with tourists

and yet one more of the Queen Victoria Memorial

Now, I will show you one last photo of Buckingham Palace

As we left Buckingham Palace and walked by one London’s many parks – St. James’s Park – so central, just like Green Park, and Hyde Park.  We saw this memorial on the ground – I had to take a picture – I absolutely adored Princess Diana.

We continued on our walk until we got to a tube station that would take us to Westminster, and this is what we saw:

I take way too many pictures, and just think that each picture is unique in it’s own way.  I don’t want to tire you with all my pictures of Buckingham Palace, and the Parks, but believe me….I have many more!   However, I feel that you can get an insight into life in London – at least with the park pictures, as there are mostly local Londoner’s in the pictures who are on their lunch breaks, and just enjoying the beauty of what is around them.   Next post, I will show you some more of what we saw today on Day 2 (which was our first full day in London).