On to London

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 12:24 pm

From Paris we journeyed on to London. We caught the ferry from Calais to London. It is really funny on the ferry. As soon as people get on they make a beeline for the dining room and self-serve carvery. Even if they are not hungry. Partly this is because that is where the best seats are.

Once in London we bought a 2 day bus pass fromThe Big Bus Company, a double decker open top bus (you can hop on & off anytime). they also have a running commentary on places you visit or pass.

Firstly we visited the Houses of Parliament. very imposing structure with heaps of history attached.
The Houses of Parliament are the place where laws governing British life are debated and enacted. Begun in 1840 after a fire destroyed the previous building, the Gothic style was designed by Sir Charles Barry with aid from A.W. Pugin. It contains the bell Big Ben that is struck each quarter hour. A light in the clock tower tells when the House of Commons is in session.

The Houses of Parliament are steeped in pomp, ceremony and splendour. The Queen rides in a State coach to Westminster to open each new session of Parliament, usually in the second week in November. A word of caution; in the summer months it can get pretty congested with all of the tourist coming and regular traffic trying to cross the square.

Next door is the Tower of Big Ben (Big Ben is actually only the clock in the tower) Again a very imposing structure.

Then on to Trafalgar Square. It was a fairly wet day (locals say it was normal!) and they were setting up for a concert, so parts of the square were inaccessible. But the pigeons were still there. (I'm sure thats where I caught the bug from. I was crook for 4 days. Flamin' pigeons!)

There were so many things we saw (& passed). We stopped at Waterloo Station for a drink and lunch. Security is VERY tight at most public places. Eg, in Waterloo Station there are no bins. I asked a Bobby why. He told me that bins are a security threat (bombs, etc). I asked "What do I do with my food wrappers, etc?". He said "Just leave them on the table or on the ground. The cleaning staff will collect it"
They are paranoid about bombs since the bus incident. In most public buildings (Eg, Madame Tussards, Museums, etc) you need to go through a metal detector on the way in.

Next door is the Tower of Big Ben (Big Ben is actually only the clock in the tower) Again a very imposing structure.

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Gardenstew wrote on Thu Dec 08, 2005 12:42 am:

Glad to see the Europe blog back in action and full of great pictures and information once again :)

Your London trip wouldn't be the same without rain!

looking wrote on Thu Dec 08, 2005 12:57 am:

Yeah, sorry. It's been really busy lately.
I've got a stack of other pics to upload in the future, but I will have to cover 'old ground' and return to places about which I have already posted. Eg, Germany, Austria, Venice, etc.

Re the rain. One cockney lad I was talking to said "There is only one difference between summer & winter in London. In summer the rain is warmer."