Day 6: Magic London!!!

Hello! Today we took a tour of London in a bus then ate at an Indian restaurant! Here’s how it went;

A blurry photo of me and my dad getting in a black cab to the coach station!

Westminster Abbey spotted on the way to St. Paul’s cathedral.

Soon after we got on the bus, we arrived at St.Paul’s cathedral! It looks very very grand!

The interior of the magical and very very big church!⛪️

A wall of how cathedral was, it was that because of pollution, before renovations in 2001-2005 that exposed its true wonderful glory!

The beautiful and intricate dome!!

A wonderful structure about a mom and a kid!!!

After the cathedral, we had our little fun at the park.

Table tennis in London.

After that we went to the Buckingham Palace to watch the change of the guards. There were thousands of people there, waiting for the change.

Us at the very large and very remarkable parade!!

Another view of the parade!! The bagpipers are also there, playing all the way.

Change of the guards.

Look who is here.

St. James’s Park in front of the palace

Buckingham palace at the end of the road

Look at the name of the pub we passed by. It is located next to the place where such things used to happen hundreds of years ago, that is where the name of the pub comes from.

This is the oldest church in London. It survived the big fire in 1666.

Once in London, typical lunch is fish and chips! This time in front of the Tower of London.

Tower of London! A fortress located at the Thames river. In the past, it used to be the largest and highest construction in London hundreds of years ago. It could be seen from any corner of London, and this was the intention from the kings at that time. It is located at the Thames because the strategic thinking was “if we control the a Thames, we control London. If we control London, we control England.”.

London, a city where the old and traditional blend with the new, modern and elegant. This tall building on the background is called Shard.

Let’s talk about the Tower of London:

“The Tower of London, built by William the Conqueror in 1066, is a historic fortress on the River Thames. It served as a royal palace, prison, treasury, and armory. Famous prisoners included Anne Boleyn and Guy Fawkes. The tower houses the Crown Jewels and is guarded by the Yeoman Warders (“Beefeaters”). It played key roles in English history, including executions and political intrigue. Its White Tower is a symbol of Norman power. Legends of ghosts, including Anne Boleyn’s spirit, add to its mystique. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major tourist attraction in London.” ChatGPT.

The Tower of London hat a moat.

This is the white tower, the original and main construction. It is surrounded by other buildings sand 2 outer walls to protect it.

Look at the date.

Exhibition of royal artifacts inside the White tower.

Look at this!

Chapel inside the White tower.

These narrow cuts in the wall were a great solution to protect the archers and at the same time provide them room to shoot the enemies outside.

This is the famous traitors gate. All traitors were brought through these gates to be executed inside the walls.

In this building the Crown Jewels are at display.

Inside this building in the Tower of London, the Crown Jewels are stored. We could see them but in the building pictures are not allowed. The crowns, scepters and other very valuable artifacts are displayed. You should see the size of the diamond, ruby and sapphires they show there.

After spending a great time here, we walked out of the Tower of London don and look what is located there.