My Cuppa Irish Tea: London

March 21, 2014

We woke up and had an English breakfast in our B&B. My children love breakfast in hotels. I think its because its like a buffet and these are the only kind of buffets they are exposed to. I told the children to eat a big breakfast because we were only doing a light lunch. Afterwards we got all our stuff together in the backpack - water, snacks, camera, wipes, chapstick, umbrellas, and my wallet. When we stepped outside it was a gorgeous sunny day! Absolutely perfect! We walked back up to Victoria Station where we had 2-day tickets to the Big Bus tour. It's basically an on-off bus that has different routes and goes to all the sites in London. I thought this would be easier with the stroller then taking the tube everywhere.

We got on the blue line and went up a few stops to Hyde Park to get the red line towards the Tower of London. The blue line has an audio tour and they give you earphones right when you walk onto the bus and they had a box of ponchos for you just in case it rained. When we got on the red bus they had a live commentary tour of the sites we were driving by. It was great and we all learned lots.

Horses in Hyde Park

Hyde Park

We drove by the Marble Arch which used to be located in front of Buckingham Palace. Queen Victoria decided that she did not want it in front of the palace anymore and they moved it to a large traffic island at the end of Hyde Park. How they moved a huge marble arch...I have no idea. I'm assuming it came apart in sections. The arch stands close the former site of the Tyburn gallows, which was a place of public executions from 1388 until 1793.

Marble Arch

We drove down Green Street which is where the Beatles all lived together after they left Liverpool. This is actually the only place where they all lived together at 57 Green Street.

57 Green Street

We drove through the Mayfair neighborhood. This is the most expensive housing market in London. You will not find a property lower then £19 million (roughly $32 million). All the high end shopping is in this area too. There are many stores apparently where they do not even put the price tags on the clothes. You have to ask a sales person for the price.

Mayfair neighborhood

Shopping area

The US Embassy is in the Mayfair area too. There is a Roosevelt statue in the front of the building. This is the largest embassy and has 9 floors - 3 of them are underground. Since the 90's the government has been concerned about security here and they are planning on building a new embassy further down the river.

US Embassy

Neat looking pub

Burberry's flagship store

Then we came to Trafalgar Square, which is London's central square. This is where most marches end, demonstrations are held, and a place to hang out. The church in the background is St. Martin-in-the-Fields, which was built in 1722. The steeple is the inspiration of many town churches in New England.

In the center of the square is Lord Nelson's column. He is gazing out towards Trafalgar where he lost his life, but defeated the French. Part of this 1842 memorial is made from his victims' melted down cannons. The four lions around the base represent England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

This is another picture of Trafalgar Square with the National Gallery in the background. Also to the left there is this podium or pedestal called The Fourth Plinth. This often has a piece of modern art on it. When we turned the corner to this square it had a huge neon blue ROOSTER! L got all excited about this rooster. Even at the end of the day at dinner I was asking the children what they liked the best...and L answered, "the Rooster!". Seriously! I take her to London and she likes this blue ROOSTER!! L is such an animal lover...any kind!

National Gallery

The BIG BLUE Rooster!

another arch in the city

We drove by Downing Street which is where the Prime Minister lives. This is the British version of the "White House". Across from this is the Ministry of Defense which is the "British Pentagon".