We started day 4 doing the obligatory tourist stuff (Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Parliament, etc…) We weren’t particularly interested in most of this aside from the architecture. We didn’t tour the insides of anything in this area, and altogether it was a small part of the day. That said, there were some good reasons to brave the most crowded area in London (like the Leake Street Arches, which will be covered in a separate post), and walking through the parks was nice.
Buckingham Palace
We didn’t tour the Palace, just checked it out from the outside. It was a nice walk through the Green Park to the Canada Gate, checking out the Queen Victoria Memorial and the front of the Palace, then another nice walk down The Mall.
Here’s a video of a palace guard:
The Mall/St. James Park
We walked about halfway down The Mall, then cut through St. James Park via the Blue Bridge (which is a great place for a photo op). Don’t forget to look down when you’re walking to see various plaques and markers embedded in the concrete.
Bali Bombings Memorial
Just across the street from the end of St. James Park is the Bali Bombings Memorial. It’s a permanent memorial to victims of the 2002 bombings in Bali, Indonesia. There’s a wall with the names of all 202 victims, and in front of the wall is a granite globe with 202 unique doves carved into it. Ironically, the memorial is in front of the Imperial War Museums, and Churchill War Rooms.
Queen Elizabeth II Centre & Westminster Abbey
Just a short walk from the War Rooms is the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, which is a government-owned conference facility. Here’s a Corgi statue (Queen Elizabeth II’s favorite dogs) on the United Nations Green in front of the Centre:
From the United Nations Green, you can look across and see Westminster Abbey.
Parliament Square Garden
Across the street from the Parliament Building is Parliament Square Garden – a nice little square with a park and several statues.
Parliament Building and Big Ben
The Parliament Building houses both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. At the end of the Parliament Building is Big Ben, the famous clock tower. It’s not as big as we thought it’d be, but it was still impressive.
Westminster Bridge, London Eye, and the General Lying-In Hospital
After Parliament and Big Ben, we crossed the Westminster Bridge. I got a hot dog from the hot dog cart, partly because they smelled so good, and partly because I almost always get a hot dog when I see a hot dog cart. On the other side of the bridge is the London Eye (the huge Ferris Wheel looking thing). The line for the Eye was far too long, so we skipped it. We headed for the Leake Street Arches (which will be in a separate post), and on the way we passed the General Lying-In Hospital. The General Lying-In Hospital was one of the first maternity hospitals in Great Britain. It opened in 1767 and closed in 1971. It fell into disrepair, but was restored in 2003 and is now part of the Premier Inn Hotel Waterloo.
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