London, UK continued...
After exploring a bit of the Tower of London area the day we flew into London, we decided to venture out into the city on our first full day there. But, after our “shopping disaster”, we needed to take care of the first item on our list: exchanging our Scottish pounds into banknotes issued by the Bank of England, so we can buy food and such (read the previous post about why).
We went to Mark & Spencer near us and exchanged our money (the value is exactly the same) without any issues. Feeling relieved, we continued on our route towards Saint Paul’s Cathedral, an impressive building size, and architecture-wise. Due to lines and not wanting to lose time, we decided to skip touring it inside (tip: if you book online, in advance, the adult price currently shows £17).
We continued walking to come to Westminster City, and I could immediately notice a difference in architecture, starting with The Royal Courts of Justice.
Following the maps on the streets, we passed through Covent Garden, a must-visit place in London. After wishing on several handmade items at the market (I was at my limit with luggage) we continued on.
It started to drizzle but that didn’t stop our exploring as we reached the Somerset House and Trafalgar Square. The latter was bustling with people in every corner. I stopped to reflect over being in the place that I heard about in History and English classes, never thinking that I’d get to see it in person.
Covent Garden, a must-visit
Trafalgar Square, London
From Trafalgar Square, we turned on The Mall, towards Buckingham Palace. The majority of it was closed in preparation for an event the next day and we walked through St. James Park to get to the Palace.
The Mall, London
Buckingham Palace
I have to admit that I found the actual Palace to be underwhelming. The surrounding area had plenty of opulent details, but the building itself was plainer than I expected.
There was an announcement on the gate about the Changing of the Guard Ceremony not taking place that day, and since it was starting to rain, we had to run for cover under the trees (do not do it during thunderstorms and always practice caution!). To be continued…
xoxo,
Em
