We dropped the rental car off at Heathrow without any damage (we had our doubts) ... then grabbed a taxi into London. London taxi drivers have the gift for gab ... but are really knowledgeable about the city (and politics, the royals, or anything else). Our driver, Jimmy, said that it took three years training and a comprehensive verbal and driving test to get his license. Jimmy gave us his mobile (cell) number and e-mail address, so that we could contact him for a fare deal going back to Heathrow. We learned about him, his wife and two sons (oldest son a movie grip currently on location filming the next Star Wars episode), the love of the Queen and the young Royals, and the beloved and tragic life of Diana.
We arrived at the St. James Hotel ... and were pleasantly surprised how central the location was to most of the sights we were interested in seeing. We were in the heart of Westminster: a block away from the St. James underground (the underground or "tube" is convenient, fast, and reasonably price with an Oyster card); a five-minute walk to Buckingham Palace and Royal Mews; a ten-minute walk to Westminster Abbey, Parliament, Big Ben and the Thames River; and another five minutes to 10 Downing (Prime Minister's place), Trafalgar Square, and National Gallery.
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| Ron at Buckingham Palace Gate (the Queen wasn't home, she was attending Prince George's first birthday party over at the young Royals place (Kensington Palace) |
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| Buckingham Palace |
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| Royal guard in bearskin hat (note the gun is just not for show) |
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| Queen Victoria Memorial in front of Buckingham Palace |
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| Royal horses and carriage at the Royal Mews (these horses and rider happened to be stuffed) |
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| The Royal carriage for the Queen |
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| Another Royal carriage (for other Royals or occasions) |
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| Trafalgar Square |
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| View of Parliament building from Parliament Park |
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| In front of Westminster Abbey |
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| Big Ben |
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| Entrance to 10 Downing Street (Prime Minister's place) ... note address on corner of building. A little protest was taking place regarding the Ukraine situation |
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| Ron looking for a bathroom |
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| Another view of Westminster Abbey |
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| Inside St. Paul's Cathedral (not supposed to take pictures ... found out after the glares from folks) |
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| The Tower of London |
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| Beefeater giving a tour ... very funny guy. Beefeaters are former soldiers and actually live at the Tower of London. |
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| Tower of London inside the walls |
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| Tower Bridge looking from the Tower of London |
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| Another view of the Tower Bridge |
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| Underneath London Bridge looking from the Thames River |
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| Beautiful buildings looking from the Thames River |
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| Another view from Trafalgar Square |
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| More beautiful architecture (along Whitehall Road ... lots of government buildings) |
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| More beautiful buildings |
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| The Eye (the ferris wheel) along the Thames River |
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