Day #95 - London, England

Hyde Park

Queen Victoria Memorial

Buckingham Palace

Tower Bridge

Tower of London

Thursday, June 17th

I slept in this morning after my late arrival into Heathrow last night. I'm staying in a hotel out by the airport in an area called West Drayton. I found out that the train station was 1/2 mile from my hotel. I walked over around lunchtime and took the train into Paddington Station.

One of my favorite things to do on the trip is to head into a major city, without any maps, and just figure it out. That's what I intended to do today. (Full disclosure, I do know some things about London simply from reading books, looking at maps in the past, etc). It was a perfect weather day, low 80's, sunshine.

I got off the train in Paddington Station. I walked a couple blocks and saw signs to Hyde Park. I knew Hyde Park was in the western part of the city. I kept the sun to my back and headed east. I walked the length of Hyde Park on my way into the inner city. Great place. The equivalent of Central Park in New York City. People were out everywhere - getting some sun, feeding the birds, running, bikeriding, and just eating/strolling around. There was an awesome lake where people gathered.

After leaving the park, I saw signs leading me to Buckingham Palace. Very interesting. A huge palace enclosed by the elaborate fencing. The Queen Victoria Memorial out front. Leading from the other side of the Memorial, The Mall stretched out further into the city. The Mall is a long stretch of road with flags lining each side. It leads to the National Gallery.

I continued into the city. I headed to the River Thames which meanders through the city. Once on the waterfront, I continued east. Tons of runners were passing by. It was late afternoon and many were probably just finishing work. I next past the London Bridge. Then, up ahead, I could see the Tower Bridge outside the Tower of London - the historic royal palace.

The Tower of London is an impressive site. I hope to go tour this facility later in the week. I read some of the bulletin boards out front. I guess it was protected by a moat and some lions. My knowledge is limited, I'll get more info later.

By this time, I had walked most of the city and it was after 7pm. I didn't plan to walk all the way pack to Paddington, so I found the subway system and took the train. I got back to West Drayton and called it an early night.

A good initial day in London. Introduced myself to the city. Much more to come.