London is such a cool city - I couldn't help taking a few pictures every time I was on my way to somewhere. You could spend days wandering around just looking at buildings! So many different architectural styles going on in this city, and it all blends together to make a unique mix you could only find in London. Here are some of the pictures I took of the city, enjoy!
My HOSTEL. Can you believe it? This building used to be where the Tory party would gather for social functions a couple hundred years ago. It's located in the beautiful Holland Park, in Kensington.
The park outside my hostel. They had these rent-a-bike stations all over the city, where you rent it at one station and drop it off at another. I think this is a great idea - I've used the system several times in Lyon. Great way of getting home after the metro stops running!
School near my hostel in Kensington - cool ironwork.
Kensington, a pretty tony neighbourhood!
Kensington. Lots of nice townhouses here.
High Street Kensington, lots of shopping.
A short walk from my hostel was Notting Hill, where they have the famous Portobello Road street market on the weekends. You can buy anything here, from clothes to fish to antiques.
Notting Hill.
Graffiti or art? I think this was an add for the market.
A very different type of shopping! Harrods definitely lives up to its reputation! I spent an evening wandering around the galleries, they way they've decorated the inside is worth seeing just for itself! The shopping isn't compatible with a student budget but it's still lots of fun to walk around. Another department store worth visiting is Selfridges, rated the #1 department store in the world!
Marble Arch, on Oxford St., one of the main shopping streets in the city.
St. Paul's Cathedral, as seen from across the Thames. This is one of the most famous symbols of London. There is a famous picture of the dome rising above the smoke during the Blitz, which never took a direct hit. Lots of state funerals and important weddings here, including that of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
St. Paul's, and the Millennium Bridge over the Thames. A nice walk is from the Cathedral, across the river to the Globe Theatre.
The dome of St. Paul's. The outer dome is actually much larger than the one inside, as the architect Sir Christopher Wren knew that beauty is all about perspective, and a dome that looked nice outside would not necessarily be as nicely proportioned inside. I had the chance to climb up to the top of the dome, and part of the climb takes you on a windy iron staircase between the two domes.
Typical London: St Paul's, red telephone booth, and the double decker buses!
A memorial to the firefighters during the Blitz, who protected the cathedral "as a matter of national importance"
Statue of Queen Victoria in front of St. Paul's.
View from the top of the dome. It's quite a climb to get up there but definitely worth the effort.
The Millennium Bridge, Tate Modern museum (the building with the tower) and the Globe Theatre (left)
The Eye of London (right) and the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) (left tower)
The financial district.
The building on the left is the Salvation Army's headquarters. This is on the walk from St. Paul's to the Globe.
Tower Bridge off in the distance.
A Roman wall, smack in the middle of the banking district! This was quite near to the Tower of London, and is about 2000 years old!
Trafalgar Square at night. There was some sort of concert going on in front of the Nelson Column.
St. Pancras' train station. Kind of a funny name for a train station... makes me think of pancreases...
Cool church near the British Museum.
This may have been the British Museum, I can't remember. I liked the flag though, which is why I took the picture.
Westminster Abbey! This is one of my favourite churches in the world. Inside it's literally crammed full of funerary art, and a good number of famous Brits from the past several centuries are buried here, alongside many of the Kings and Queens of England. My favourite part is the impossibly tall nave with soaring arches exploding out of the tops of the columns. Too bad you can't take pictures inside.
Westminster Abbey - lots of flying buttresses! A staple of medieval architecture. Construction on the abbey was started before William the Conqueror even showed up. There has been an abbey on this site since 700 A.D.
Westminster Abbey.
Cool building near the abbey.
Whitehall. This neighbourhood, near the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, is home to lots of government offices and ministries.
Whitehall.
10 Downing St., Churchill stepping out to go to a meeting. Just kidding! I took this picture in Madame Tussaud's wax museum.
There are plenty more neighbourhoods I would have like to have visited, but alas there is only so much time. That's one of the things I love about London: even just going for a walk is a lot of fun!
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