I mentioned yesterday that we stayed at the Waldorf in London, which was an excellent central location for many of the touristy things we planned on doing in the city. We started our day by heading to Covent Garden, just around the corner to check out the mix of flea market, street performers, pubs and high end shops.
We walked through streets lined with pubs, boutiques and candy shops. Sometimes I felt like I was in Epcot Center. We made our way through Trafalger Square and past the National Gallery, where the London Symphony Orchestra was having an open air rehearsal for a concert that night, and then on to Piccadilly Circus (which I realized is just Time Square London style). For just spending on day in London we couldn’t have had better weather.
The National Gallery
Tube stop at Piccadilly Circus
We kept moving through St. James Park and the Horse Guards Parade, relaxed for a bit at Westminster Abbey and then walked out over the Thames to check out Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. At this point, we were close enough to Buckingham Palace too that we decided to take a walk over to it. I recently added a Canon 70-200mm telephoto lens to my kit, and I’m glad I did. I would have never been able to get the pictures of the royal guards at Buckingham Palace without it.
Playing around with long exposures at St. James Park
Horse Guards Parade and the London Eye
The North entrance of Westminster Abbey
Big Ben!
Long exposure looking north up the Thames
Royal Guards at Buckingham Palace
After walking and sightseeing for hours, we were famished. One of the things I definitely wanted to do in London was get to a few pubs as well as have some fish and chips. We dropped into a pub near Buckingham Palace for some food and a few drinks. I loved the cask ales that you could get. Definitely not as cold as in the US, but tasty and also a real pint! Oh, we also ran into the Horse Guards!
Later that night we met up with friends at Porterhouse on Maiden Lane for drinks. They have a great outside section and the inside of the bar is treehouse like, with plenty of craft beers on tap. Indian food was on the menu for the night, and Punjab did not disappoint. If you’re in London and want some good Indian food, make sure to check this place out.
The next morning the rain began and put a bit of a damper on our day. Luckily we found an amazing cafe for breakfast, Kopapa. I think it’s rare when you visit a city for just about 48 hours to pick good places to eat every time, but we did just that. So ends the London experience! A quick train ride and we were back in Paris that night, ready to spend the week touring the City of Lights.