Trip Report: A day of sightseeing in London

Lucky

I think you'll find it is called Tower Bridge not London Bridge. Don't worry that mistake has been made before

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Bridge#Sale_of_Rennie.27s_bridge_to_Robert_McCulloch

Yes, that looks like St James Park.

+1 on the disinterest in New York. Having lived in London, I appreciate it for its vast diversity and amazing-ness.

Oh and I forgot to add that you saw London the best way possible, by foot/public transport. It's such an an accessible city that way you can get anywhere quickly & easily.

When I lived there I'd take weekday/weekend walks with friends or by myself. We'd grab out A-Zed (map), pick a point and figure out how to get there. It was a great way to see the city.

Dehli 2010 is a reference to the upcoming Commonwealth Games - I think they were preparing for the start of the Baton Relay (like the Olympic Torch Relay)

Glad you enjoyed London Lucky - I was coming back into LHR that day - lets just say I wasn't the most happiest person in the world cooped up in Row 99 of a UA7777 😉

Next time come back - and we'll try and arrange for Pam Ann to be available that day 😉

I think Delhi 2010 is in reference to the Commonwealth Games being held there next year. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Commonwealth_Games

This is an interesting post for me to read because I moved to London a little over two years ago and I absolutely HATE it here. Not a day goes by that I don't wish that I was back living in San Francisco (my favorite city in the world, with HK as a relatively close second).

Your picture of the red telephone booth was taken literally across the street from my office! And I pass by that spot in St. James Park and walk through Trafalgar Square every day on my walk home from work.

Also funny is that your friend's suggestions on what to do in London are actually two of the things that I commonly use as examples of why I hate it here. I think those duck tour boat/cars look completely ridiculous as they drive around town here (and not even original! so many cities are using them now). And I think ferris wheels in cities just look silly - why would you try to take a dignified city and add something straight out of an amusement park?

I'm not trying to offend anyone that feels differently. Different people like different things! That's OK! We are all unique individual snowflakes! And I whole-heartedly admit that London is a nice place to visit - Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, British Museum, Camden Market, Hyde Park, and the sunset over the Thames are all nice to experience at least once. But the only nice thing I can really say about living here, is how easy and cheap London is to get out of.

Also, you really lucked out with the weather. Try coming back on one of the roughly 250 days a year when the sky is overcast and drab and gray. (Which means that it matches all the buildings.) It's depressing. Especially in January when the sun sets at 3:30pm....

[OK, sorry for the rant. I just REALLY hate it here...]

And I believe the Gherkin is also referred to as the "Crystal Phallus"

Re: alternate names for the Gherkin, one other -- and its official name, at that -- is the Swiss Re building, after the re-insurance company.

You're on a diet? While in London? Are you crazy! You don't need a diet!

Enjoying your trip report as always!

Those are some great pictures. Makes me want to go! I have not yet been to London, but have spend some time in Germany and France. My last trip to France included Toulon and Nice. Th Mediterranean is so crystal blue!

Great trip report! Yeah, the London Bridge/Tower Bridge thing is confusing to first time tourists. There actually is a London Bridge that crosses the Thames, but it is completely unremarkable. They should just go ahead and rename the Tower Bridge ... except Londoners love correcting people about it. 😉

Uniter, the London Bridge isn't complete unremarkable, it does have one redemming factor for it... its about the best place to take a picture of Tower Bridge 🙂

If you really want to blow a diet, have the English Breakfast. Hashbrowns, tomatoes, mushrooms, black pudding, toast, fried bread, fried egg(s), sausage, back bacon, etc (most won't include all of that but will include at least most). I'm visiting long-term and have it about once a month. Truly heart-stopping!

Agreed about the weather, you definitely picked a good day. I do enjoy the temperature as I generally prefer cooler climes to hotter ones, but the gloominess and rain that is so often prevalent can get to you after a bit.

Glad you enjoyed London! I've been having a blast in the city as well!

London Bridge. Really. 😉

Fun fact: some american bought the 1800s tower bridge, only he called it london bridge, and got, you guessed it, London Bridge!

My beefeater at the Tower was quite pushy in telling us, that it was Tower bridge, not london bridge!