Buckingham Palace was....ok. Really the palace isn't that pretty, and there are so many people standing at the gate nabbing photos that it just becomes silly to stay for long. It's probably way more interesting to visit and tour the inside during the summer months. At least I can say I went!
Standing by Big Ben was cool. Over the course of 4 days I think I took about 100 photos of the iconic clock tower.
I didn't ride the London Eye - too expensive ! It was impressive up close though. The street performers took advantage of the crowds around the Eye, procuring money from passers by.
I stumbled upon Craven Street while searching for a pharmacy. While waking down the street my eyes caught two little plaques next to the doors on two houses. Apparently, Benjamin Franklin AND Herman Melville had lived on Craven Street.
The Royal Opera House & Covent Garden were two finds that I stumbled upon as well. I saw the market, caught some street music, and passed by some nice cafes, but I wasn't interested in the area enough to stay for any length of time. If I'd been catching an opera or searching for souvenirs the area would have been perfect!
St. James' Park - next to Buckingham Palace - was gorgeous! I am so glad I visited in Spring! The park has paths lined with happy flowers like tulips, daisies, and daffodils. There is also a small lake to lounge by where you can watch the cherry blossoms and the weeping willows sway in the breeze.
Piccadilly Circus seems like a poorly placed little square to me, honestly. It had been described to me as the London equivalent of Time's Square, and it was, and that's precisely why I didn't adore it as much as Trafalgar Square. Cars and double decker buses whiz by on all sides, ads stream from huge digital billboards, beggars call out for quid, ticket sellers shout the available shows and prices, hoards of people lounge and climb on the fountain so that you feel a bit overwhelmed with sights, sounds, and moving bodies. Even though I like Trafalgar Square more, I still liked sitting perched on the fountain (like everyone else) people watching at sunset.
Trafalgar Square was more my style. The huge expanse of stairs and concrete on which people sat and stood stretched from the National Gallery on one end to a huge statue with 4 large lions on the other end. In the distance Big Ben shone. Over the tops of the buildings the London Eye slowly turned. I really really liked spending time in Trafalgar Square each day just watching the atmosphere change according to the time of day or the local events happening. I visited at dusk when mostly everyone sat eating snacks and having drinks. I visited the square in the morning when tourists teemed the Gallery and the lion statue. I somehow got caught in a huge tax protest on Saturday afternoon, was swept from Westminster up to Trafalgar Square, and stood amongst the protesters with their signs and shouts until I finally freed myself from the massive throng.
All of these places offered nothing more than photo opportunities, history, a moment to rest, and people watching, but they were all a joy to visit and see!
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