To London, To London, To Visit the Queen? Not Exactly

My visit to London was probably the most awaited and most delayed of all my planned trips since arriving in the UK. It finally pushed through in April of 2007. A Filipino friend kindly agreed to accompany me (as he has visited London in the past and has now settled in Peterborough). I was coming from Leeds and so it took me around four hours by bus to get to London. My friend was waiting for me at the Victoria Coach Station and when he saw me, he immediately led me to the nearest station to buy train tickets. The train operates in an underground railway (called The London Underground or more popularly “The Tube”). It was like the MRT station in Metro Manila (Philippines) except that it operates underground and serves very extensive routes in the greater London area.

We first went to see the famous Tower Bridge. I was dumbfounded as I looked at this suspension bridge on the River Thames. It was like a painting on a canvass. It is not the “London Bridge” made famous by a nursery song, which is located further upstream. Likewise, I learned that an American bought the “original” London Bridge in 1968 and shipped it to Arizona, USA (some trivia there).




We then passed by the London Eye, the biggest Ferris wheel in Europe at a height of 135 meters (443 feet). I was not able to take a ride because there was a very long queue of people (maybe next time). I saw many street performers (notably the “living statues”) in the area. We crossed the Millennium Bridge then reached the Palace of Westminster where I finally saw “Big Ben”, the world-famous clock tower of London. The name “Big Ben” originally referred to the Great Bell inside the clock tower but now it includes the big clock and the whole tower as well. Anyway, I think “Big” is not appropriate for the tower but HUGE is more like it. It measures 96 meters (315 feet) in height and 12 meters (39 feet) in width. It also celebrates its 150th anniversary in 2009.




After taking a few pictures with Big Ben at the background, we proceeded to Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the British monarch. We missed seeing the “Changing of the Guard” ceremony by about 15 minutes. Anyway, we settled looking at the facade and the huge gates of the palace.





From Buckingham Palace, we went to Trafalgar Square. It was built in commemoration of the Battle of Trafalgar (part of the Napoleonic Wars) in 1805, which saw a major victory by the British Royal Navy (led by Admiral Lord Nelson) against the Fleets of France and Spain. Many tourists converge in this square because of its historical significance.



Later that day, we went back to the coach station to catch our respective buses. I appreciate the time my friend shared with me as we walked around London. However, I realized that a day was not enough to explore other areas. I look forward to seeing London again. Next time, I will definitely ride the London Eye.