At 8:30 this morning I took the train in London with Benita. She pointed out the Olympic stadium as we went by on our way into town. Then she gave me a few suggestions of what I should see today. Once the train arrived we took the tube and I got off at Piccadilly Circus. Since it was just after 9 o'clock, there were very few tourists around. I loved sitting on the steps to the statue, looking up at the big lit up advertisements, and simply taking in the city. After a few minutes there, I started walking towards Buckingham Palace.
To get to Buckingham Palace I took a stroll through Green Park. It was really amazing how one minute you're in the city, and the next your in this peaceful park, with trees and a lake and no sounds of the crazy London traffic. There are people relaxing and reading newspapers, and there are lamp posts EVERYWHERE! I walked along the bench lined path to some extremely intricate gates. On the other side of the gates was the palace.
It was here that I learned where all the tourist had gone to. They weren't in Piccadilly circus because literally hundreds had decided to visit Buckingham Palace first thing. And at that point, the changing of the guard didn't happen for another 45 minutes! I took a couple of pictures but wasn't interested to see even more crowds show up as the changing of the guard got closer. So I walked through St. James park towards Westminster Abbey.
I know I went to see Westminster Abbey yesterday, but I just had to go back and see the inside. It cost eighteen pounds, but it was worth it. I walked in to see the same intricate architecture as the outside of the building. Giant arches separate rooms or chambers and the ceilings seem to go on forever. Every memorial was marked with a giant statue and plaque. I saw the burial sites of various Kings, queens, scientists, and writers. There was also the coronation chair, and various books that had recorded the burials at Westminster in the past. Unfortunately, there was no photography allowed. So here are just a few pictures of the inside :)
Covent Garden was followed by a quick walk to Leicester Square. From there I hopped on the tube again and headed for Hyde Park.
I began to walk through Hyde Park and immediately wondered where the Serpentine (The lake in the middle of the two parks) was. I couldn't see it anywhere. When I had walked half a mile and only then saw the start of the the long lake, I realized that I had deeply underestimated the size of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens.
Part of me wanted to turn back after a mile. I was thirsty and my feet were beginning to ache and I wasn't even to Kensington Gardens yet. But I wanted to see the Peter Pan statue and Kensington Palace, so I trudged on. After another couple of miles, I had finally found my way to both places. I didn't go all the way inside Kensington Palace, but I did get to see the foyer and gift shop. And I finally got some much needed bottled water.
After I had rested my feet a bit I realized I needed to walk back. Every step became harder; my feet really hurt by now. But I made it back, got on the tube, and headed to my last stop: Leadenhall market.
Leadenhall market was great. It was where some of the shots for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter were filmed, and I could see why. It was built in the 1880s and the Victoria era charm is still there. Its all covered and the shops consist of restaurants, souvenir, and other random shops. I walked by right around 5pm, and there were already crowds of people in their work clothes standing outside of pubs and restaurants.
From Leadenhall I found my way back to Liverpool street station and headed back to Rayleigh. When I stood up on the train my legs and feet had completely cramped up. It was extremely tough to walk until they loosened up, and even then they were killing me. I started to walk back to Benita's. She had given me directions and I'd walked with her to the station that morning. Though I have my Dad's mind for remembering, I still have my Mom's lack of navigational skills. So I took a wrong turn and ended up somewhere downtown Rayleigh.
It was a cute little downtown, and it all looked nice and friendly, but it was getting dark soon and I knew I had to get to the house. After walking a bit more I decided my best bet was to turn around and retrace my steps to the train station, then to take a taxi to Benita's. That's what I did. And that's what I'll probably do from now on from the station.
So, from Piccadilly to Buckingham to Westminster and Covent to Leicester and all the parks and getting lost in Rayleigh, I walked a total of ten miles today. TEN! I think I better take it easy on the walking tomorrow, if I'm able to walk at all!
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