Despite me still being quite sick this morning, we woke up early, packed our day packs with all the necessary supplies, I packed my body full of various pharmaceuticals and herbal remedies, and we headed off into London for a big day of walking and sight-seeing.
The first stop on our wander was Abbey Road Studios - or more accurately, the pedestrian crossing in front of Abbey Road Studios.
Having been a Beatles fan from a very young age, this was somewhat of a pilgrimage for me, I finally got to see the exact spot where The Beatles and photographer Iain MacMillan created arguably one of the most recognised images in history.
What I wasn't expecting was how hilarious it would be to watch countless tourists attempt to recreate the iconic album cover. If they weren't standing in the middle of the road with their cameras holding-up traffic, they were stood still in the middle of the cross walk mimicking (very poorly) walking across the road. It has to be the only cross walk in the world that appears to retard people's ability to walk normally.
Having been a Beatles fan from a very young age, this was somewhat of a pilgrimage for me, I finally got to see the exact spot where The Beatles and photographer Iain MacMillan created arguably one of the most recognised images in history.
What I wasn't expecting was how hilarious it would be to watch countless tourists attempt to recreate the iconic album cover. If they weren't standing in the middle of the road with their cameras holding-up traffic, they were stood still in the middle of the cross walk mimicking (very poorly) walking across the road. It has to be the only cross walk in the world that appears to retard people's ability to walk normally.
After that we followed a London walk outlined by my Lonely Planet England guide (thanks Nan). This started at Westminster station, right across from the Houses of Parliament and the beautiful Westminster Abbey.
So we jumped off the train and walked down Abingdon Street, checking out Big Ben, Westminster Hall, Victoria Tower, Victoria Tower Gardens, Jewel Tower and Westminster Abbey.
So we jumped off the train and walked down Abingdon Street, checking out Big Ben, Westminster Hall, Victoria Tower, Victoria Tower Gardens, Jewel Tower and Westminster Abbey.
From there we walked up the road a bit to the Cockpit Stairs, beside the lake in St. James' Park and up Birdcage Walk to Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial.
The streets of St. James was where we were headed next, catching glimpses of Clarence House (Prince Charles' residence), St. James' Palace, and Spencer house (owned by Lady Diana's brother). A little further up the road is Carlton Gardens, where we saw bronze statues of Queen Elizabeth I and King George IV, as well as a statue of General Charles de Gaulle, directly across from number 4 Carlton Gardens where he set up shop with the Free French Forces in 1940.
Beyond Carlton Gardens is St. James' Square, a beautiful little private garden that is only open to the public on weekdays. We kept going through to Picadilly where we had some lunch (Pret) and saw Fortnum & Mason, the oldest grocery store in London and where the Queen gets her bread and milk as well as the stone paved piazza that serves as the entrance to the Royal academy of the Arts.
The final leg of our London walk took us down Royal Opera Arcade, the oldest arcade in London, past Trafalgar Square to Whitehall. A walk down Whitehall takes you past numerous government buildings and offices, notably the Royal Horse Guards and Downing Street.
At the end of Whitehall is Westminster station, where we jumped back on the train and set off for our next quick stop.
At the end of Whitehall is Westminster station, where we jumped back on the train and set off for our next quick stop.