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A London Walking Tour From The Locals

08/18/16 | England, Europe, London, Travel

Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster

Hi Thursday, lovely to see you! Friday will be even better but Thursday I will take, especially as my best friend has been in town from London since Sunday!  But let’s back track for a second – the last time I was with my Mom in the car we got talking about weddings and one day I will get married and I am lucky enough that I will likely, baring some unforeseen circumstance, have some pretty great girls will stand up next to me. One of those girls has been my best friend since third grade and the last time I was in London I stayed at her “flat” with her “housemates”. Why do I put those words in quotes?  Because they are the British-isms for apartment and roommates and make me smile every time I type them.  

While I was in London working for the week once the weekend hit she had a dozen friends over to the flat for brunch and after we decided to take advantage of the rare sunshine filled afternoon. (You make recall I wrote about how it had snowed earlier in the week.) We walked through Kensington Gardens, then through Hyde Park, then through Green Park (so basically all of the parks) to Buckingham Palace. The group, which started with 10 people in the early afternoon and ended  with four, was kind enough to stop and let me take all sorts of photos, here a ton of my favorites from my my private London walking tour: 

Kensington Gardens in LondonSerpentine Lodge - Hyde Park, LondonFlowers in Buckingham Palace GardensHyde Park FountainSwans in The Serpentine in Hyde ParkHyde Park Signs in LondonWalking Along Constitution HillHyde Park SignBomber Command MemorialBuckingham Palace GatesBuckingham Palace LaughinBuckingham Palace GuardVictoria Memorial at Buckingham PalaceBuckingham Palace in Sunshine

After the Palace we walked the long way around St. James’ Park and the lake out to the Horse Guard Palace, then past 10 Downing Street, the Imperial War Museum, and the Churchill War Rooms until we got to the Palace of Westminster with Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.  I was basically fan girling over all of the typical British sites – from red phone booths and black cabs to armed guards on horseback.  But what really set it over the edge was people in morning dress coming out of the Abbey who got on double decker red buses for the ceremony. 

St. James Park Gates

Buckingham Palace from St James' ParkSt. James’ Park LondonTop of the Horse Guard PalaceFlowers in Buckingham Palace Gardens10 Downing StreetWalking Along Constitution HillReflection of Big BenBig BenCromwell Statue at Westminster AbbeyPalace of Westminster

After Parliament we headed across Westminster Bridge to the other side of the bank with the London Aquarium and the London Eye.  We tried to get a bite to eat but all of the places at 6pm on a Saturday were packed so we headed back to the other side of the city via the Waterloo Bridge past the Somerset House and then ended up having dinner just off Leicester Square.  It was quite a walking tour with a big number of the very touristy spots. 

London Eye from the Westminster BridgeBig Ben and Westminster AbbeysLondon Eye and London Aquarium from the Westminster Bridge.

Have you ever been to London? 

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Comments

  1. Ana says

    August 22, 2016 at 11:29 pm

    Wow, that’s awesome you got to go to London — I’ve always wanted to visit!

    xo, Ana | shelearnsthings.com

  2. Pamela says

    August 22, 2016 at 7:57 am

    I love the reflection on as well…could be a post card.

  3. Lucy says

    August 20, 2016 at 2:20 pm

    This looks like an incredible day, such pretty photos!

  4. Leeann @ Join the Gossip says

    August 19, 2016 at 2:03 am

    SO gorgeous! I’ve been to tons of tropical countries but never England! It’s at the top of my bucket list for sure and your incredible pics are making me want to go even more!!

    Random question- what camera do you use? I need to get one and your pics look great 🙂 Thanks!

  5. Courtney says

    August 18, 2016 at 9:49 am

    Your pictures are absolutely gorgeous, especially that reflection of Big Ben! I lived near Hyde Park/Kensington Gardens a few years ago and I always loved running through the parks after work!

    http://thecourtneydiaries.com

Hi, I am Kelly and welcome to Sparkles and Shoes, a fashion, travel, and lifestyle blog.  I am a New York City girl at heart but I moved to London in the Spring of 2018!

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