Our flights from Las Vegas to London Heathrow were very smooth and when we arrived we decided to try Uber to get to our hotel. We were pleasantly
surprised at the good value and how easy it was to use in Europe.
Our first
full day in London was amazing. On the
recommendation of a friend, we went to “The Wallace Collection.” There are 25 stunning galleries in this national
museum, which include French 18th century paintings, beautiful
antique furniture and porcelain along with a world class armory. The museum is free and manageable, and in no way overwhelming as
many museums can be. This historic London mansion can be seen and enjoyed in a
matter of a few hours.
The Tube (London’s underground rail system) is a wonderful way to get around at a minimal cost and offers great flexibility. After the museum, we took it to the Covent Garden area, the fabulous theater district. There are so many great plays showing here, I’m sorry we’re not going to have time to go to one.
Our friends Dwight and Lillian Brown met us at the Hilton Kensington Hotel on our second evening in London. They came earlier to spend a few days with Lillian’s son Jay who’s stationed in England with the Air Force.
On Saturday we caught the On and Off bus tour which took us past many of London's main sites, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Harrods, Hyde Park, Westminster Abbey, and the Parliament buildings, just to name a few. All along the bridge adjacent to the Parliament buildings were people paying respect with bouquets of flowers for the injured from last week's terrorist attack.
There is so much to see and with only two days here, the On and Off bus is a great way to see most of the sites, giving you a taste for what you may want to spend more time at next trip.
The Tube (London’s underground rail system) is a wonderful way to get around at a minimal cost and offers great flexibility. After the museum, we took it to the Covent Garden area, the fabulous theater district. There are so many great plays showing here, I’m sorry we’re not going to have time to go to one.
Our friends Dwight and Lillian Brown met us at the Hilton Kensington Hotel on our second evening in London. They came earlier to spend a few days with Lillian’s son Jay who’s stationed in England with the Air Force.
On Saturday we caught the On and Off bus tour which took us past many of London's main sites, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Harrods, Hyde Park, Westminster Abbey, and the Parliament buildings, just to name a few. All along the bridge adjacent to the Parliament buildings were people paying respect with bouquets of flowers for the injured from last week's terrorist attack.
There is so much to see and with only two days here, the On and Off bus is a great way to see most of the sites, giving you a taste for what you may want to spend more time at next trip.
At the end
of the tour, there was a cruise on the River Thames and that was really the
highlight, I would say of the whole trip. The guide was knowledgeable and
very entertaining. We saw the “London Eye,” which is a giant Ferris wheel on the South
Bank of the River Thames. It is also known as the Millennium Wheel. It is
almost 450 Ft. tall and when it was built in 1999, it was the tallest structure
in the world. it is now surpassed by the “High Roller” in Las
Vegas, at 550 ft.
The London Eye rotates very slowly allowing those who wish, to see a wonderful view of the city from high in the sky.
The London Eye rotates very slowly allowing those who wish, to see a wonderful view of the city from high in the sky.
Just to the
right of the “Eye” is the 95 story Shard which is not only the tallest building
in London, but to date the largest structure in all of Europe. There are 95
floors in this glass structure and has an incredible observation deck on the 72nd
floor. The cruise ended at the Tower of London, which is an infamous historic castle.
It was a lot of fun these past couple of days in London but I have to say, I’m really looking forward to Sunday’s adventure. Going to Paris via the Chunnel. YIKES! More on that next post.
It was a lot of fun these past couple of days in London but I have to say, I’m really looking forward to Sunday’s adventure. Going to Paris via the Chunnel. YIKES! More on that next post.
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