A Quick Itinerary for London

Having taken my friend to London twice, I found that there were still a few important places we had not seen. Thus, I set aside this Tuesday morning for a speed tour of the city, making sure my friend could get back to Oxford in time for his online meetings. We took a six AM train, which was the cheapest option until half past nine, and arrived at Paddington after seven.

We started out on foot, making a loop around the Western half of Hyde Park past Kensington Palace, the Albert Memorial, and the Italian Gardens, after which we hopped on the underground, arriving at Saint Paul’s Cathedral just in time for its opening at 8:30. We spent much more time there than I expected, as we decided not only to descend into the crypt, where Nelson, Wellington, and countless other historical figures are buried, but also to climb to the very top, from which one can see the whole of London. In comparison to all the other cathedrals we visited on this trip, Saint Paul’s had an otherworldly grandeur to it – possibly due to its spaciousness and copious amount of light.

We crossed the Thames along the Millennium Bridge and then walked Eastwards, passing Shakespeare’s Globe on our right and the HMS Belfast on our left, until we made it to Tower Bridge. We saw the Tower of London opposite us, but decided we would visit Westminster Abbey instead, as we were running out of time. After ending up in a long queue for tickets and rushing through the Abbey, I found out I had confused the time of our train’s departure and we did not need to hurry after all. Also, when we returned to Oxford, we discovered my friend’s meeting had been cancelled that very morning.    

Italian Gardens at Hyde Park
The same
A view of Kensington Palace above the Round Pond
An Egyptian goose
Kensington Palace
Royal Albert Hall
"Physical Energy Statue"
Temple Bar Gate by Saint Paul's
Saint Paul's Cathedral
The dome of Saint Paul's Cathedral
The interior
More of the interior
Decorations on the way to the crypt
Nelson's tomb
A plaque to Florence Nightingale
The crucifix at Saint Paul's
The chancel
The view from the tower of Saint Paul's
Saint Paul's from the south
Saint Paul's from across the Millennium Bridge
The same
More of the same
More of the same
The Gherkin
Hay's Galleria
The Tower of London
HMS Belfast
The Tower of London
More of the same
The entrance to Westminster Abbey
The details of the gate
A statue of Mary and Jesus above the entrance
The tomb of Isaac Newton
The ceiling
The Henry VII Lady Chapel
Cloisters

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