London, England (Part 1)

Click HERE to see other Europe travelogues!

The Victoria Memorial

Our last stop in Europe was London – we reached at night from Spain, and the first thing we did the next morning is to head to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of guards. Upon reaching Buckingham Palace, the first thing that came to the view besides the palace is the Victoria Memorial.

The Victoria Memorial was completed in 1911 and dedicated to Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837 until her death in 1901. The white marble statue right in front is Queen Victoria – the words “Victoria, Regina Imperatrix” means Victoria, Queen and Emperor. To the Queen’s left is Angel of Justice while to her right is Angel of Truth. The Angel of Charity is sculpted behind the Queen, facing the Buckingham Palace (can’t be seen in the photo). Right on top is a large bronze statue of Angel of Victory, with Courage and Constancy by her sides.

Buckingham Palace – crowded with people waiting for the Changing of Guards to start!

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence for the British monarch. The state rooms are mainly used for official and state entertaining. The rooms are opened to the public every year for most of August and September as part of the Palace’s Summer Opening (source). Below are some photos we took during the changing of guards ceremony, which is held on either even or odd days of the month.

The British flag flying high and tall

Changing of the Guard Ceremony at Buckingham Palace

Changing of the Guard Ceremony at Buckingham Palace

The band marching out

Here are 2 websites that provides pretty good information on the Changing of Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace:

• http://www.londontoolkit.com/whattodo/buckinghampalace.htm
• http://www.royal.gov.uk/RoyalEventsandCeremonies/ChangingtheGuard/Overview.aspx

London cab, anyone?

West face of Westminster Abbey

The next must-go stop in London for every tourist would probably be Westminster Abbey, which is actually known as the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster. This large Gothic church is the traditional place for coronation and burial site for English, later British and later still (and currently) monarchs of the Commonwealth realms.

North view of Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey

20 Dean’s Yard London SW1P 3PA, United Kingdom
Mon, Tue, Thurs, Fri: 9.30am – 4.30pm (last admission 3.30pm)
Wed: 9.30am – 7.00pm (last admission 6.00pm)
Sat: 9.30am – 2.30pm (last admission 1.30pm)
Sun: Worship only No Tourist Visiting
Price: Adults £16.00
Underground: St James’s Park (District and Circle Lines) and Westminster (Jubilee, District & Circle Lines)

Elizabeth Tower standing tall

I believe most of us once thought the name of the magnificent clock tower is called Big Ben. However, the tower, completed in 1858, is actually called Elizabeth Tower (previously called the Clock Tower). Big Ben is the nickname for the bell inside the Elizabeth Tower!

Victoria Tower (left background); Palace of Westminster (middle); Elizabeth Tower (right)

Interestingly, when X was taking photos of the clock tower, he kept commenting that the clock tower is not straight, and after researching, we found that the tower is really not straight – it is leaning slightly to the north-west by about 22 millimetres, due to changes in ground conditions since construction, so it wasn’t our imagination at all that the tower is leaning!

Palace of Westminster

House of Commons, Westminster, London, SW1A 0AA

London Eye

The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel situated on the banks of the River Thames. Standing at 135 metres tall, it was once the tallest Ferris wheel in the world (the current tallest Ferris wheel is Singapore’s Flyer at 165 metres).

London Eye

Open daily 10am – 8.30pm (with certain exceptions on Christmas, New Year’s Day etc. Do check the website!)
Tube: Waterloo, Embankment, Charing Cross and Westminster
Bus: 211, 77, 381
Pricings

Her Majesty’s Theater

Her Majesty’s Theatre is a theatre specializing in hosting musicals, designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897. The current production, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, has played continuously at Her Majesty’s since 1986.

Interestingly, the name of the theatre changes with the sex of the monarch. It first became the King’s Theatre in 1714 on the accession of George I. It was renamed Her Majesty’s Theatre in 1837. Most recently, the theatre was known as His Majesty’s Theatre from 1901 to 1952, and it became Her Majesty’s on the accession of Elizabeth II.

Phantom of the Opera

We managed to catch Phantom of the Opera while we were there – it was really amazing and I just wish I had the time and budget to watch more!

Her Majesty’s Theater

57 Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4QL
Tube: Piccadilly Circus (150m) Leicester Square (300m)
Bus: 3, 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 22, 22B, 38, 53, 88, 94, 159

Elizabeth Tower at Night

Of course a visit to a foreign land won’t be complete without taking some night photos, so we headed back to Elizabeth Tower at night. Sadly, only Elizabeth Tower and Victoria Tower are lit up. Do you feel that the Elizabeth Tower is slightly inclining? 😉

The lit-up Victoria Tower at night

London Eye at night

This is the end of Part 1 of our London trip, hopefully I can finish Part 2 soon! 🙂