Morning of the first day in London

We start down the streets of London to see some wonderful views and buildings. This is the Royal Court of Justice. The architect that finally got the commission for this, had always wanted to build cathedrals and was never chosen.  So he decided to make this look like one.

 The clocks in London are so unique.

 Below    This clock is called the political clock (according to our guide)  It is two faced. It also had the same figure and another bell next to the one you see and they take turns ringing the bells.

You will find these dragons at all the major entrances to London, symbolizing potection of the city. The corporate city of London is 1 square mile which today comprises the financial district.

The bridal church spire.  Wedding cakes from all over the world use this tiered design. Now we know where it comes from.

Just one of the many taverns.

Mansion House. This is where the mayor of London lives.

The picture below is of The Mounument which stands 202 feet by Wren.  This is to remember the fire of London in 1666 which started in the Bakers shop.  London had several sections back then which you can still see on the street signs or on the buildings. There was the poultry, milk, bread, cheese, candle, and meat among others.

Below is a meat market we came across  with its many kinds of meats hanging as well as ones in the cases for immediate purchases.

 

The famous Tower Bridge

The London Bridge is different from the Tower Bridge.  London Bridge was the only bridge for many centuries,originally built by the Romans.  It was last rebuilt in 1967 with the former bridge sold and now spanning a part of Lake Havasu in Arizona.

This new building being built is called "The Shard" which is all glass. It is 1100 feet  and will be the tallest building in Europe. The architect wasn't paid; in lieu of payment he gets the penthouse which is valued at 85 million pounds. (a pound is $1.59 at the moment)

London Bridge Hospital. The buildings are so different in design and so lovely.

The Swiss RE tower- the "bullet"located behind the Tower of London.

This is the Cleopatra Needle presented in 1819 to Britain.

Just a pretty picture of the Thames

The Albert Pub. This is famous because the politicians would go for a libation and when it was time to vote, the bell would ring and they would leave quickly to vote.

In this picture of the pub you can see the windows are etched. This is so the public wouldn't be able to see the politicians inside.

So I leave you at the pub for a lunch break and will carry on our tour in the afternoon.

cheerio :-)