Last Day in London

Our last night and day in London

 The Tube...arriving in Charing Cross

 There are bins of all kinds of candy..a very unique idea.
My friend Jane would go nuts just thinking about someones hands in this!

 Some of the candy is just laying outside the bins..

 We walked along till we found a place to eat.  This is the Silver Cross and you can see Nelson's Column lit in the background in Trafalgar square. Behind that is the National Gallery which houses one of the world's great art collections.

 Inside the pub.  It is the custom to order your beer and meal at the bar and then they will bring it to you.

 Westminster lit at night. A peaceful picture.

 Admiralty Arch is the beginning of the Mall which leads to Buckingham Palace. This is a memorial to Queen Victoria. The center gate stays closed unless a soverereign passes through.

 Buckingham Palace. The many people lined up are waiting for the changing of the guards. The palace was built in 1702-1705 for the Duke of Buckingham and sold to George IV in 1761. We could not see the inside as the tours end in August.

 One of the gates surrounding the palace.  I thought it was elegant looking.

 In front of the Palace.  The Queen was waiting for us!

 Another view.

 The patrol that quards the city.

 Here you see the famous Horse Guards that stand outside the Horse Guard Museum.

This guard seemed like he was ready to change positions!

 Another building with interesting architecture.

Westminster Abby

 I took this picture for Amanda. It shows how things aren't always straight. Looking at the brick makes me dizzy!

 10 Downing Street around the corner ,the home of the Prime Minister.  When Amanda and I were here several years ago, we could walk right by the house.  There were no gates.

 The Prime Minster leaving the grounds.  It is a big day as the Euro is being defended by several countries.  UK was feeling pretty smug about their decision to not join the Euro currency a decade ago.

 The famous Scotland Yard.

 Our relaxing lunch along the river.  They have lots of cafes and convenient food bars in the South Banke.  It is very common to get whatever you might want already prepared and wrapped; yet oh so fresh.

 On to our last stop which was the famous "Harrods".   David can't wait! The store is amazing and so very expensive.David found a basic pool table for 20,000 pounds and a backgammon board for 1200 pounds...You get a floor quide to help you find your way. You need it!  There are 7 floors and a big floor plan in a maze.

 This shows the escalator and the exhibits going up. It also gives you a view into the floors.

 Here you see a whole section of just candy. The Europeans love their chocolate.  Unfortunately we have fallen into that catagory!

 This is the site at the top floor of Harrods.  They have beautiful exhibits in the hall ways.

We loved London. It is clean and beautiful and lots of people.  We found people out at all hours of the night.  The "intimate" theatre we were in for Mama Mia had 2,000 people, that is more than our two towns together! So imagine that with several theatres around,all getting out at the same time..lots of people!

The other thing we noticed was that London doesn't have the fog any more. Today in London you aren't allowed any fires in your house..no chimney is working.  No one is allowed to burn coal or wood.  Also the only cars allowed in the city are Taxis. If you were to bring in your own car you pay a heavy levy.  Somehow I think the prime minister had an exemption.

Home we go-back to ireland. We had nice weather in London but Dublin faced unusal floods--a months worth of rain in a matter of hours.    Cheers..:-)