First Impressions of London

On July 28th, my first full day in London, I met up with my friend Adam at 9am to get started on a full day of touring! This was my first time in London and I wanted to make sure I saw as much as possible! Adam volunteered to show me around and be a tourist with me, making my day much more enjoyable and fun, and definitely much more efficient, as he had planned out our route based on the key sites I wanted to see.
We started with the Tower of London, a large fortress built to guard the entrance of London. It has been used for many purposes over the years including a royal residence, an armory, a treasury and a prison.



My favourite place in the Tower of London was the Jewel House where the Crown Jewels were on display. It was just incredible to see all the diamonds and jewels in the crowns, the swords, and all the other Royal items.
From the Tower of London we walked across the Tower Bridge, which was completed in 1894.
  Me and Adam on the bridge:
We then stopped for a quick lunch, where I ate some very British food (¨Sausages and Mash¨) then continued on to see the London Eye, the world´s highest Ferris wheel. It reaches a height of 135 meters, and takes about 30 minutes to ride. Unfortunately the line was incredibly long, so we decided not to go for a ride.
From there we went to see the Houses of Parliament and the famous clock tower Big Ben.
Right behind Big Ben is Westminster Abbey, London´s oldest church. Since it cost equivalent to about $30 Canadian to enter, we decided to admire it only from the outside.
From there we walked through St. James Park to Buckingham Palace.
Me at the gates to the Palace:
We then made our way over to Piccadilly Circus. I was a little surprised when I arrived. I´m not sure what I was expecting, but Piccadilly is basically a square in London, with a fountain. Piccadilly also refers to the area around the square, which consists of lots of shops, restaurants, etc.
Our last stop of the day was Hyde Park, a huge and beautiful park in the city. It has a very large pond in the middle, where people can rent paddle boats and take a little boat ride.


It was a long but amazing day!! I love London!! It is such a great city, with lots to see! It has a very good vibe to it, and it helps, of course, that everyone speaks English!!