Date: 03 March 2013 Sunday
11:00 AM Hyde Park Corner
We woke up at 7 AM in the morning and had breakfast at the hotel before heading out for our London Walking Tour. We arrived at the required meeting point @ Hyde Park.
A: Hilton London Euston Hotel [Russell Square Station]
B: Hyde Park [Hyde Park Corner Station]
Total travelling time = 21 minutes
All wrapped up in the cold weather.
There were already a huge crowd gathering around the Wellington statue.
Our free 2.5 hour walking tour around London
The crowd was divided into 2 groups and we got our tickets to the free tour.
Wellington Arch, just a stone’s throw away from the Wellington statue.
Our tour guide, John S., for the next 2.5 hours.
We were warned that the tour would be a WALKING tour for 2.5 hours and the group won’t wait for anyone who couldn’t catch up with the rest!
Passing Green Park on our way towards Buckingham Palace for the Changing of Guard ceremony. The ceremony is the process involving new guards exchanging duty with the old guards. It occurs on different days each month so it is best to find out the exact times from the official Royal site before visiting the Buckingham Palace.
12:00 PM Buckingham Palace
A: Hyde Park
B: Buckingham Palace
Total walking distance = 0.8 km
Look at the number of people at Buckingham Palace.
Trying to take a photo of the guards. We could only catch a glimpse of the guards from far… so disappointing. John had told us earlier that he knows a location where we could view the guards up close.
John brought the group to The Mail, a road where the guards would march past.
We got really close to the guards.
12:40 PM St. James’ Palace
A: Buckingham Palace
B: St. James’ Palace
Total walking distance = 0.7 km
St. James’ Palace is one of London’s oldest palaces and is located not far away from Buckingham Palace.
13:00 PM Trafalgar Square
A: St. James’ Palace
B: Trafalgar Square
Total walking distance = 0.8 km
Trafalgar Square is a landmark in central London, also know as Charing Cross, after a memorial cross on the square.
Nelson’s Column
At the center of the square is the tall Nelson’s Column, built to commemorate the victory of Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson over the French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
The bronze lions at the base of Nelson’s Column.
Rushing to our next destination. The walking tour is actually quite tiring as we had to rush to all the different places within 2.5 hours. I was about 16 / 17 weeks pregnant then, dressed up in heavy & bulky winter clothing and was carrying Mark II. It was extremely tiring for me to follow the group >.<.
13:20 PM The Royal Horse Guards Parade
A: Trafalgar Square
B: The Royal Horse Guards Parade
Total walking distance = 0.5 km
Horse shit on the parade ground.
13:35 PM Churchill War Room
A: The Royal Horse Guards Parade
B: Churchill War Rooms
Total walking distance = 0.27 km
Churchill War rooms is a museum in London that housed a British government command centre throughout the Second World War.
Walked past the Elizabeth Tower, aka Big Ben. We will come back to you in a moment…
13:50 PM Westminster Abbey
A: Churchill War Rooms
B: Westminster Abbey
Total walking distance = 0.4 km
The Westminster Abbey is a large Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, west of the Palace of Westminster.
14:00 PM Palace of Westminster
A: Westminster Abbey
B: Palace of Westminster
Total walking distance = 0.19 km
The Palace of Westminster, commonly known as the Houses of Parliament, lies on the bank of River Thames in the City of Westminster, in Central London. It got its name from the nearby Westminster Abbey.
Our walking tour ended here…finally… We gave tips to our tour guide and we were left on our own.
14:20 PM Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben)
A: Palace of Westminster
B: Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben)
Total walking distance = 0.13 km
We walked about 3.8 km in total in the walking tour. After today’s tour, we decided to give up the 3.5 hours walking tour in Paris.