London, England

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London, England Destination Unknown
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Day 2
Monday, November 7, 2016 at 11:21 PM
⛅ 36 °F
Altitude: 112 ft
England Leicester Square 51.51145, -0.1320551°30’41” N 0°7’55” W
Gates
November 7, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F
I really liked these big red iron gates that go across Gerrard Street. Are these to keep out traffic or are they merely decorative? I noticed that many of the streets around the Chinatown district are closed off to traffic. I think that's a good idea. With less cars driving around, people feel safer walking around in the streets and that brings more business to the neighborhood.Read more
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Day 2
Monday, November 7, 2016 at 11:30 PM
⛅ 36 °F
Altitude: 105 ft
England Leicester Square 51.51178, -0.1294651°30’42” N 0°7’46” W
Late Night Shopping
November 7, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F
I made it back to this colorful little street near Jen Cafe for some more shooting. I'm surprised that I was able to find it again. I'm glad that I did because I really wanted to do some more shooting here. I was hoping for a deserted street but, even at this late hour, people were out and about.Read more
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Day 2
Monday, November 7, 2016 at 11:40 PM
⛅ 36 °F
Altitude: 138 ft
England Waxy O'Connor's 51.51097, -0.1317551°30’39” N 0°7’54” W
Goodnight, Chinatown!
November 7, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F
All of my tiredness was starting to catch up with me now so I decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel. With a last look back at the big gate, I left Chinatown and headed back to Leicester Square. I'm glad that I didn't wander away too far from the hotel. I should be back there soon.Read more
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Day 2
Monday, November 7, 2016 at 11:48 PM
⛅ 36 °F
Altitude: 144 ft
England Leicester Square 51.51063, -0.1315151°30’38” N 0°7’53” W
The Lineup Part Two
November 7, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F
I was so into those London black taxis! On the way back to the hotel I set up the tripod right on the taxi line and started getting some good stuff. I was thinking that at least one of the drivers would get out of their car to see what I was doing and curious why I was taking pictures of them but none of them did. They just stayed in their cabs and I was free to get all the shots I wanted. Cheers, guys! Thanks a lot! This photo even made it into Explore on Flickr.Read more
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Day 2
Monday, November 7, 2016 at 11:58 PM
⛅ 36 °F
Altitude: 115 ft
England Leicester Square 51.51001, -0.129651°30’36” N 0°7’47” W
Let's Call It a Night
November 7, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F
After I was done taking pictures this was the hotel I came back to. It really looks so impressive! The location of this hotel was perfect. It's so nice staying right in the middle of everything rather than taking a train or taxi back and forth into the areas we wanted to see. By now, I was absolutely exhausted but so happy. It's really past my bedtime!Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 8:10 AM
⛅ 32 °F
Altitude: 108 ft
England Leicester Square 51.51094, -0.1295251°30’39” N 0°7’46” W
BK Breakfast
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 32 °F
We decided to just get a quick breakfast at Burger King, right next to the hotel. Once we ordered our food, we learned that they put ketchup on their breakfast sandwiches over here. It ruined the taste of the eggs and ketchup on sausage is just nasty! I did like the sausages here better than the ones they have in the US Burger Kings though.
While we were there eating we saw a pigeon fly into the restaurant and we spent our breakfast watching one of the employees chasing it around, trying to catch it and make it go back outside. It took them a while but they finally caught it and released it back in the courtyard of Leicester Square. That courtyard is full of pigeons so I'm thinking that trespassing birds are a common occurrence for this place.Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 8:50 AM
⛅ 34 °F
Altitude: 95 ft
England Leicester Square 51.51143, -0.1281451°30’41” N 0°7’41” W
Here in the Underground
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 34 °F
After we finished eating breakfast, we got on the subway, or underground as it's called here, and headed for Monument. That was our stop for visiting Sky Garden.
The underground is a great way to get around. It's fast, clean, efficient and safe. The cost is dependent upon on far you travel but, overall, it's probably about the same cost as the trains in New York City. Just make sure you mind the gap!Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 8:57 AM
⛅ 34 °F
Altitude: 95 ft
England Leicester Square 51.51145, -0.1281451°30’41” N 0°7’41” W
Leicester Square Station
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 34 °F
I'm surprised by how fast we're learning how to get around on the underground. I think, being used to the New York City subway system, we have a big advantage over other visitors to London. I really enjoy riding the trains here!Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 9:25 AM
⛅ 36 °F
Altitude: 105 ft
England Fenchurch Street 51.51146, -0.0835151°30’41” N 0°5’1” W
The Walkie Talkie Building
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F
Sky Garden was located here, at the top of the Walkie Talkie building, on 20 Fenchurch Street. I don't know how the building got that name because, although it has an odd and unique shape, I don't really see it as a walkie talkie.Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 9:33 AM
⛅ 36 °F
Altitude: 105 ft
England Fenchurch Street 51.51146, -0.0835151°30’41” N 0°5’1” W
Enjoy the View
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F
Sky Garden is such a great place to visit and I'm so glad we came. There are a few restaurants here too. I'd like to come back some evening and eat here. I'm thinking that the views at night are incredible!Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 9:41 AM
⛅ 36 °F
Altitude: 105 ft
England Fenchurch Street 51.51146, -0.0835151°30’41” N 0°5’1” W
On Top of London
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 36 °F
Sky Garden, an observatory in the Walkie Talkie building was the first touristy thing that we did in London and I'm so glad we got to see it. Sky Garden is free to visit, but you need to make reservations to get in. I'm glad we made plans to visit Sky Garden before we got to London. The views were amazing! I'm really glad that we came. There are other observation towers but they are all kind of expensive. Sky Garden was a good choice for us.Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 10:02 AM
⛅ 37 °F
Altitude: 105 ft
England Fenchurch Street 51.51146, -0.0835151°30’41” N 0°5’1” W
Kathy
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 37 °F
We saw so much of London from Sky Garden. I couldn't believe that it's free to come here! Every other observation tower that I've ever heard of charges so much money just to get a view of the city. Even here in New York, the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock are so expensive to visit. Yes, the view is breathtaking, but you're definitely going to pay a price for it. I'm really happy that we learned about Sky Garden. It's not very difficult to get the reservation to come here either. It may be different during the summer vacation time though. I'm very happy we came here.Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 10:07 AM
⛅ 37 °F
Altitude: 105 ft
England Fenchurch Street 51.51146, -0.0835151°30’41” N 0°5’1” W
The Shard
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 37 °F
The Shard is one of the few buildings in the London skyline that I know of. We got a very good view of it from Sky Garden. The Shard also has an observation deck but, unlike Sky Garden, it's not free. A trip to the top of the Shard will set you back 27 for advanced bookings or 32 for walk up tickets. I think that's kind of expensive.Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 10:09 AM
⛅ 37 °F
Altitude: 105 ft
England Fenchurch Street 51.51146, -0.0835151°30’41” N 0°5’1” W
Smile!
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 37 °F
Kathy's been talking a lot of selfie photos on this trip. That's one aspect of photography I've never really had much success at. I'm never quite sure what part of the camera to look at and I always come out looking nervous and uneasy. Once in a while I get a passable shot but it's rare. Kathy always seems to look great in pictures though. She's so photogenic, not to mention very beautiful and sexy! I'll never stop loving her!Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 10:12 AM
⛅ 37 °F
Altitude: 105 ft
England Fenchurch Street 51.51146, -0.0835151°30’41” N 0°5’1” W
The Gherkin
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 37 °F
The Gherkin is another British skyscraper that I know about. I have no idea what the name is supposed to mean but it sounds Indian to me. I first learned about this building from the game SimCity. This is one of the landmark buildings you can get in the game but I never thought it was a real place until I started researching London for our trip. Surprisingly, for such a unique building, it's used for office space only and the general public is not allowed inside. There is no observation deck either.Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 10:23 AM
⛅ 39 °F
Altitude: 102 ft
England Fenchurch Street 51.51123, -0.0834551°30’40” N 0°5’0” W
What a View!
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ⛅ 39 °F
The view from Sky Garden was absolutely breathtaking! I'm surprised that this place is not promoted a lot more in all the tourist sites about London. I only found it mentioned on one site, almost as an afterthought. I'm really glad that I decided to find out more about it.Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 10:31 AM
☀️ 39 °F
Altitude: 105 ft
England Fenchurch Street 51.51121, -0.083651°30’40” N 0°5’1” W
Shutterbug
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F
Kathy was taking a lot of pictures in Sky Garden. I like seeing her showing some interest in photography. I don't think she'll ever start to use a DSLR but I'm hoping. I remember her being quite good at taking pictures. When we went on our very first trip together, to Walt Disney World, both of us were using small point and shoot cameras and I thought her pictures were better than mine. She has a good eye for photos and can compose a shot very well. I don't know why she didn't pursue it more. I wish she would have. It would be so nice to go out shooting together.Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 10:36 AM
☀️ 39 °F
Altitude: 105 ft
England Fenchurch Street 51.51124, -0.0836651°30’40” N 0°5’1” W
Sky Garden
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F
Sky Garden is not just a meaningless name. There really is a beautiful garden up here. Not just in one section of the floor but all around us. All the foliage, combined with the spectacular views, makes this such a beautiful place to visit!Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 10:43 AM
☀️ 39 °F
Altitude: 115 ft
England Fenchurch Street 51.51131, -0.0839251°30’41” N 0°5’2” W
Big City
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F
I really love the view of London from the top of Sky Garden. The mix of old and new architecture is amazing to see. One thing that really surprised me was how much construction is going on in London. From this high up, I can see those big red cranes everywhere. That big domed building in the center of everything is St. Paul's Cathedral. It was featured in the movie "Mary Poppins" for the Feed the Birds song. I'd love to visit this church!Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 10:45 AM
☀️ 39 °F
Altitude: 115 ft
England Fenchurch Street 51.51138, -0.0838251°30’41” N 0°5’2” W
Enjoy the View
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F
We had a great time at Sky Garden. I'm surprised that it's not a lot more crowded here, especially considering that it's free to visit! I just wish we knew more of London's famous and iconic buildings so we knew what places we were seeing. There were some guides on the windows telling you what some of the buildings are but, for the most part, we couldn't even find them.Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 10:49 AM
☀️ 39 °F
Altitude: 105 ft
England Fenchurch Street 51.51146, -0.0835151°30’41” N 0°5’1” W
Enjoying a Cuppa
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ☀️ 39 °F
Sky Garden is not just a fancy name. There really is a big garden up there. Well, more like an aboretum since it was mostly trees and very big plants. We walked through it, seeing the view from all sides of the building while Kathy enjoyed a cup of tea.Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 11:07 AM
☀️ 41 °F
Altitude: 105 ft
England Fenchurch Street 51.51146, -0.0835151°30’41” N 0°5’1” W
Waiting for Admittance
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ☀️ 41 °F
I'm glad we made it to Sky Garden early in the day. When we arrived we were able to go right up to the observation deck but this is what it looked like when we got back down. I'm thinking that the wait to see Sky Garden is maybe around an hour now. I guess that we picked a lucky time of day to visit.
When we went out to the street, I turned on my Pokemon Go and caught my first Mr Mime! This Pokemon is exclusive to Europe so I'm glad that I caught him. I'm hoping to catch a few more of him too. If the game ever upgrades and allows trading, I can give Mr Mime to people back home. I'm sure they would love getting a bit closer to completing their Pokedex.Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 11:25 AM
☀️ 41 °F
Altitude: 115 ft
England St Clement Eastcheap 51.51088, -0.0865751°30’39” N 0°5’12” W
Monument Station
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ☀️ 41 °F
On the way back to the subway, we stopped at a drugstore to pick up a few things and had a bit of confusion about how a sale was priced. The sign said 3 for 2. To us, that meant 3 items for a cost of 2 pounds. What it actually meant was that if you buy 3 items you would be charged for 2. Because of what we thought the sale meant, we thought we were charged £2 extra. Kathy even went back into the store to argue the point with the cashier. They explained it to her, and everything was straightened out. They say America and England are two people separated by the same language. I guess it's true!Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 11:26 AM
☀️ 41 °F
Altitude: 115 ft
England St Clement Eastcheap 51.51089, -0.0866251°30’39” N 0°5’12” W
Down to the Underground
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ☀️ 41 °F
By now, it was time to head back into the underground and take a train to Leicester Square. We had just enough time to have an early dinner before meeting our guide for our first Tours by Foot tour. I'm really hoping that we have a good time!Read more
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Day 3
Tuesday, November 8, 2016 at 11:28 AM
☀️ 41 °F
Altitude: 115 ft
England St Clement Eastcheap 51.5109, -0.086651°30’39” N 0°5’12” W
Going Deep
November 8, 2016 in England ⋅ ☀️ 41 °F
It's sometimes many levels down to get on the proper train and the escalators are so steep. I don't know know true it is, by I've heard that when the escalators are not working, the trains will not stop at those stations. I can believe this though. Having to climb up all these steps would be brutal! I can just imagine how bad it would be for children, the elderly or those with physical disabilities. I wonder just how deep these tunnels go..Read more
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