[London, UK, Jan 14, 2024]
To make the most of our first few days in London, we purchased the London city pass in advance. We got the 72-hour one and pre-booked as many activities as we could with it. For today, we booked the Shard and a Top Sights 5-hour walking tour. If you’re unfamiliar with city passes, read more about them in this blog post!
Visiting the Shard was quite touristy but the view was worth it. Despite our pre-booked time slot, we still had to wait downstairs, then go through airport-style security. The entrance was tucked away at the bottom of some escalators without much signage, which made it a bit difficult to find. We spent about an hour there. The open air terrace was ok, but I would have preferred if it were fully outdoors. Taking pics through the glass enclosure created a glare that was almost impossible to get around. Make sure to use the bathroom, which also boasts amazing views.
The Top Sights walking tour was really awesome. Even though I’ve been to London before, it was so nice to have someone else guide us instead of us burying ourselves into our phones for directions. And all the info we learned made seeing the sights that much more impressive. The meeting point for the start of the tour was at the Ritz Carlton. As we were walking there, I was delighted to see a Santa Maria Novella Perfumery outpost! I had visited it in 2015 when I was in Florence and it was one of my favorite experiences there.
The tour began at Green Park near Buckingham Palace. Green Park is the smallest of the 8 royal parks in London. Henry XVIII used hunt here.
Buckingham Palace and the Victoria memorial in front of were a sight to behold, as usual.
But on my previous visit, I hadn’t paid much attention to the gates surrounding the palace as well as the Victoria Memorial.
We then walked through St James park. The Blue Bridge had awesome views of the London Eye .
St James palace, built in the 1500s, features the Ascension Balcony above the Friars court. This is where the new monarch is announced when the current one dies. It is also where the changing of the guard starts, and many people line up here to follow it down Pall Mall.
The Horse Guards building was right in the middle of this area. It was built in the mid-18th century, replacing an earlier building, as a barracks and stables for the Household Cavalry. I managed to sneak a photo with one of the horse guards despite the crowd.
10 Downing Street, where the Prime Minister lives, is the gray building behind all these barricades. The PM position was created in the 1700s because the king was German. He didn’t speak English and needed someone to help. Why couldn’t the king speak English? Because Queen Anne had 17 miscarriages and left no heir. The closest relative was this prince from Germany. Over the next 2 generations of kings, the PM position became so integral that it continued on.
We finally reached Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Big Ben is the colloquial name; it’s formal name is the Elizabeth column, which it got in 2012 in honor of queen Elizabeth. Before that, it’s official name was simply Clock Tower. The other column is the Victoria Column.
As we crossed the bridge to the south bank of the Thames, we got great photos with Big Ben and the London Eye. The London Eye was closed, so I am glad I rode it back in 2014.
The tour finished in Borough Market, which was closed by then. We ducked into an Indian place called Silka around the corner, and had a delicious dinner. The nourishment was much needed after 5 hours on our feet! We walked home along the northern bank of the Thames and collapsed in bed. What a day!