London Calling

Oh London how I miss you much
The hustle and bustle
and the daily rush.

Whether travelling through the underground,
or visiting the parks
found all around.

From the wondrous sights of the West End
to the tolling of
the famed Big Ben.

Visiting the Queen at Buckingham Gate.
And having a pint
with my favourite mate.

One thing which can make me sigh,
visiting the Thames
and the London Eye.

The sound is not of the Bridge falling,
but what I hear
is London Calling.

J.A.Scott

London - Day 3

My first stop of the third day was not a place many American's were likely to be, Lord's Cricket Ground. With little to no exposure to cricket in America, it's understandable. Still, it's a part of the UK I wanted to see.



While we were given the tour, we had the opportunity to see a few players warming up.



A better view of the cricket pitch (playing field). Though I'm certainly not a cricket expert, I did pick up a few ideas on how to play and some of the terminology. After the tour we were welcome to stay and watch the game for as long as we wanted.



I made my way back to the Thames for another afternoon of viewing the sights. I believe this is part of the Canary Wharf centre. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. Either way, I thought this building was spectacular.



Though I never made my way over to this in person, I felt a photograph of the O2 Millennium Dome was a must. Maybe next time I can catch a show here.



This was the shopping centre of Canary Wharf. I'm not sure if that's the technical name for it, so again feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.



One of my favourite pictures taken while in London. This is obviously the London Tower Bridge. Tours are also available here to learn a bit about the bridge, the construction and usage.



While taking the tour, I came across this sign. I got to wonder, imagine if this were the boasting in any of today's constructions.



Another fresh perspective of Tower Bridge. This time from beneath. You always see pictures from the top or the side, so I thought this was unique.



Can you get any more iconic than a photo of the Tower Bridge behind the City Hall building?



It was finally time for me to pay a visit to the London Eye. I promised myself a ride no matter what the cost was. Ultimately, I didn't feel it was too bad considering it was likely to be a one time thing.



The ride is nice and slow, giving anyone a chance to see almost all of London. You can hire out the cars for weddings and such. The joke is, the ceremony is performed on the way up. At the top you kiss, then it's all downhill from there.



Another picture of Big Ben, this time an aerial view. Only the London Eye would enable me to take such a picture.



Looking out towards the Thames river once more.



As I reached the top of the eye, I spotted this BBC New helicopter flying overhead. I decided to see how good a shot I could get. I'm actually happy with what I got.



Obviously, most of my shots in this segment are going to be aerial. This time it's the Aquarium. I never did find the time to pay a visit, though I can always visit the Shedd's Aquarium in Chicago if I ever get the urge to look at fish.



Do you see what I see?



Finally, the day was coming to a close. It began to rain and I caught this rainbow just as I was heading for the Underground and my way 'home' for the day.

London - Day 2

My second day in London was not going to be spent lounging about. Bright and early I hopped on the Underground and made my way to the Thames.



I went as far as I could using the Underground, then walked on foot to my first destination, The Globe Theatre.



Part of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is a museum, the other bit is the Globe Theatre itself. Here is a recreation of what one prop on-stage might look like.



Shakespeare was a playright, which is probably the closest thing to what I do. So I had to photograph this press. Can you imagine the time that went into this?



On display were a few of the swords and other weapons used at the time, and in the plays. I want one!



One last look at some of the props used, before heading over to the actual theatre.



The actual stage was being worked on at the time so there wasn't much to look at. But look at the detail that has gone into the background.



These are the benches used. How long are some of these play? My suggestion if you go to see one, bring a pillow to sit on.



Here is a shot of the outside. I know it's an odd angle, but otherwise I'd only have tourists in the shot, so this had to do.



When the time came for lunch I found a pub for a burger and a beer. As soon as that was over I decided to check out the Monument. I climbed all 311 steps to the top. It was built in 1671 to commemorate the Great Fire of London which occurred in 1666.



There will be more shots of this on another day, but this is actually one of my favourite pictures of the London Eye. I took this just as my Thames River Tour started.



"Hey kids look!", "We know, Big Ben", "Parliament!"



What would you expect? The name of this bridge is the Wibbly Wobbly. No worries, I later walked on it, it's as sturdy as it should be.



After the boat tour, I was right on the doorstep of the Tower of London. I couldn't not check it out. (Don't you love a double negative)?



A general idea of what the sleeping room looked like.



I've always wondered, what does royalty do when they are not sitting on the throne? Maybe using the toilet?



A great looking view of the courtyard. Don't walk on the grass here!



Suddenly I've got the taste for gin.



I'm not certain if he was looking tough for the camera or if he was getting tired of having his picture taken.



This is the antique version of graffiti.



In order to carve this, you'd have to spend a lot of time in the Tower. And trust me, you didn't want to spend time here as a prisoner.