Before traveling to London, I visited multiple internet sites and skimmed through a guidebook. Like all large metropolitan areas, there were simply too many things to see in a week. Choices needed to be made. What did we want to see?
Since we would be traveling from one place to the next by using the underground train system, we felt it was important to get a good overview of the downtown area. A “hop on and hop off” bus experience with a short river cruise was the perfect choice. We hoped that the foreboding clouds would cooperate so that we could enjoy the experience on the upper tier of the red double-decker bus.
By being on the top of the bus, we captured amazing pictures. We had the opportunity to get off the bus at as many stops as we liked during a 24 hour period.
One of our planned stops was Buckingham Palace. Although we were there in time to see the famous “changing of the guard,” we chose not to fight the crowds. Masses of people were lining up in front of the impressive gates well in advance of the designated time. The area across the street was cordoned off for the Diamond Jubilee concert later in the weekend.
We had no problems getting distant and closeup photos of notable places such as Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and Parliament, and the London Eye.
Slowed traffic allowed us to get several shots from bridges that spanned the Thames River.
The bus passed by crowded Piccadilly Circus and the Eros Statue.
We were lucky. We saw the Horse Guard coming onto the street. The sign on the wall says, “Beware. Horses may kick or bite! Thank you.”
Before getting off the bus for The Tower of London, we passed over the Tower Bridge. This unique picture was made possible by being on the top floor of the bus.
The boat ride provided a shoreline perspective and views of the more modern sections of London.
On the bus and river tours, we saw the location of the major tourist attractions, toured a couple of sites, and got our bearings. We were able to choose between buses that had tour guides or prerecorded tours. At the end of the day, we figured out where places were in relationship to one another. This made our remaining days easier.
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Sandra’s Bio
Sandra Bornstein is the author of MAY THIS BE THE BEST YEAR OF YOUR LIFE. It is available on Amazon. Sandra’s memoir highlights her living and teaching adventure in Bangalore, India. She is a licensed Colorado teacher who has taught K-12 students in the United States and abroad as well as college level courses. Sandra is married and has four adult sons.
The memoir was a finalist in the Travel category for the 2013 Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the 2013 International Book Awards, the 2013 National Indie Book Excellence Awards, the 2013 USA Best Book Awards, and received an Honorable Mention award in the Multicultural Non-Fiction category for the 2013 Global ebook Awards.
If you’re interested in travel, follow Sandra’s latest adventures on Examiner.com.
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