Pack the Bag and Bring the Camera: London

We took a more modern train to London. It was awesome.

By the way, the train went 120 mph. Thanks, Wes, for your fancy smartphone calculation.

This was one of the first things I saw after getting off at King's Cross.

Notice where the doorknob is? Awesome! It must be difficult to open, though.

This is pretty much what all of the taxis look like. Much different from the classic yellow cabs of NYC. But these are pretty iconic, too. Usually, they're not black, though; instead of the small ads on top, they have decals covering the entire cab!

WARNING: I have a lot of pictures of random buildings that may or may not be famous, but I thought were really pretty.

One of the only modern style buildings in the city. The contrast of the architecture in London is fascinating.

The Underground! I didn't use the Tube since we got passes for a tour bus, but I did walk through a station somewhere on the other side of the Thames.

I must say, this is a pretty epic bridge.

Creative shot, yes?

I love Big Ben! The gold shines more than you realize from pictures! It is truly something you have to see.

The Tower of London! So much history has been made here! Not much good history, but history nonetheless.

This photo is cool because you can even see the London Eye in the back. Whenever I used to see photos with Big Ben and the London Eye, I actually thought the photo was Photoshopped; I didn't realize that is actually how it is!

Westminster Abbey! So. Much. History!

We just happened to be there when they were doing their little ceremony. I was really confused at first, but I finally figured out what was happening.

Buckingham Palace was super crowded, but astonishingly gorgeous. I think the crowds gathered because we happened to be in London the same day the royal family took the baby to Kensington Palace from the hospital.

Ahhh! So pretty! This is very similar to Versailles, I think.

The Swatch store was comparable to an Apple store. Super cool!

We kept thinking that this said, "NERD." These cafes are all over, so I was thinking that it was, "NERD" for most of my trip. Oops.

I'm sorry if you aren't into all of the Big Ben photos. (Actually, the tower is called Elizabeth Tower. Big Ben is the actual clock that is housed by Elizabeth Tower.) I just loved it so much!

I really wanted to get this shot, and I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to. I was actually on the bus, and we were actually going pretty fast. Being used to the traffic jams of the Big Apple, I wasn't expecting to be driving so fast. Fortunately, I think this photo actually turned out well!

Our hotel room had a beautiful view of... the Royal Mail trucks! It actually was kind of cool to see, though. It reminded me of our room outside of DC; our view was a huge lot full of police cars!

This is one of the best buildings I have ever seen. Look at all that color! It's close to King's Cross and the library.

We thought this was the library because of the architecture. When we found out that this was a hotel and that the library did not look like this, I was a little disappointed.

These are all over!

Have you noticed the beautiful skies I was blessed to have? It must have been a miracle.

The bus went past this building a lot, and there was usually a traffic jam, so I have a lot of photos of it.

I took this one from London Bridge.

Most of the following were taken from the river cruize.

Ahh, the filthy water of the Thames.

This guy looked at me!! They're not supposed to do anything, but he looked right at me!

We just happened to be there for the changing of the guards. It is barely comparable to the ceremony in Arlington, though. I think that the horses used here in London make it not nearly as precise.

I definitely recommend finding Westminster Cathedral. It is the most beautiful and unique cathedral I have ever seen, and I have seen some of the most famous ones. It is off the beaten path, but it is so worth it!

Harrods=Macys+Saks

I think this was on our way back from London. Oops-- I'm out of order.

Rylan and me on the bus. Don't I look cute?

Just gorgeousness. No biggie.

I love the parks in London because they actually feel natural. Central Park in NY is completely man-made (if you didn't know), and as someone growing up in the forest, I can tell.