An English 4th of July

For the Fourth of July, and my first full day in London, I spent my time wisely by covering a lot of ground. Joanna, Alexis, Blake and I went to a cafe in our apartment complex for a quick breakfast before heading out to try and catch a tour of the city's most well known attractions via the red bus tour company. We got tickets and hopped on to one with an English speaking tour guide and got a great seat on the top. From there, our guide pointed out all things interesting from the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye, to St. Paul's Cathedral and the cigar shop Churchill liked to frequent.

My favorite spots on the tour were the Parliament buildings, the fascinating insights into some of the buildings used in literary lore (Like the government building Ian Fleming worked in when he thought up James Bond and the club featured in Around the World in Eighty Days), and the history behind buildings like St. Pauls and others damaged during WWII.  We also got to see celebritys' houses, the hotel where famous Hollywood actors stay, The Ritz, The Tower of London, all the main bridges, and Trafalgar Square. I highly recommend these tours, especially early in your trip, as you get to see where all the best places to visit are and get a good idea of the City's general layout and history.

After getting off the bus at the Sherlock Holmes pub and eating lunch inside (the Fish and Chips were great), we walked through the beautiful Hyde Park and St. James Park and stopped by Speakers corner for soft drinks and ice cream. Along the way we saw monuments and points of interest all over, including the Marble Arch and the Cavalry Museum. We walked all the way to Buckingham Palace to get a close up view, and then all the way across the Thames past street performers to the London Eye. We decided after careful deliberation that the line was too long and the ticket too pricey, so we instead walked across a bridge and took a river tour of the Thames, which came with our bus tour ticket. It was also well worth going on, and we had a very funny and insightful guide who explained all the history behind buildings lining the river like Parliament and the Globe Theatre. We had dinner at a pub called The Dover and then headed home for the night.

After another full day of sightseeing, tomorrow we are planning on trying to make it to some of the museums. I personally want to get lunch at a restaurant on The Strand called Paradiso e Inferno, which has pictures of Dante all over it. I already have a much more comfortable idea of how the Tube works, and feel good about my prospects of finding my way home if I ever need to get back quickly.

It was a great 4th of July, despite the lack of fireworks. I got to get my picture taken in front of Parliament and in front of Buckingham palace, and let's face it, that's what every full-blooded American aspires to do on Independence Day deep down.