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A sunny day inspired me to take off early from the flat and head into town for a day of 'tourist-like' sightseeing. I took off towards London Bridge, stopping for a capucinno and then into London's financial district which led me on to St. Paul's Cathedral.

A Long Walk and Sore Feet

Chris Jack
2006-02-28 19:34:54

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A sunny day inspired me to take off early from the flat and head into town for a day of 'tourist-like' sightseeing. I took off towards London Bridge, stopping for a capucinno and then into London's financial district which led me on to St. Paul's Cathedral.

St. Paul's was an inspiration to Britain and in particular Londoners during the Second World War, when much of the surrounding area was destroyed during the Blitz, there are many pictures of the great cathedral standing steadfast surrounded by smoke and flames.

Its domination of the local skyline makes it an easy landmark to find and its size is quite incredible. I’m not sure which is larger, St Paul’s or St Peters Basilica in Rome but they are both magnificent buildings.

The only unfortunate thing about St Paul’s is the admission fee. I was looking forward to seeing inside, but I didn’t believe I should have to pay (£8) to enter a church so I’m sorry you have no photos of the interior of this great cathedral!

Next I ambled along Fleet Street and arrived at Aldwych and the Strand. At one stage the Strand was considered to be one of the finest streets in Europe.

Today it’s lined with shops, offices and theatres, with the occasional pub and restaurant. It’s also very busy so I moved on along the Hungerford Bridge towards the very modern landmark, the London Eye.

Sometimes called the Millennium Wheel, it is the first-built & largest observation wheel in the world. It also has one of the longest queues in the world and I was not keen to wait (at least not today) so I took a few snaps and moved on towards Westminster Bridge, Big Ben and the Houses Of Parliament.

I'll save the history lesson on Westiminster and Parliament for another day...

A quick stop for a bite to eat and a cooling beverage and then it was then back over to the north bank of the Thames. I caught the Tube to Leicester Square and walked to Piccadilly Circus, two of the busiest areas in London.

Unfortunately tourists do flock there & amongst the cicada-like clicking of cameras, lots of American accents could be heard. I could close my eyes and quite easily imagine I was in Los Angeles, New York or Florida.

Every shop is packed with people - mainly tourists hunting for souvenirs. I popped into Lillywhites, a major sports store to hunt for a new pair of shoes, but found none to my liking.

I was into my sixth hour of walking and my feet were telling me to head home, the weather today has been absolutely magnificent, and I just hope it continues for at least another couple of days.

My Feet are aching, time to put them up on the couch, grab my book (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - not a bad read), put on some music and relax for a bit.