My London Trip

My London trip is probably one of the best vacations I've ever had. I really can't think of a way it could have been any better.

My trip to New Zealand was an incredible adventure too; but, once I got to New Zealand, I was in the very capable hands of my friends Arthur and Nigel. With the trip to London, I had to do all the planning. And I will say I did a damn good job!

There were so many wonderful things to see. I guess my favorite museum was the British Museum. Every time I went there there was something new to discover. The last day I was in London I stumble upon three galleries I didn't even know that were there. I really liked Hampton Court too. The trip to and from there went flawlessly. In fact, just about everything went flawlessly. I didn't get lost on the Tube not once. I did get lost a couple of times walking around but was quickly able to figure out where I needed to be.

I was amazed by the sheer number of people in the city. Not everyone was a tourist but they did account for a big percentage of the people out and about. I can only image what it must be like during the summer.

I really loved the place where I stayed. I cannot say enough of how great the Jesmond Hotel is. It could not have been in a better location. Close enough to just about everywhere I wanted to go, but, at the same time, just a little off the beaten path. And the people at the Jesmond were fantastic.

I guess the question is how do you improve on perfection. The answer is the only way to find out is to go back again. I can hardly wait to go!!!!

The Jesmond Hotel in London

This is the front door to the Jesmond Hotel.

I loved this place. It was just a wonderful place to stay. You couldn't ask for a more central location. Easy access to the British Museum and the theater district and Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden. Goodge Street tube stop was a little over a block. away.

Yet at the same time it was far enough away so that it was completely surrounded by all the activity going on in London. I really enjoyed the walking back after a show. The theater district would be teaming with people and slowly the crowds would diminish. By the time I got to the Jesmond there were few people on the street. It was a great way to unwind from the day and to think about all the things I'd seen and done for the day.







































The breakfast and lounge area. The computer was off to the right.

















My seat was the far table. The chair with its back toward us. It was a nice place to sit because I to talk to people as they made breakfast. I usually had cereal, toast (brown toast to be exact) and a couple of scrambled eggs. I usually take a banana with me. I could have had a full English Breakfast but that was just too much to eat in the morning.









































These are a couple of pictures of my room. It was small but it was clean. It had its own bathroom. The bed was very comfortable; the mattress was actually firm. It was a great home away from home. I can hardly wait to go back.

















The wonderful host at the Jesmond Hotel Glyn Beynon.

Dr. Who

There's this great store of sci-fi stuff on the way down to Piccadilly Circus. They had so much Dr. Who stuff it was scary.

Buckingham Palace

I decided to go see Buckingham Palace and just happened upon the end of the changing of the guard.

Back to the British Museum

The British Museum is my favorite museum in London. On my last day I went there again and discovered several galleries that I hadn't seen at all. It is just such an amazing place.

Little Venice in London

This is Little Venice. It is a neat little area. A couple of the boats are cafes. You can even get a cruise to the zoo. The weather was a little too cold to hang around and I wanted to see a few more things but it will be a fun place to go next time.

London Eye at night

The last ride on the London Eye is at 8pm. The trip takes about half an hour. I wanted to take pictures of London at night and I thought what better way then to do it from the London Eye. I waited until about 7:50 and then got on board. I thought that was close enough to the last ride. The scenery was spectacular. The photos give you a sense of what it was like.

London Eye at night II

As incredible as the first ride on the London Eye was this one was even better. The sun was just beginning to set and over the course of the ride the city slowly got dark. Fantastic!

London at Night

Here are some shots after I got off the London Eye.

I think the pictures of the Eye itself are just fantastic.














































































The last couple of shots are looking back towards the London Eye from Westminster Bridge.

Snowy Sunday

Here are some shots from the day it snowed. Also a couple more shots of the demonstrations around the Olympic Torch Relay.














































































Nelson's column with snow on it.
















You can see the snow coming down here. I also thought the add was pretty damn funny.
























Looking down Whitehall towards the Houses of Parliament.