Whitehall -- Top to Bottom and Bottom to Top

This morning Em, Madi, and I set off on the #94 bus to Lower Regent Street to pick up their London Passes. We were just a couple of blocks from the National Gallery so we started there. The place was quite empty at 10:00 A.M. and we had a nice highlights tour. We stepped out on the pedestrian zone above Trafalgar Square and Madi caught her first glimpse of Big Ben. It was akin to Katy's first sighting of the Eiffel Tower three years ago. Madi couldn't suppress a huge grin. Trafalgar Square is virtually pigeon-free these days because a nice old gent walks around with a live falcon and scares the little rats of the air away.

We next walked down Whitehall to the Horse Guards and arrived just in time for the changing. Emily chatted up the nice man in the souvenir stand who told us to stand in the opposite corner and wait until the place cleared (the tourists think it has ended) and the horses and guards all come back in and form up. So we had a great view of the whole thing. Em and Madi made a quick stop at Inigo Jones' Banqueting House (the only remaining part of Whitehall Palace) before heading to Westminster Abbey. From there we bussed back up Whitehall past Trafalgar Square to the Pret with lots of seating for lunch. It was excellent as always. We had a Bounty Bar (British version of an Almond Joy) as we headed toward the Embankment and the Hungerford Bridge. We crossed over and walked along the South Bank to the London Eye where we were to meet Kris who would take Madi on the Eye. A bit of miscommunication earlier that morning left us waiting over an hour for Kris at the Eye, and Kris waiting for us outside the Westminster Station for over an hour. Oh well, we'll try again later. We just finished dinner and Em and Madi went to the park to watch the faculty kids and students play football (soccer).

Emily and Madeline at the National Gallery

Madi can't squelch the grin at the first siting of
Big Ben at the bottom of Whitehall

We begin our descent of Whitehall --Trafalgar
Square and the National Gallery are in the background

Horses and Guards at Horse Guards no doubt

We had the final act of the Changing of the Guards to
ourselves thanks to the nice man in the souvenir booth in
the background -- he told us how it really works;
Emily captures it all on video

Inigo Jones' Banqueting House at Whitehall Palace,
which gives its name to the whole area

More adventures to come.

OXO

D.