London - Day 2

Today my cousin Andrew and I headed out for a bit. I asked him to give me a mini tour of some of the more fascinating parts of the city. So we hopped on a bus, went to the second level, and rode it to downtown. Along the way, I was able to see a lot of the city that most, when they come to London, don't see. The architecture of the buildings in the city are really incredible. In some areas you can see older buildings next to more modern ones. I wondered why this was so, but found out that it was most likely due to WWII and certain areas that were bombed by the Germans when they stuck London.

That isn't the only reason you'll see modern buildings, as London is really putting a lot of emphasis on the Olympic Games that are coming here next summer.

This picture gives a good representation of what you might see. An older church and a brand new building going up in the back skyline. They are calling this new building "The Shard" because it is designed to look like a shard of glass. Right now they are still building it and you might can see how they are putting the glass in. It will be one of the taller buildings in the city when it is finished.

After taking in a nice bus ride downtown, we stopped at the River Thames to walk along side and take in the sights.

We walked on the London Bridge and I was able to get a good glimpse of the Tower Bridge (the famous one) but walked in the opposite direction.

One thing I can say about it all is there are a TON of tourists that walk along the river. I purposely try and avoid those kinds of crowds and tourist traps, but didn't today. I got a few pics of Big Ben and the Parliament buildings (I don't know why, but I always think of European Vacation when I say that).


Also was able to get this shot of the millennium bridge that feeds right into St. Paul's Cathedral

Here is Southwark Cathedral

After taking in some sights and sounds for the afternoon, we made our way back to the flat to freshen up a bit and then headed out for the evening. We went to an underground, rooftop bar. (Yes, I realize that doesn't make sense, but work with me here...if you need to know what that means, look it up) It was the best part of the day because we got a great view of the city from afar. Hopefully, this picture does it justice.


Not as good of a shot as I would have liked, but with a camera phone, one can't complain too much. Few more photos to follow and one that I just can't seem to get away from...