DAY 163 - London 2 ("Lion King")

Aug 29 - The People, the Bridge, the Eye, the Palace & more

Up early and London Day #2 here we come!  First stop.... Piccadilly Circus.   Piccadilly Circus is a road junction and public space of London's West End in the City of Westminster, built in 1819 to connect Regent Street with the major shopping street of Piccadilly.  A circus, from the Latin word meaning "circle", is a round open space at a street junction.

Piccadilly Circus - a VERY popular spot especially with tourists.

                                                             

Statue of Eros and Shartesbury memorial fountain

A Look at the People of London

This guy was quite the entertainer on his "pogo-sticks".  He did all kinds of tricks, and of course he loved tips for his entertainment.

No one could figure out what he was sitting on - is it invisible?

Dreadlocks & Braids are VERY popular here in London, especially among the blacks.

Some more entertainers in the streets.  Pretty dangerous stunts here.

London Duck tours

Not sure what this guy is doing?

LOTS of immigrants in London, too.

What an amazing panorama of things to see and do.  (Good job, Rich!)  Where do we start?

Let's take the "Queen's Walk" and go to London Bridge.

                               

Some of the scenery along the Thames River.

                         

"London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down....NOT"

"Can you believe we're here!"

A ride close to the London Eye

The London Eye or Millennium Wheel, was officially called the British Airways London Eye and then the Merlin Entertainments London Eye. Since 2011, its official name is the EDF Energy London Eye following a three-year sponsorship deal.  It is a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames.  The entire structure is 135 metres tall and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres. It is the tallest Ferris wheel in Europe.  It is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, visited by over 3.5 million people annually.  It was built in 1999.

It would have been fun to ride it, but $30 a ride per person?  I don't think so!

Leadenhall Market is a covered market in London, dating back to the 14th century, and is located in the historic centre of London.

Very cool elevator on the outside of the building.

Saint Paul's Cathedral of London - Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604 The present church, dating from the late 17th century, was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren. Its construction, completed within Wren's lifetime, was part of a major rebuilding program which took place in the city after the Great Fire of London.

A famous photo during the Dec. 1940 Fire

 
 

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence and principal workplace of the British monarch.  The palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focus for the British people at times of national rejoicing and crisis. 

I was really hoping to see the new royal baby, but hard as I looked, I never saw them.  :)

  The last major structural additions to Buckingham Palace were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including the East front, which contains the well-known balcony on which the royal family traditionally congregates to greet crowds outside.

 However, the palace chapel was destroyed by a German bomb in World War II.

  

Yes....I am here and I LOVE following the Royal Family.

                        
Photos from St. Mary Le Bow's Church follow

According to tradition a true Cockney must be born within earshot of the sound of Bow Bells.

The church is also immortalized in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons which ends with I do not know, says the great bell of Bow.

Waterloo Railroad Station - A railway station on this site first came into being in 1848; the present structure was inaugurated in 1922

My my
At Waterloo Napoleon did surrender
Oh yeah
And I have met my destiny in quite a similar way
The history book on the shelf
Is always repeating itself
Waterloo - I was defeated, you won the war                  Song by "ABBA"
Waterloo - Promise to love you for ever more
Waterloo - Couldn't escape if I wanted to
Waterloo - Knowing my fate is to be with you
Waterloo - Finally facing my Waterloo

 

Yorkshire Building

The NEW and the OLD

We went to dinner in the China Town part of London

Very good as we both love Chinese Food

Some London Scenes at Twilight

 
 

 

 

 

It was my goal to see some BIG show in London and I had a lot to choose from.  I finally decided "Lion King" would be the one.  I had always wanted to see it for the music and the costumes.  Danae had seen it back in college when she went on a Ballroom Tour and I still remembered her describing the animals.

Pinch me now - I'm really here, even if it is the 2nd to the last balcony row.  WHO CARES?

During intermission, however, I went to the main floor and sat in the 2nd row.  I had noticed there was a couple of seats that were empty, so I tood advantage.  It was fun seeing the amazing make-up.

The Lyceum Theatre is a 2,000-seat West End theatre located in the City of Westminster, on Wellington Street, just off the Strand. There has been a theatre with this name in the locality since 1765.

Very few seats were left when I got my tickets.  This show has  been running for Years!!

I took a photo on the last song and an usher came FAST and put his hand over my lens.

Such a GREAT show!

 What a perfect way to end a perfect day in London.  Tomorrow we'll have even more adventures in London!