London, England {Part 2}

Day 4 - 09.07.13

The day began with my first museum trip to the National Gallery right in Trafalgar Square. I didn't know what to expect because I had not experienced or appreciated art before (besides photography). I honestly wasn't too excited to go, I would rather be sightseeing while the weather was nice. Luckily, the people I was traveling with LOVE art (& that's an understatement). By the end of the trip - and 5 museums later - I fell in love with art myself. At the National Gallery we took an hour tour where the lady did a wonderful job explaining all the art pieces (highly recommend it). You can tell she was knowledgable and loved her job. & it was free! You don't have to pay in a lot of the museums in London (just donate what you can). 

As you step outside the museum, you are engulfed into the crowds: tourists take up every inch of Trafalgar Square & street artists, entertainers, and performers are seen in every direction. 

People would place coins on the flag of the country they are from. We put some on Ukraine and Russia because they didn't have many (U.S. definitely had the most). 

Can you spot me above? (hint: I'm the only one posing for the camera)

After a quick lunch, we rushed to make it to an evensong service at St. Paul's Cathedral. It was stunning inside, but no photography was allowed. I sneakily tried to take some pictures on my phone, so they are not the best quality (gotta work on that skill for trips in the future). The grand-ness and gold, mosaic detail was truly breathtaking.

The sun was setting and we just decided to wander around. We crossed the Waterloo Bridge and ended up in Jubilee Square - a waterfront walk where you can ride the London Eye. We decided not to because the line was enormous, and it was quite expensive. The area was filled with people eating dinner at restaurants, carnival rides, and more street performers. We ended our walk at the Big Ben and buildings of Parliament. 

Traveling around London was quite the adventure, and it was also my first experience with any kind of subway system. It took some getting used to, and after getting situated it was very easy to use and understand. It's the perfect place to do people watching. 

"I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list."

Susan Sontag