We intended to visit the Westminster Abbey on this day.

Westminster Abbey has been British Coronation church since the crowning of William the Conqueror in 1066. The above is the north entrance of Westminster Abbey.

It is also the burial and memorial place for many world famous historical figures from writers, musicians, scientists to rulers and politicians. The above is the western facade.

The Abbey was founded in AD960 as a Benedictine monastery. It is a self-funding church with no financial assistance from the State, the Crown or the Church of England. (more…)

After breakfast, we ventured out for another full day adventures.

The Big Ben was a majestic view when we emerged from the subway station.

My first sight of the London Eye.

Old fashion letter box.

The iconic telephone booth. (more…)

We  had a lousy night at the hotel. Apparently, there was a Halloween party going on at the restaurant below our floor. The loud music kept me awake most of the night.

The next morning, we did not want to look for breakfast elsewhere. We just had the buffet breakfast at the Kapok Tree restaurant at the hotel. It was an English breakfast. Ten pounds per person. I love the mushrooms and grilled tomatoes.

Brown sauce in a packet. I have never seen this in Vancouver. (more…)

We went for an Indian dinner at Sripur in the vicinity of Tower Hill before we headed back to the hotel.

Papadam was served for appetizers. The papadam came with four chutney.

The chutney came in different flavours and texture; sweet, minty, spicy and lastly a chunky onion and cucumber salsa.

We ordered a Sripur Biryani which came topped with fried egg and fried onions and served on a bed of shredded lettuces and tomatoes. It looked tasty but actually it was quite bland. (more…)

Here are some photos from the interior of the HMS Belfast. A huge missile. Hot iron presses in the laundry room. The laundry room. The baker. Crew sleeping area. Dental…

The HMS Belfast tour is also included in the London Pass.

HMS Belfast was one of  Britain’s battleship in World War II. It is now a floating naval museum. It portrays life on board during World War II.

HMS Belfast was built in 1937. There are 9 decks all together. It was manned by 800 seamen.

This is a self guided tour with audio guide. (more…)

After the visit to the Tower of London, we decided to use the ticket in the London Pass to visit the Tower Bridge Exhibition.

It was a rainy day as you can see the bridge was wet.

Lining up for the lift to the exhibition. It’s 300 steps to the the top of the towers. We walked down the stairs after visiting the exhibitions on the walkways.

The east side of the bridge exhibits the bridge’s history and displays of famous bridges in the world. The west side of the bridge has exhibits of the Olympics. (more…)

The Bloody Tower.

Legend has it that two boy princes, sons and heirs of Edward IV were placed in this tower by their uncle, Richard of Gloucester, when their father died in 1483. Neither was seen again and Richard was crowned later that year. The skeletons of two children were found nearby in 1674.

Remnants of the old wall.

The view of the main entrance to The Tower of London from the outside perimeter. (more…)

Our next stop was The Armoury Museum in The White Tower.

The sword is at least 7 to 8 feet long.

Even the horse was wearing an armour.

A parade of horses. (more…)

Here’s an outer view of  The White Tower.

The White Tower was the tallest building in London when completed construction in c. 1097. It is 90 feet high.

Old and new architectures.

A view from high above. (more…)