Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the Queen of England. This is where the famous Changing of the Guard ceremony takes place daily in the summer and usually every other day the rest of the year. For a current schedule as to when that 'every other day' is, Click Here for up-to-date information from the Official Website of the British Monarchy.

The changing of the guards does not take place in very wet weather. However, I really do not know how much of a downpour there would have to be for the English to call it very wet weather.

In the immediate area are the stately Queen Victoria Memorial, and lovely St. James Park, both of which I prefer to the actual Palace.

The Royal Albert Hall and the
Albert and Victoria Museum.

Prince Albert married Queen Victoria in 1840 and was therefore Prince Consort, a job he filled for 21 years until he died. The Prince was known as a pretty jolly fellow for this Victorian age, and the arts were close to his heart.

Both are in the neighborhood of Kensington Gardens. The Victoria and Albert museum was set up in 1852 to display decorative art, applied art and design. The Royal Albert Hall has a 5000 seat auditorium, and is available for hire by event organizers.

Now you know how much it takes to fill the Albert Hall.

Victoria Station
used to be the central train and Underground station in London. Sherlock Holmes certainly used this transportation hub of London, even though 221B Baker street is quite a distance north. It was still the queen of the stations after WW2, but now has been overshadowed by Waterloo station with its high-speed trains that go under the English Channel to France.

Still, if you close your eyes, you can stand on the platform at Victora and hear the shrill shriek of the steam whistle, catch the conductor's stern last 'All Aboard', and feel the excitement of Holmes grabbing Watson by the arm, hauling him onto the train with an intense Come, Watson, the Game's afoot."

Admiral Nelson won the naval Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and the British were very happy about it. So they put a 17 foot high statue of him on a column 185 feet high. It is very popular at midday, rain or shine, with people and pidgeons alike filling the square with thick flocks.

Trafalgar square is bordered with exceedingly interesting buildings, including The Church of St Martin's in the Fields (left, above) featuring a cafe in its crypt and lunchtime classical concerts; the National Gallery (free admission to one of the world's richest collections of paintings); and the Admiralty Arch (top right, above). There are so many parts to the Square that whatever picture you see will not capture the entire experience of being there.

The Streets of London

Many streets run for just a couple of blocks. Some are longer, but change names several times. Neighborhoods can be quite large or just the houses around a little open green area. Districts ajoin each other and where one begins and the other ends is known only by Londoners, and perhaps not all of them. It's fun.

There are so many different looks to the city, sometimes within the space of just turning a corner. It is constantly full of surprizes. If you do not like surprizes, London cabs are your best bet. If you like to explore, take the Underground anywhere. Get off at a station. Walk until you are half tired, stop in at an interesting looking pub for some lunch, and walk back to the Underground. Don't do this at night. London is safe, compared to most American cities, but night brings out a different sort.

Now which way to go...

If you'd like to see some of the nightlife,. Click Here for London at night.
But if you would like to get going on to the Countryside, Click Here.

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