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London, England -- June 2006

Hyde Park with the Princess Diana circular memorial fountain

Pathway where the queen rides her horse. Looks like others do as well judging from the traffic light.

Archway on the road that leads up to Buckingham Palace

The road leading up to Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace where the queen and her family live

Another view of Buckingham Palace

My friend Jen and I in Trafalgar Square. Trafalgar Square is a square in central London that commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars.

Nelson's column is in the center of the square, surrounded by fountains designed by Lutyens in 1939 and four huge bronze lions; the metal used is said to have been recycled from the cannon of the French fleet. The column is topped by a statue of Lord Nelson, the admiral who commanded the British Fleet at Trafalgar.

Unfortunately when I was there, the column and the lions were being restored, so they were covered in scaffolding.

A bunch of double-decker buses caught at a stoplight. These buses are a very common sight throughout the city.

View towards Big Ben

A Ferris wheel called the London Eye, which is the largest moving Ferris wheel in the world at 443 feet high (135 meters) and takes a half an hour to make a full rotation. It provides excellent views of Central London, but not so much on this day is it was cloudy and raining.

The Houses of Parliament, which is made up of the Monarch, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The House of Commons has 646 Members known as MPs each of whom is elected by local residents to represent an area of the country in Parliament.  The House of Lords has around 700 Members most of whom have been appointed. 

Big Ben: The name Big Ben actually refers not to the clock-tower itself, but to the thirteen ton bell hung within. The bell was named after the first commissioner of works, Sir Benjamin Hall.

St. Margaret's Church on the grounds of Westminster Abbey. Stands between Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament, and is commonly called "the parish church of the House of Commons."

Westminster Abbey, which has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066.

The neighborhood Bayswater in London.