The pulse of London: A snapshot perspective
London – United Kingdom
Snapshot photo essay of London
London is a tourist hotspot with so much to see. It is a destination that can keep you busy for any length of stay, whether it be 24 hours or 24 days. You can have your fill of history, arts and culture and even markets.
Most visitors would be drawn to the typical top sights such as Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster.
Buckingham Palace is another favourite with many tourists wanting to catch a sight of royalty.
A glimpse of the Royal Family - but only wax replicas
No matter where we go, we love to walk around to feel the pulse of a city.
I would like to show you a glimpse of London through my eyes. My snapshot photo essay will take you through some quirky or interesting things we saw and hopefully you will pick up on some of its vibe. Thrown in amongst the pile of photos you might find one or two that you would not associate with this capital of England.
Burrough Market is London’s most notorious and oldest food and fresh produce market dating way back to the 12th century.
London’s architecture ranges from contemporary to medieval.
The City Hall of London in true form is being photo bombed by a pigeon.
Pigeons everywhere
A portion of medieval architecture constructed between AD190-220 stands firmly. The Roman and Medieval City Wall has pride of place close to the Tower of London.
Roman and Medieval ruins
Tower of London
Museums are not only historic showcases. There is a museum for everything, whether it be a wax model, a suit of armour or a mammal.
Charlie Chaplin wax model at Madame Tussauds
Needs no introduction, but just in case, Michael Jackson
Whoopi Goldberg wax model
Natural History Museum
The River Thames is the main artery through London and as a result its pulse is very strong and you will find much to see. Some of the pastimes around the river:
Cruising on the river under London Bridge.
Relaxing on the banks of the river on a hot sunny day. Everyone and his mate is out to enjoy the sunshine while it lasts.
Oarsmen row their canoes on the river – an age-old tradition.
The River Thames is still an important shipping transport route with river barges constantly going by.
The London Eye also known as Millennium Wheel is of course one of the most popular paid tourist attractions.
In the heart of London streets such as Piccadilly Circus and Regent Street are a bustle of pedestrians.
You will also find picketers protesting, another regular pastime of London. What astounds me is how peaceful it usually is.
Sometimes when we are traveling in other countries we take a Big Bus Tour. Firstly it gives our feet a rest because we walk around so much. It also covers the major sights with an informative tour guide sharing interesting information about London's architecture, fascinating culture and thought-provoking history.
Big Bus on the bridge
Whilst sitting on the bus you can almost have a bird’s eye view of things as you drive past.
Hamley’s Toy Store
London is also a great place to see sculptures from artists like Nasser Azam and Salvador Dali.
Building worker, Tower Hill
Diverting slightly from the river the canals and locks are constantly busy with boats and their colourful or quirky designs and ornamentations.
Other quirky things you might not have expected to see in London is a ray and an eel, both at the aquarium.
An eel sticking its head out of the sand
Walking around the many markets or stalls you might even glimpse some strawberries on steroids – only kidding, but those are the biggest I have ever seen.
Another interesting sight in one of the streets is the tiniest car I have laid my eyes on.
And of course one of the biggest - the limousine – quite impressive, but I rather love the name of the bar or eatery where it is parked – The Slug and Lettuce.
If you have had enough of the streets of London, why not take a treetop walk in Kew Gardens?
I loved Green Park with its deck chairs – such an ironic scene more suitable to the beach and yet fits in so well. I can almost picture the aristocracy of historical London, ladies in their long dresses and parasols and men in their straw boaters having a lounge around.
The last bit of London history I would like to share with you is the wrought iron Hammersmith bridge designed by William Tierney Clark. It was the first suspension bridge over the River Thames and opened in 1827.
It was rebuilt in 1884 because it was not strong enough to support the volume of traffic going across it.
There is some South African history attached to the bridge:
“Near midnight on 27 December 1919, a Lieutenant Charles Campbell Wood from Bloemfontein in South Africa, dived into the Thames from the upstream footway of Hammersmith Bridge to rescue a drowning woman.
They both survived the ordeal, but Campbell Wood died of tetanus contracted from his injuries and died two weeks later.
His bravery is commemorated with a plaque on Hammersmith Bridge.
”
Gas lamp in the street
I hope you have enjoyed your virtual tour of London. Take a look at some of the other sights and sites that may be of interest to you.
Here’s a map to the pulse of London
Click on image to pin for later
Let’s meet on Social Media:
About the Author
ALMA VAN AS | ROAMING FOX
Alma is a South African travel blogger and writer. She hopes to inspire you with facts and fables about her adventures, road trips and international travel.
If you would like to leave a comment on my blog, at the end click Subscribe via e-mail to have your say and to receive email notifications of my reply or others regarding that post. Visitors must be logged in to subscribe and this will subscribe visitors to the comment thread, but not my entire blog. I know it’s quite a process, but it helps keep our websites secure. Your email address will not be shared or displayed.
Alternatively, you can comment as a guest without logging in, but you will not be notified of my answer.
Looking for travel inspiration when you visit the land down under? Or are you wanting an insight into some of the Australian culture? Think of Australia and you think of beaches, barbies and beers, right? A relaxed lifestyle thrown in with no worries. There’s that but there is more.