Today my fitbit clocked 37,260 steps or 15.14 miles. It was a big day.. so let’s begin!

We started our day by hopping on the train and heading over to see Kensington Palace. We took a few photos then continued our walk through Hyde Park. While we were on our way to Buckingham Palace my fitbit buzzed letting me know I had already reached 10,000 steps and it was only 10:30 a.m. Kensington Palace below.

From there we continued our walk to Buckingham Palace and got sidetracked when we saw gold. It was the Albert Memorial and it was quite impressive.  This memorial was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her husband Prince Albert, who died of typhoid in 1861. He is seated in the middle of the memorial in gold.

After that we arrived at Buckingham Palace and took a little break. We then decided to go to Victoria Station to grab some lunch. Since it is Tuesday, that means it is Taco Tuesday so we both got burritos. They were very tasty! With full bellies we were ready to head on to Westminster Abbey.

When we arrived at Westminster Abbey the crowds were overwhelming. The line to get in was wrapped around the block. We decided to snap a few photos and move on. Here is Jacob with the Abbey!

This was just before it started down-pouring. It continued to rain off and on all day. At one point the sun came out long enough for me to say, “What is that!?” before it went away again. It was also very windy today, not ideal conditions but we tried to make the most of it.

After we checked out Westminster Abbey from afar, we headed over to look at the Parliament buildings. This is where Big Ben lives and I was excited to see him until we turned the corner… he was covered in scaffolding! Jacob had read that the clock was undergoing restoration, but he didn’t realize how extensive.

After being sad about Big Ben and looking at the British Parliament we walked across the Westminster Bridge, where we took the photo above.

We then headed along the Queens Walk along the River Thames. This area was very crowded, they have all sorts of attractions for kids. We learned before we left that school is off this week for the Easter holiday and it was very evident as we waded through the families.

Once we squeezed through this section we came across the Eye. We looked at the line and decided to pass on going up since we still had quite a bit to do. I took a photo though.

We continued our walk and came across the Millennium Bridge. This is a pedestrian only bridge and leads straight to St. Paul’s Cathedral. At St. Paul’s Cathedral several important events have happened including the funeral service for Sir Winston Churchill, the wedding of Princess Diana and Charles, Prince of Wales, and jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth. We paid $18 pounds each to enter the cathedral. We were happy that this area was much less crowded.

We explored the main level and the crypt before scaling the 528 steps to the very top of the dome. On your way up you stop in the Whispering Gallery (here you can whisper into the wall and be heard on the other side.) Then you arrive at the Stone Gallery. This is outside of the dome so you get some views of the city, but your views get even better once you get to the very tip top! I am a little surprised they let tourists up here, it is incredibly narrow – you cannot pass by someone without squeezing along the stone wall or the railing. I snapped as many pictures as I could before we slowly circled around to the exit. (remember click to enlarge)

After St. Paul’s Cathedral we were back on the train and on our way to Greenwich. Jacob wanted to see the Prime Meridian. This is the point in the geographic coordinate system at which longitude is defined to be 0°.

After we got off the train and walked up a big hill we found out that the actual emblem in the ground is blocked off and you have to pay 10 pounds to see it. Jacob informed me that it was ok though because that isn’t the actual Prime Merdian, then pulled out his phone and used his GPS to find it. He wondered for a bit before settling on a spot. Here he is! You can see the observatory and fake Prime Meridian in the background.

From there we headed down the hill and walked through the Old Royal Naval College Greenwich University on our way back to the train station.

Due to our timing, we got to experience the trains during rush hour, being squeezed like sardines.

We took the train to Baker Street because I wanted to get a photo with the famous 221B Baker Street, you know – where Sherlock Holmes lives!

With achy feet and hungry bellies it was time to return to the hotel. We stopped by a market and picked up sandwiches, chips and drinks to consume. We are now planning our day tomorrow. We are off to Paris. Lucky for us, our train isn’t canceled! The French rail workers are on strike for the next three months. So far our trains to Paris and out of Paris are still running and we aren’t sure about the status of the local trains. We will be doing lots of walking in Paris and may have to cut out a few sights. We will see!