We attended Sunday's Choral Mattins at St. Paul's Cathedral. What an amazing Cathedral to visit,…read morebut I think most attendees were tourists (like me). We arrived early and were allowed to sit with the choir up front. What a great honor to sit with a great vantage point of the service. The choir is composed of children and adults, men and women and the voices are extraordinary. The service was beautiful and I couldn't help but think about the people who had attended over the past 300 years. The Cathedral was designed by the great Christopher Wren and is gorgeous inside with massive arched ceilings and ornate marble archways and statues. The choir seats are a dark aged wood with beautiful carving. Photography was not allowed inside so my only photos are of the outside. Tours during no the week are available and going up into the dome is supposed to be an extraordinary experience where whispers can be heard far away. After the service, the bells rang outside in an amazing display.

After booking reservations online weeks in advance, the hard part was waiting to see Christopher…read moreWren's masterpiece on the inside. Because the building does not open until 10am, the front doors are closed and guests are expected to queue up. Surprisingly, there are no signs to tell you where to queue up, so people are waiting in front of the doors until they open. Upon entering, my bag is inspected and you can pick up an audio tour device which has not only information about the cathedral, but has reflection and prayer passages where you can take a seat (there are plenty) and just be. At intervals, the pastor will ask everyone in the building to be silent as he prays for our world. After the prayer and blessing, the pastor makes himself available to anyone. Taking time to pray to God for us and our world was special. While the audio tour was good, talking to the red-sashed volunteers was special in that they had information that was not in the audio tour. For example, the wood carvers would leave a signature on the carving that would be unique like a hidden rocket ship with stars behind some carved vines. If you're a Harry Potter fan like me, you can ask a red-sashed volunteer to show you the Dean's Staircase, a stairway leading to Professor Trelawny's divination class that was used in the film. Unfortunately, you can't walk up the staircase, but you can take some amazing photos. Walking to the Stone Gallery and Golden Gallery requires climbing up 31 flights of stairs, so train well before you arrive. Not only does the Stone Gallery give you a closer look at the paintings on the Dome, but the wall offers a neat little trick, but it takes two people. If you speak into the wall, another person standing on the opposite side (180°) will be able to hear you. On a non-foggy day (good luck with that), you can walk around outside and be able to have stunning views of the city. There's so much to say, but I would rather you experience it for yourself.

An iconic, famous, and crazy busy section of London. From…read morehere you can get just about anywhere. It's a great starting and landing point for tourists. It is a central area to get to places like Leicester Square, Chinatown, etc. Tons of giant, lighted, neon adverts adorn the area. It's like the London version of NYC's Times Square. It's exciting, frantic, busy, and a perfect spot for first-time visitors to London.

Tip: I recommend riding the tube to get here. Piccadilly Circus tube station is conveniently…read moreunderground and it's affordable. Piccadilly Circus was an area that I frequented a lot during my visit to London in December 2013. It is a touristy place. I liked it for a number of reasons. Piccadilly Circus tub station is under Piccadilly Circus. I took the underground to get to this touristy site. It was a cheap, efficient means to get to and from the area. The area feels like Times Square (New York), or Yonge and Dundas (Toronto) with brightly lit screens and signs. You then realize that Piccadilly Circus established illuminated, giant advertisements since the early 20th century. What's special about Piccadilly Circus is that it's a junction where Piccadilly, Regent Street, Shaftesbury Avenue, the Haymarket, Coventry Street, and Glasshouse Street meet. Circus in the name doesn't mean seeing clowns and acrobats. Rather, it means a circle or roundabout. It makes sense when you see the statue of Anteros, which is also known as Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. It gives you a good look at how the streets comprise this junction. Piccadilly Circus is close to these touristy spots: - M&M's World - Chinatown - Soho - Theatre district - Oxford Street (shopping) - Hop-on, hop-off stops Gone are these places that I enjoyed visiting: - Ripley's Believe It or Not - Angus Steak House I'm an M&M's fan, so I visited this place three times. I loved it so much! Shopping was great. You can find everything from phone accessories (I still travel with a USB cable with three different charging tips that I bought in London) to weed edibles. I liked the eclectic variety that was eye-opening at the time. I remember that there was a small winter fair at a park that I had visited nearby. I don't remember the name of the park or the fair. What I do remember is enjoying banoffee fudge for the first time. So good! It was fun being in this area. I'd love to go back and see how things have changed. If you've never been to Piccadilly Circus before, I recommend going at least once. (44)

This little garden was on a list of strange/offbeat attractions to see on my trip to London because…read moreof the dark history around it. It's basically a garden grown atop a mass grave for poor, unmarried women, sex workers, and children. Small but lovingly cared for by volunteers, it is only open from noon to 3PM on weekdays during the summer. There is some artwork and little memorials. It's a little out of the way, but if you're in the area it's a nice quick stop to pay tribute to the forgotten women and children.

Another Halloween visit? This one holds a celebration here…read more Cross Bones Graveyard was a mediaeval burial ground, situated in St Saviours parish, now Redcross Way SE1. There is a long established tradition that it was a final resting place for Winchester Geese, ie prostitutes, from the legalised brothels or 'stews' of Bankside. This dates back to the days when the Bishop of Winchester ran Bankside and licensed the Geese. Recent archaeological digs for the Jubilee Line extension have uncovered evidence of a highly overcrowded graveyard where bodies are piled up on top of each other and tests have shown that many of the bodies are women and children with diseases ranging from smallpox, TB and pagets disease to osteoarthritis and vitamin D deficiency. This is Cross Bones, an unconsecrated graveyard going back to medieval times. The Tudor historian John Stow refers to it as a burial ground for 'single women' - a euphemism for the prostitutes who worked in Bankside's legalised brothels or 'stews'. In his 1603 Survey of London, Stow writes: 'I have heard of ancient men, of good credit, report that these single women were forbidden the rites of the church, so long as they continued that sinful life, and were excluded from Christian burial, if they were not reconciled before their death. And therefore there was a plot of ground called the Single Woman's churchyard, appointed for them far from the parish church.' The burial registers of St Saviour's parish don't distinguish between burials in Cross Bones and those in the churchyard adjoining what is now Southwark Cathedral. However, the long-established local tradition - that Cross Bones was a prostitutes' graveyard - is restated in the Annals of St Mary Overy (1833): 'There is an unconsecrated burial ground known as the Cross Bones at the corner of Redcross Street, formerly called the Single Woman's burial ground, which is said to have been used for this purpose' Such women were condemned to be buried in unhallowed ground. Yet many were actually licensed by the church. For some 500 years, the Bishop of Winchester exercised sole authority within Bankside's 'Liberty of The Clink', including the right to licence prostitutes under a Royal Ordinance dating back to 1161. These women became known as 'Winchester Geese'. Cromwell and the Puritans shut down the Bankside pleasure quarter, with its bear-pits, theatres, taverns and stews. By Victorian times, the area around Cross Bones was known as The Mint - an overcrowded, cholera-infested slum, and a notorious thieves quarter. When William Booth was conducting his survey of poverty, his researcher George Duckworth described it as: ' a set of courts and small streets which for number, viciousness, poverty and crowding, is unrivalled in anything I have hitherto seen in London.' Duckworth walked around The Mint with a policeman who told him: 'Police don't go down here unless they have to, and never singly.' Around this time, Cross Bones witnessed many a pauper's burial. It was also the haunt of body-snatchers, seeking specimens for the anatomy classes at nearby Guy's Hospital. The graveyard was finally closed in 1853, on the grounds that it was 'completely overcharged with dead' and that 'further burials' would be 'inconsistent with a due regard for the public health and public decency'. In 1883, it was sold as a building site, prompting Lord Brabazon to write to The Times: ' with a view to save this ground from such desecration, and to retain it as an open space for the use and enjoyment of the people.' (10th November 1883) The following year the sale was declared null and void, under the Disused Burial Grounds Act (1884). Subsequent attempts to develop the site were fiercely resisted by local people. The land was briefly used as a fair-ground until an action was taken against the showmen for abatement of the nuisance caused by steam organs and noisy music. Apart from these minor intrusions, the graveyard slept peacefully and unmolested for the best part of a century. Then, in the 1990s, London Underground built an electricity sub-station to supply power for the Jubilee Line Extension. Prior to the work, Museum of London archaeologists conducted a partial excavation of the site, removing some 148 skeletons. By their own estimate, these represented: 'less than 1% of the total number of burials that were made at this site.' Some were exhibited at the Museum's 1998 London Bodies exhibition, including: ' a young woman's syphilitic skull with multiple erosive lesions, from Red Cross Way, Southwark, 18th century'.' 'For tonight in Hell, they are tolling the bell For the Whore that lay at The Tabard And well we know how the carrion crow Doth feast in our Cross Bones Graveyard.' They have since conducted many rituals and community events at the graveyard. The rituals are simple, inclusive and non-dogmatic, emphasising respect for 'the Ancestors', and honouring the spirit of

An incredible journey and look into colonial English history. The size and immensity of Trafalgar…read moreSquare does the photographs justice - it's huge! Lovely fountain, the lions are incredible and stand the test of times. Nelson on the perch, one looks up, gets a bit dizzy, and ponders... just how on earth did they make that thing?! Relaxing, safe, but like any city watch your valuables and be aware. Grab a snack from nearby, walk to the square, sit down, relax and enjoy the scenery.

Trafalgar Square was a pleasant surprise visit for us. We walked to the National Gallery on a…read moreFriday night to find the Square full of life. Entertainers were performing on the Square as people watched. The Square is large with Nelson's Column as the central focal point. Nelson's Column commemorates Horatio Nelson's victory over the French and Spanish at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Nelson did not survive the battle. Numerous other statues of military figures, royalty and other influential people stand around Square. There is even a statue of George Washington that was a gift from the state of Virginia. The Square is surrounded by Museums and other government buildings. The Square is a perfect spot to watch the sunset and enjoy the day. I highly recommend a visit to this historic site.

Beautiful place, great for lunchread more

I saw one in Central Park in New York, and while browsing YouTube videos, I watched one that…read morementioned that there are only two Needles gifted to other countries: one in NYC and the other in London. So, this place was on my list. If you stroll along the Victoria Embankment between Victoria Embankment and Temple underground stations, you will see a large obelisk flanked by two sphinxes jutting out into the sky. Cleopatra's Needle is a distinctive landmark in London and a popular tourist spot but few people take the time to understand its history Located in one of the most tourist-heavy areas in Central London, it's often a sight overlooked by the thousands of daily passers-by. Known as Cleopatra's Needle, the London obelisk isn't just some mere replica but an authentic ancient Egyptian obelisk! This 21-metre-tall granite monument was originally erected in the Temple of the Sun in Heliopolis, Egypt around 1450 BC. You can find the London obelisk on the Victoria Embankment in the City of Westminster. It's located between Waterloo Bridge and Hungerford Bridge. You have a good view of it from either of these two bridges, but you can also get up close to it on street level. History: a 3500-year-old ancient Egyptian obelisk that looms in front of the Embankment Gardens by the Thames. The red marble obelisk was carved in the quarries next to the River Nile in 1380 BC, to honor Pharaoh Thutmose III, and moved by Queen Cleopatra to Alexandria around 40 BC. Rediscovered by archaeologists in the early 1800s, it remained in Egypt until 1877, when the British Government decided that it wanted a suitable memorial to commemorate Lord Nelson's victory over Napoleon in Egypt. At the time, Egypt was a British possession, and the authorities easily parted with their national treasures.

Another monument and landmark in London…read more I saw it when I was on the river cruise so could take a picture of the whole thing. Didn't make a trip to see it up close. It is close to London Bridge.

The Charterhouse is an oasis in the Smithfields neighborhood just north of the busy City (square…read moremile) of London. And it is so historic! Since the 14th century It has been a monastery, a private mansion, a boys' home, and an almshouse which it still is today. There's a whole campus of buildings here and probably the largest green space in the nearby vicinity. Now what's best of all, this historic and interesting site is now after 400 years open to the public with a new museum as well as entry into the chapel. In addition one can book a tour. Visits to the museum and chapel of the Charterhouse are free. The staff are very friendly and eager to point out things. Put it on your London list!

We visited in August and thoroughly enjoyed the museum, the chapel, the friendly and helpful staff,…read moreand coffee next door at the Thackeray Cafe. The list of Old Boys is eye-opening. Do put this newly opened museum on your itinerary. It's small and off the beaten track, but absolutely worth a visit.

Once you've taken in and walked across the nearby Tower Bridge there is just no comparison as the…read moreLondon Bridge is plain and basic by look and design. Sure, its a fully functional way to cross over the Thames and take in some sights and pictures but that's. London Bridge seems more famous by name and had been featured in songs and movies but the few times I walked across it while in town for the London Marathon it felt underwhelming. Still, the bridge is iconic with a long history and worth a visit.

Visiting the iconic Tower Bridge in London was one of those experiences that truly lives up to the…read morehype. Standing beside the River Thames, the bridge is even more impressive in person, with its grand towers and intricate details that instantly make you feel connected to London's history. Walking across it offers beautiful views of the city--on one side, the modern skyline with skyscrapers, and on the other, classic landmarks that remind you how timeless London really is. The atmosphere around Tower Bridge is lively but not overwhelming, making it a great spot to pause, take photos, and simply take it all in. Watching boats pass beneath the bridge adds to the charm

St Martin in the Fields is right in Trafalgar Square in the heart of London. This corner of…read moreTrafalgar Square hosts the National Portrait Gallery and the National Gallery as well as swanky hotels. The church of St Martin in the Fields is a historic church in central London. This significant parish church has a vast history. It has stood on this prime London site since 1222. Although the church is probably photographed by almost every visitor who arrives in Trafalgar Square, the view that most people take is from the south side of the square, near Nelson's column and the four lions As you stand in Trafalgar Square amidst the pigeons and with Nelson's Column towering over you, stand back and admire the grandeur of this incredible church. You may recognize it from the annual New Year celebrations nearby or films like Notting Hill.

Had our schedule permitted us time to see a classical music performance at St. Martin in the…read moreFields, I assume we would've had a better impression of the venue. Instead, we came for lunch in their crypt; my obsession with the macabre wouldn't let me pass up this hidden cafe, but the food left much to be desired. In true cafeteria style, you grab a tray & move down the line, pointing at items that staff members load onto your plate. We chose a few items to share: something that looked like chicken tenders with sides of mashed potato & peas, pasta salad, a veggie pie, & Victoria sponge cake. Seating area was quite crowded. A unique setting to have a meal, if only the food tasted better.