London 2013. - day 2.

View from London Eye 10 years ago

Early in the morning we went boldly forward. In the nearby underground station, bought daily tickets for public transportation,  took a bus and went right to Camden Town.
Anyway when we were in London for the first time we wanted to get everywhere and see as much as it was possible in a short time of our stay (when you're in London you never have enough time). During thet time we got very tired but we saw everything that we considered essential, so we made ​​a spin with the London Eye, went to Westminster Abbey, the British Museum, St. Paul's Cathedral, watched the changing of the guard in front of Buckingham Palace, visited Tower Bridge and of course Madam Tussaud Wax Museum.Then, I mean in the past 10 years ago, we left the National Gallery as unfulfilled desire, and that is why we have set ourselves to must see it this time. However, the weather in London was so beautiful, we loved our long walks thorough the city and when we decided to enter the gallery we just went back and decided to leave it for the next time. It turned out that our return to London is not questionable, we'll go there again.

The history of the abbey starts in 1050, when King Edward The Confessor decided to build a monastery. Only a small part of this Norman monastery, consecrated in 1065, survived.  Most of the present building dates from 1245 to 1272 when Henry III decided to rebuild the abbey in the Gothic style. The building was later significantly expanded: the Chapel of Henry VII was added between 1503 and 1512, while the two West Front Towers date from 1745. The youngest part of the abbey is the North entrance, completed in the 19th century.

Westminster Abbey also serves as the burial ground for numerous politicians, sovereigns and artists. The abbey is stuffed with tombs, statues and monuments. Many coffins even stand upright due to the lack of space. In total approximately 3300 people are buried in the church and cloisters. Some of the most famous are Charles Darwin, Sir Isaac Newton and David Livingstone.
Westminster Cathedral is connected with the Houses of Parliament also known as the Palace of Westminster. It is the seat of Britain's  two parliamentary houses, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

The most famous part of this "complex" is the elegant clock tower, originally called St. Stephen's tower and later named after the tower's largest bell Big Ben. Unfortunately, neither the House of Parliament nor Big Ben can not be visited.
You noticed that I mix a little bit of last visit and a little bit of the recent visit, so let's get back to the beginning of the story.
We started the morning with the Camden Town, hm it deserves a special post.
To be be continued......

Photos by: ilovetravels