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After disembarking from the train at Paddington Station, and standing firmly on the walkway, I was a bit exhilarated at being back in London once again. Although a bit too warm to suit me, I took it all in stride. It was time to see how much change time had wrought in this world capitol.

Unfortunately, I had to hurry everywhere, because my time was limited. At best, I only had two and one-half days to visit all the places that I did some 45 years prior.

I found a suitable hotel, following a few arguments with desk clerks at several places. Seems the prices had increased too much to suit my desires. The place I found was close enough to the train station, and an underground station was also nearby. Both were important to me.

After depositing my baggage in the hotel room, I grabbed my camera bag and off I went. My first destination was the Victoria and Albert Museum. To get there, I had to cross Kensington Gardens. Not a problem! The walk was enjoyable, as I saw people of all ages sprawled-out on the manicured lawns or standing about. It was late afternoon, just past tea time--as I remembered it.

The short journey took me about a half-hour and I found myself in front of the Albert Memorial. The first thing I noticed was that somebody had done a terrific paint job, and that made it all the more attractive. Gone was the old fashioned, soot-laden artifact I had previously recalled. Using both my still camera, then my camcorder, I managed to capture the essence of what was so interesting about this particular site. I spent maybe thrity-minutes here.

Satisfied so far, the sun now at eye-level, I decided my next visit would be to Hyde Park Corner. That took maybe 45 minutes to complete, and required passage through a good part of Kensington Gardens as well as adjoining Hyde Park. The expanse, through which I passed, was just like being out in the country. Despite all the large buildings just outside their perimeter, the parks were dominated by countless large trees (some in small forests), scattered bushes, and many wide-open areas in between.

When I reached the corner, I was taken aback by all the commotion that was all about the place. People and traffic were hurried, and I almost got knocked over several times. Finding a less busy spot, I managed to use my still camera as well as camcorder to capture to changing scene, as best I could. Lighting conditions had diminished, and I didn't have much time before I would have to discontinue my photographic quests.

So, I decided that I would spend the rest of my early evening pursuits in walking the perimeter of Hyde Park, and seeking a nice place in which to eat.

With the lovely park on my left and the extremely busy thoroughfares on my right, I made it all the way back to the vicinity of my hotel, before I came upon a public house. By now, I was very hungry. So, I grabbed a seat at a picnic table, of all things, located outside on the sidewalk. The menu offered fish and chips, as well as shepherd's pie. Either was to my liking. I waited for service, and waited some more. My stomach grumbling, soon joined by my mouth, I looked around only to find that a sign was prominently displayed indicating that on Friday, no food was served after 4 p.m. Distraught, I got up and left for a real restaurant.

I soon found one. Inside I ordered fish and chips. What I got--much to my displeasure--was hard and darkened, fried batter. It actually bent the tines on my fork, when I tried to puncture it. Finding a slit, as if it was a clamshell, I managed to pry the coating apart, and scrape out the tiny portion of white stuff inside. The waiter brought a bottle of catsup, at my insistence, and I lathered the chips with it. I must say that the catsup was excellent.

Still hungry, I traipsed back to my hotel room. I definitely needed a shower. Once done with that--complaints galore aside--I went to bed. Day one-half of my trip had ended.

The second day started off well for me. I left the hotel around 8:30 a.m., headed east along Bayswater Road a short walk, crossed it, and turned into Hyde Park. I was at the extreme northwest corner and searched, then found, the diagonal pathway that would take me directly to Hyde Park Corner.

I trudged about 1500 meters through the park to reach my first destination: Wellington Arch. To cross the busy street from Hyde Park Corner to the traffic island on which the Arch was located, I had to walk through a subway. It took me several minutes to get there. When I did, I decided that any filming should be left for the evening, because the sun was not right.

Leaving there, I proceeded alongside Constitution Hill to Buckingham Palace. The walk was pleasant, in the shade of medium-sized trees, stirred by a cool, gentle, morning breeze.

The Palace was reached by 9:35 a.m. In front was the Queen Victoria Monument, so I took several photos of that then aimed at the Palace itself. It's grayish features stood out nicely in the morning sunlight. I was happy with the film footage. To add more excitement to the event, I was hoping the changing-of-the-guard ceremony would proceed forthwith. One of the on-duty guards, however, informed me that such would not occur until 11:30.

Wanting to see as much as I could, I turned away and walked about 1300 meters up Birdcage Walk to enjoy being at Westminster Abbey again. It looked nice, having been cleaned since I was last here. Again, I took some photos and camcorder film footage.

Looking to my left, I appreciated the cleanliness of the tower holding Big Ben, also. My old photos of it showed nothing but sooty coloration to the entire structure. The beautiful golden colored paint made it look exceptional.

After walking about the local area for awhile, just enjoying being back in familiar surroundings, I wandered over to the Cenotaph. Here, I had to pay my respects to those who had lost their lives in the service to our freedom. I did so for several minutes, took a few photos and camcorder footage, then moved along up Whitehall Road.

Even before I got there, I could see the Horse Guards, mounted on their steeds, with helmeted plumes blowing in the wind, and shiny brass metal glimmering in the sun's reflection. It was around 10:30 a.m. now, and the sun was just right for me to get several photos of myself and the various guards. A crowd of people surrounded this busy tourist site, but I amanged to get soembody to use my camera and snap a few shots. To add to that, I even took several minutes of camcorder footage. I was delighted with the results.

Moving along, I walked about 800 meters to reach the Admiralty Arch and Trafalgar Square area by 10:37. Unfortunately, a lot of road construction was underway, so there were no good places from which to take memorable photos.

I spotted a subway, and took it into the heart of Trafalgar Square. From here, I was able to enjoy standing in the shadow of the immense monument with Lord Nelson atop it. The British lions, made of stone, were standing guard as they had done for years before this time. I saw all manner of people enjoying this open area, along with the notorious pigeons that had not lost their taste for anything resembling food.

Leaving the area in the same manner, via the subway, I came out on The Strand. I realized I had to walk alongside this famous street for some distance. St. Paul's Cathedral was my next destination and it was some 2500 meters distant.

Not too far along, and I was outside the Savoy Hotel. My grand mother stayed here on the way to America in 1909. Now, I had to stop and get a photo of myself standing in front of the entrance. It turned out well.

A little over half-way and I was in the vicinity of the Law Courts. I remembered the area quite well from my first visit, and intended to catch a few more photos here. Stopping at the Griffin Monument, I had someone take several photos of me beside it. After that, I shot some camcorder footage of the winged beast, as well as the ornately adorned buildings themselves. The street narrowed in this area, so I was much more aware of the exhaust fumes of the vehicles speeding by me.

Continuing onward, I made it to St. Paul's Cathedral by 11:15 a.m. Just as before, I was impressed. Christopher Wren had built a superstructure for his time. A lot of work was occurring on the edifice, mainly removing the black ash and soot that had laminated itself on the outside surfaces. In areas where the work had been completed, it looked marvelous. Unfortunately all the scaffolding detracted from the view; however, such was understandable.

I went inside to take a repeat tour of the church, but soon saw a sign banning all cameras and camcorders. This prohibition didn't suit me, so I went back outside.

Walking around the entire building took a lot of my time. Also, I wanted to get as many photos and camcorder film footage as I could. As a result, I probably spent about an hour in the vicinity.

Next on my list was a visit to the Mansion House, where the Lord Mayor of London resides. It was roughly 900 meters distant and I arrived there at 12:45 p.m. Since it was terribly difficult to enter, I didn't even try. The building was magnificent and I got my share of photos and filming completed in a few minutes.

I then headed for the Guildhall, about 500 meters distant and to the north. Arriving there, I saw several rows of bleachers with people occupying all the seating. I could see that a fete was in progress and blocked my view of and entry to the building. Taking a few pictures, and several minutes of film footage was all I could get.

Discouraged, I headed over to The Monument. Designed by Christopher Wren to commemorate the Great Fire of 1666, it was a great site to visit. I bought a ticket, ascended the 311 steps to the top, and took a number of photos and film footage looking down on London. It was a good bit refreshing as well.

My final tourist destination for the day was the Tower of London. I walked about 800 meters to reach it and arrived there around 2:15 p.m. It is an exciting place to tour and countless numbers of people were queued for tickets to get in, while many others were waiting to enter through the gateway. Since I had another day, I figured I would use tomorrow to take the inside tour.

Meanwhile, I was content to walk around the outside of the fortification and snap photos as well as film it. Of course, I had to get someone else to snap some photos of me in front of the edifice.

Around 2:30 p.m., I decided to walk around St. Katharine's Docks, because I noticed a lot of stores and restaurants therein. In just 15 minutes, I was "scarfing-down" some delicious shepherd's pie. It was more than I could consume, but I gave it my best try. I also needed lots of iced tea to cool down.

By 3 p.m., I had decided that I had completed my quest of returning to all the sites I had visited 45 years prior, and now I could travel wherever I wished. My first trip was to cross the nearby Tower Bridge, and tour the south embankment of the Thames River.


Tower Bridge was fascinating. Being of an engineering background, looking at the structure took me back a ways to when I was a student in college. The multi-colored paint scheme was very attractive. Walking across it was most enjoyable for me.

On the other side of the Thames, I found a long pathway that followed nicely along the embankment. Heading west, I encountered many sights worthwhile filming and taking snapshots of at the time.

The HMS Belfast submarine was moored in the river and I could have toured it, but did not do so. Having spent some time on subs, I figured taking a few photos of the outside and some film footage was adequate for now.

The next place I paused was at Hay's Galleria, a very modern-looking shopping and office area. It stood pretty much in stark contrast with so much of the surroundings that I had to take some snapshots.

Crossing London Bridge, my next stop was in the Clink Exhibitions area. The prison was interesting and so were some of the other exhibits. I didn't spend a lot of time here, just browsed a bit.

Across Southwark Bridge I spotted the Shakespeare Globe Museum. Knowing beforehand that I would enjoy a visit there, I stopped in and had a good look around. I could have spent a lot of time inside and money too; however, I managed to control myself and spent maybe ten minutes there.

Once across Blackfriars Bridge and in the vicinity of Waterloo Bridge were several places of interest to me. The National Theatre, Royal Festival Hall, and Haywood Gallery were very close to each other. I knew that if I entered any of them, I would spend a considerable amount of time inside; something I really didn't have much of at the time.

Continuing on, I finally reached Westminster Bridge, crossed the Thames again, and was back in the vicinity of the Parliament Buildings. From Tower Bridge, I had covered around 5,500 meters of travel. Also, I was just beginning to realize that I was more than a bit tired.

Earlier, I had passed right by Downing Street, and was determined to stop there. As a result, I had to head back up Whitehall Road. A few hundred meters and I was near it. Back in 1957, we could almost walk right up to the Prime Minister's door, save for the few bobbies who would have stopped us. Not so today, because they have the entire street blockaded at its intersection with Whitehall road.

From here, I decided to walk the long walk through St. James Park back to Buckingham, my morning visit. The walk was very relaxing, exceeded only by the brief rests sitting atop one or more of the benches located along the way.

After Buckingham, I trudged back to Wellington Arch. Reaching there around 6:30 p.m., the sun shone from the proper direction and I had several photos taken of me and the monument by passing tourists or locals. It worked out well indeed.

From this area, I again found the diagonal pathway that would take me back through Hyde Park to the Lancaster Gate Metro Station. To say the least, I was extemely tired. My day's journey at an end, in my hotel room nearby, I summed up my trip distance to around 19 kilometers. For certain, I did not know I had it in me.

Around 8:30 p.m., I found a nearby restaurant named Garfunkels. They offered, and I ate, a full English breakfast. With it, I had iced tea. The fare came to 7 pounds, 35 pence, and I tipped the waitress, Zelia, 2 pounds.

After several minutes of shopping at some of the small shops in nearby Paddington Station, I returned to my room, showered, then eagerly climbed into bed. I was ready for a long, restful sleep.

The next morning arrived soon enough. This was my last full day in London, and I wanted to make the most of it.

After a light breakfast, I headed out the door and walked to Lancaster Gate Metro Station. It cost only 1 pound and 60 pence to ride the Tube all the way to Tower Hill, changing trains at Bank Station.

I arrived around 9:30 a.m. and had to wait in line for a ticket until 10 a.m. With ticket in hand, I entered the tower grounds at 10:30. In 5 minutes or so, our Yeoman Warder guide began his presentation. Our group moved along with him as he took us past the Black Tower, then the White Tower, then the execution area. I took special note of this place because it was here that Henry VIII had disposed of a few wives. Around 11:20, we were back inside viewing all the crown jewels, of which there were many. A splendid presentation in their glass walled cases.

After gaining exit to the outside, I walked around the inner courtyard and snapped more than a few photos and took a lot of film footage. I even had a few taken of me with the guards on duty.

The last event of the day was for me to tour the inside of the White Tower, with the armoury contained therein. I saw many of the armaments of the early periods, as well as the uniforms and devices used in medieval warfare. By noon I was finished with the walking tour and back outside.

Outside, on one of the many manicured lawns, a live display was occurring of knight paraphernalia and aramaments. I enjoyed that for 15 minutes, then sought the exit. The time was 12:15 p.m.

From the Tower area, I walked back to The Monument. I wanted to get some photos of the entire structure, but could not get far back enough to capture the entirety. Just too many buildings in the way. so, I did the best I could then ventured on.

My last stop was St. Paul's Cathedral. I wanted some more pictures and a last look at one of my favorite tourist sites. Also, the tourist information center was nearby, and I wanted to take some more tourist brochures home.

By 2 p.m., I was in the Tower Underground Tube Station waiting for a ride back to Lancaster Gate. The ride took only 15 minutes, if that.

Once back in my hotel room, I unwound for 15 minutes of rest. My plan was to take it easy for the rest of the day.

By 4 p.m., I was back in the shops at Paddington Station buying a few souvenirs for friends back home. The Sainsbury's Local allowed me to make several more purchases. I wandered around a bit more, then back to the hotel room to drop off my bags.

Supper that evening occurred at Ask Pizza & Pasta. It was enarby and I decided that I would try a British version. It was tasty, even though expensive.

Back to my room afterwards, to pack my bags, shower, and get some sleep. I was abed at 10 p.m.

The last day I was in London began early. I checked out of the hotel at 6:45 a.m. and dragged my baggage to Paddington Station. Just before boarding the train for Swindon, I felt a little rush of joy that I had accomplished all I wanted--and then some--in my return to London.

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