This is part 2 of our second day in London way back in 2019. It was early spring, but compared to Norway, it was much warmer in this city. After visiting the Prime Meridian and the rest of the attraction in the royal borough of Greenwich, we took the boat and cruised along the river Thames, getting off at the Tower Millennium pier. From there, we took a walk, admiring the sites the city has to offer, like the Tower of London, the beautiful St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Shakespeare’s Globe. We also checked out the Tower Bridge and the London Bridge from afar, and crossed the Millennium Bridge (which was destroyed by the Death Eaters in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince). To spice the day up, we enjoyed some fish n’ chips, and bought some take-away’s from Jollibee in London.

***

I remembered the cruise from Greenwich pier to the city center as quite bumpy. The river had much water and was murky and wavy in spring. Seeing London from the water was a nice experience, and we even crossed the Tower bridge from below. The Tower bridge is often mistaken as the London Bridge, but the real London bridge, in my opinion, looked more ordinary than the other bridges in the city. The London bridge was reconstructed many times, from the wooden bridges between AD 50-1176, to stone arches, and now to the modern one which is about 50 years old.

Anyway, the elegant looking bridge that I ( and many others) associate with London is the Tower Bridge. Built between 1886 and 1894, it is 240 meters in length and has two 65-meter towers.

We took more photos of the lovely Tower Bridge upon getting off, because.. has one really have set foot in London if there was no photo with the Tower Bridge in the background?

Just a few steps away from the pier is the Tower of London, or officially named as His Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London (it was a Her Majesty’s during our visit in 2019). It’s a beautiful castle complex dating back to the 1000’s. Because of its cultural relevance, it has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988.

Then, we walked along the river, gazing at the buildings on the other side. A prominent structure was the Shard, a 310-meter tall skyskraper shaped like a pyramid! It has 72-storeys and is currently holding the title as the talles building in the U.K. We also had some fish n’ chips for lunch, which I decided then, was mandatory when in London. (Carl only had the chips. He rarely likes fish).

Energized, we got back on our feet and continued sightseeing. We passed by the real London bridge..

and then the beautiful St. Paul’s Cathedral. Dating back from the 1700’s, it is the seat of the Bishop of London. I was a bit disappointed because it was not possible to see the interior of the church at that time.

Moving, we reached the Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian suspension bridge opened in 2000. For some Harry Potter vibes:

And so, we found ourselves on the other side of the river. I wanted to check out Shakespeare’s Globe. London was very crowded, to be honest. Tourists and locals everywhere.

There are many other bridges in the city, but so far, those three mentioned above were the ones I remember.

There was a lot of impressions during our sightseeing that day. For dinner, we bought some take-aways from Jollibee (of course). I’ve craved for the Filipino fastfood for a very long time. However, as I indulged in the Jolly spaghetti, I thought that I didn’t remember it to be super sweet! Anyway, this is London Day 2. ALL PHOTOS AND VIDEOS ON THIS BLOG ARE MINE. Cheers! 🙂 #spreadloveandpositivevibes