Paddington Rail Station, London

Norfolk Square, Paddington, London

Norfolk Square, Paddington, London. These trees are covered in crawling Ivy!

I decided to go with a B&B, and and researched several online that the Rick Steves London guidebook had mentioned. I ended up staying at the St. David's Hotels for my entire stay and it worked out very well indeed. The B&B staff were very friendly and helpful, and the included breakfast was a great starter. The B&B also had a great location, just some two blocks from the Paddington Tube entrance and the Paddington Train Station. For rates visit the ST. DAVID'S HOTELS website.

The staff desk at St. David's Hotels I made reservations far enough ahead to obtain a ground-level room with full bath (I'm not one for sharing the bath). Initially, the room seemed cramped, but after my first night and day in London it never bothered me again. I wasn't there to spend time in the room! The staff got used to me leaving in the morning and coming back late in the evening, as I tried to fill my days full of London sites.

A view toward Norfolk Square from the lobby of the St. David's Hotels.

The English breakfast provided at St. David's. The beans was an unexpected addition to breakfast. And, I can't say it was all that objectionable. But, after 2 or 3 days I did ask to have it minus the beans ;-) Otherwise it was smashingly good!

A new adventure - traveling by train! My most widely used routes were the Circle, District, and Bakerloo lines. See maps of the Tube at: https://tfl.gov.uk/maps/track/tube

The first time I waited for a train in the Tube I was unsure where to stand. I noticed a man with a microphone who occasionally announced things so I asked him, "Where should I stand for the train?" He replied, "Sir, just there would be lovely."

The trains are always on the move in London! The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground, or by its nickname the Tube) is a public rapid transit system serving London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. The world's first underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway, which opened in 1863, is now part of the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines; the first line to operate underground electric traction trains, the City & South London Railway in 1890, is now part of the Northern line.[7] The network has expanded to 11 lines, and in 2015–16 carried 1.34 billion passengers,[3] making it the world's 11th busiest metro system. The 11 lines collectively handle approximately 4.8 million passengers a day.[2] (Wikipedia)

You never wait too long for a train in London. Although there are times that the platforms are so full people have to wait for the next train. When you consider how many trains are running under London its amazing to think there are buildings (or a river!) up above that don't come crashing down!

Selfie! That be me! Outside Buckingham Palace.

The Queen's Guard and Queen's Life Guard (called King's Guard and King's Life Guard when the reigning monarch is male) are the names given to contingents of infantry and cavalry soldiers charged with guarding the official royal residences in the United Kingdom. The British Army has regiments of both Horse Guards and Foot Guards predating the English Restoration (1660), and since the reign of King Charles II these regiments have been responsible for guarding the Sovereign's palaces. They are not purely ceremonial, despite tourist perceptions to the contrary. The Queen's Guard are fully operational soldiers. (Wikipedia)

The Queen's Guard standing post outside Buckingham Palace.

Tourists visiting Buckingham Palace like to take pictures at the Queen Victoria Memorial across from the palace..

One of the many flower beds surrounding the Queen Victoria Memorial.

A lovely Spring day at St. James park. St James's Park is a 23-hectare (57-acre) park in the City of Westminster, central London. The park lies at the southernmost tip of the St James's area, which was named after a leper hospital dedicated to St James the Less. The park is the most easterly of a near-continuous chain of parks that comprises (moving westward) Green Park, Hyde Park, and Kensington Gardens.[1][2][3] The park is bounded by Buckingham Palace to the west, the Mall to the north, Horse Guards to the east, and Birdcage Walk to the south. It meets Green Park at Queen's Gardens with the Victoria Memorial at its centre, opposite the entrance to Buckingham Palace. St James's Palace is on the opposite side of The Mall. The closest London Underground stations are St James's Park, Green Park, Victoria, and Westminster. (Wikipedia)

London traffic, and the quintessential double-decker bus! Route 159 runs from Streatham Station to Marble Arch Station.

If you're in England you *must* try Fish & Chips at least once! I on the other hand developed a penchant for them. Yes, I used ketchup the first time. But, after that it was malt vinegar all the way ;-)

A very helpful suggestion from the Rick Steves guidebook was to take a Big Bus tour. I purchased my tickets online before leaving and it worked out fine. It's really a great way of getting acclimated to a new city or place. Otherwise, you just muddle around trying to find your way, wasting valuable time. So, I made the bus tour my first real activity and it helped immensely. I did a one-day trip to Paris on my last full day of the trip, and I took the Big Bus tour there also. It provided me with the opportunity to take lots of pictures of Paris from the open-air top, which I could never have gotten just fumbling around by myself.

The quintessential London taxi cab! In the United Kingdom, the name hackney carriage today refers to a taxicab licensed by the Public Carriage Office, local authority (non-metropolitan district councils, unitary authorities) or the Department of the Environment depending on region of the country. (Wikipedia)

City scenery with the London Eye hiding in the background.

A view of the London Eye from the Queen's Walk.

Another view of the London Eye from the Golden Jubilee Bridge, with Westminster Palace and Big Ben in the background.

An example of some iconic London't architecture.

Approaching St. Paul's Cathedral.

St Paul's Cathedral, London, is an Anglican cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London. It sits on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grade 1 listed building. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604.[1] The present church, dating from the late 17th century, was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren. Its construction, completed in Wren's lifetime, was part of a major rebuilding programme in the City after the Great Fire of London.[2] The cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognisable sights of London. Its dome, framed by the spires of Wren's City churches, dominated the skyline for 300 years.[3] At 365 feet (111 m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1967. The dome is among the highest in the world. (Wikipedia)

The Thames river displaying Tower Bridge, and the HMS Belfast museum ship. The HMS Belfast is a museum ship, originally a light cruiser built for the Royal Navy, currently permanently moored on the River Thames in London, England, and operated by the Imperial War Museum. (Wikipedia)

A view of The Shard. The Shard, also referred to as the Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.7 metres (1,016 ft) high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom. (Wikipedia)

The Shard sky scraper.

Approaching Tower Bridge. Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London built in 1886–1894. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become an iconic symbol of London. (Wikipedia)

Just one of the many unique cubbyholes you might see as you travel about London.

Though I was on the Big Bus Tour these young lads spotted my camera and had some youthful fun while I snapped away.

A London city walkway around the perimeter of the Fortress of the Tower of London. The Tower of London, officially Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill. It was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078 and was a resented symbol of oppression, inflicted upon London by the new ruling elite. The castle was used as a prison from 1100 (Ranulf Flambard) until 1952 (Kray twins),[3] although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. There were several phases of expansion, mainly under Kings Richard the Lionheart, Henry III, and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established by the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site. (Wikipedia)

Fortress of the Tower of London.

Fortress of the Tower of London.

Just had to capture a quick shot of the "New Scotland Yard!" ;-)

View of the London Eye from the Victoria Embankment.

The Westminster Bridge from the Victoria Embankment.

A view of Westminster Palace (Parliament) and Big Ben. The Parliament of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the UK Parliament or British Parliament, is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories.[3] It alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and its territories. Its head is the Sovereign of the United Kingdom (currently Queen Elizabeth II) and its seat is the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster, one of the boroughs of the British capital, London. (Wikipedia)

Westminster Palace (the seat of Parliament).

View of the London Eye from Westminster Bridge.

View of the London Eye and the Queen's Walk from the South end of the Westminster Bridge.

The Palace of Westminster is a Victorian Gothic masterpiece designed by Sir Charles Barry and A.W. Pugin to replace the medieval parliament buildings which burnt to the ground in 1834. The result of their work is one of the great buildings of the Victorian era and acts as home to the Houses pf Parliament. (Link)