london in february: day 1.

and finally, my recap of my trip to london from over a week ago.

this journey will remain in my memory as a very dear one. london is such vivid and bright place, full of surprises, full of history. it's such a melting pot of cultures, savoir vivres and i still can't put into words exactly why i loved visiting london. i try my best and also let to my pictures do some of the work.

london can be very overwhelming at times, but there are little places scattered everywhere that bring you freedom from the mass gatherings of people near tourist hot spots, where you can come down, breathe in, let the visuals seep into your brain.

i also really recommend to any london visitor to venture a bit out of the touristic places! london is more than buckingham palace, big ben, tower bridge and madame tussaud's ( even though you should definitely pay a visit ). we didn't enter some of the 'must-see's' simply because we ventured out into lonely streets, not so present historic places and walked a whole lot. when we finally arrived at some of the places we wanted to see, the lines were extraordinarily long ( up until 60 minutes waiting time! ) and, simply put, too late to see everything in a stressfree mode. and to pay full prices for a small amount of time left to see something was definitely not in my price range, and i also wanted to see more! the time you were waiting for something to enter, this time could be better used for heading into small backstreets, walking over little markets, and enjoying all the tidbits london has to offer.

what i have decided for the future is that i will definitely visit london again! to see all the things, i didn't have a chance to see this time ( albert & victoria museum, sea life, london eye, westminster abbey from the inside, hyde park, covent garden, tate museums and so much more! ). ( i recommend standing up early - the so called touristic places are not as crowded in the morning as in the afternoon. )

say hello to jasmin and me.

first sight of the gherkin! it was our landmark on how to find back to our hotel.


the bull. i really loved all the perfect little inns with their black entrances and house fronts.


back alley. the street art in london is really something to have a look at.


the crown & shuttle. withering away.


hanging ham.


a very cool cockroach.




in bunhill fields, an old cemetery, we found these little tamed critters, searching and begging for food. first we thought they want to attack us, but in the end they were really harmless. and pretty numerous!




see? just begging for nuts.


some very high towers.


bank of england.


i forgot what buildings these were.


pickford's wharf and golden hinde replica.


meet the shard, the highest building of london.


the sun made it's way through. it rained a little that late afternoon. a walk by the thames was exactly what you should do to end your first day in london.


the tower bridge from afar.


everyone's favourite water bird. maybe. but gulls can be found everywhere.


fish on lamp.


we're getting nearer to the bridge.


hay's galleria.


city hall & h.m.s. belfast.


view on glouchester court.


the tower of london.


a roof mix.


tower bathing in golden light.


a sunset scenery.


tower entrance.


architectural styles.


the tower millenium pier and shard.


finally reaching the tower bridge. what a sight.


and the tower went to sleep.


this bridge is very blue.


the thames.


view onto tower hill!


leaving the bridge. good night first day of london!