A trip to the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace. It is responsible for all road transport arrangements for the Queen and the members of the Royal Family. We viewed the carriages, cars, livery and harnesses. We even had chance to sit in a carriage! The highlight was viewing the 260 year old Gold Coach featured recently at Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee Pageant.

Here are the guards heading to Buckingham Palace. One of London's most popular attractions which shows the pomp and ceremony for which Britain is famous. Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is where The Queen's Guard hands over responsibility for protecting Buckingham Palace and St Jame's Palace to the New Guard. This is one of the highlights of the tour. My group was lucky and saw the 1st Battalion Irish Guards playing the bagpipes. #London #londonvlog #londontoursbyfoot #londontour #londontourism #londontourist #londontouristattractions

A last minute booking on my day in London. The London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel at 135 metres and is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over 3 million visitors annually. Making the booking on my phone half an hour before, I made my way past Westminster and Big Ben through the crowds to the London Eye. The cost of the London Eye is similar to most attractions in London and big cities. I received a time slot and had to wait in line to board the London Eye at that time. The line moved really quickly. Each capsule held up to 25 people. After security we could board our capsule. The London Eye lift you high enough to see up to 40 kilometres on a clear day as we climbed we saw this magnificent city unfold beneath us.

After a cup of tea along the Thames, I managed to get a tour of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The original theatre is famous as the venue of William Shakespeare's plays (1599). The tour lasted approximately 40 minutes. The guide took us into the theatre and we saw the actors getting ready for a performance that afternoon. This theatre stands only yards away from Shakespeare's original Globe Theatre and has been rebuilt to be as similar to the original Globe as possible. This is the third Globe Theatre. This theatre was officially opened 1997. The shape is an icosagon (20 sided polygon) and it can hold 1570 people (700 standing). The twelve signs of the zodiac are painted on the roof over the stage called 'The Heavens'. Built from oak beams, lime plaster walls and a water reed thatched roof. It is the only thatched roof building in London. The plaster walls help with the acoustics so the sound travels around the theatre. We could clearly hear the actors warming up on stage. The Globe is a fair weather destination and is only open for performances during certain times of the year (not Winter) . Without a roof audiences need to dress for the weather! If you want a cheaper ticket to watch a performance then you need to stand in 'The Pit' (the standing area at the foot of the stage. In the original Globe Theatre, audiences could get a ticket for as little as a penny enabling theater to be open to the less wealthy citizens. On June 29th, 1613 during a performance of Shakespeare's Henry VIII some small canons were fired using real gunpowder and the roof caught alight. Luckily someone threw some beer over the flames - no-one was hurt! This theatre is really remarkable and definitely worth a visit. When the guide takes you through 'The Pit' to see the timber frame columns and sky overhead, it really takes you into the era of Shakespeare and theatres at that time. #globetheatre #London #londontour #tourlondon #movetouk

Had an enjoyable morning learning the great stories from this historic city. This museum is free to visit and is one of the more recent museums. One of the most interesting displays was 'London before London' 450,000 BC - 50 AD telling the story of London before the city was even built. Did you know... 125,000 years ago hippos lived in Trafalgar Square ! There was a Roman London display (AD 50 -410) -to discover how 'Londinium' came to life and what daily life was like in the city 2000 years ago.Roman London was the biggest city Britain would see for over a 1000 years! Another exhibition also covered Medieval London 410-1558. This Museum was brilliant of telling the story of the War, Plague and Fire that affected London. There were video shows telling the story of the Great Fire in 1666 and the Black Death Plague. These were really informative and showed what a terrible time people had at that time. The Museum brought the displays through the ages up the modern times with the icon of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012 - The London 2012 Cauldron. This museum was a good way to become familiar with the history of the London.

This is something that I have always wanted to do... St Pauls is such a beautiful Cathedral set in the heart of one of the great cities. When you walk in and view this Cathedral it takes your breath away. Some famous events that have taken place here are : 1897 Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II's Jubilees and 80th birthday in 2006, The Royal wedding of HRH The Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 Included in the entry price is a guided tour exploring the main areas of the Cathedral such as the Nave, All Soul's Chapel: the Kitchener Memorial, St Dunstan Chapel, The Chapel of St Michael and St George and the Crypt to name a few. St Pauls has a large dome and at 111.3 metres high, it is one of the largest cathedral domes in the world and weighs approximately 65,000 tons. Within the dome there are three gallery levels. The Whispering Gallery runs around the interior of the dome. It is 257 steps from ground level. Two higher galleries encircle the outside of the dome, the Stone Gallery and the smaller, Golden Gallery which runs around the outer dome at 528 steps from the Cathedral floor. I climbed to the highest point to marvel at the superb views across London. This is a fascinating place full of history and splendour. #London #stpaulscathedral

It was fun seeing the vintage aeroplanes, cars, bikes and buses. There was so much to see here. The highlight of the day was watching Avro Anson taking off. Shuttleworth covers the history of most modes of transport through the ages including the early days of flight with the Wright Brothers (1867 - 1912). It was fascinating reading the history of flight. The first flight as made by Orville Wright and lasted for 12 seconds. Unfortunately whilst the aeroplane was left unattended after the last flight, it was caught by a violent gust of wind, overturned and was considerably damaged. This mishap prevented further experiments at that time. The vintage planes were not the only thing to see here. There are also the Swiss Gardens and Shuttleworth House. So much to see - might go for another visit before I return to the USA.

Walking in an English Garden An afternoon visiting Wrest Park! Wrest Park is a country estate located in Silsoe, Bedfordshire, England. It comprises of a Grade I listed country house, and Wrest Park Gardens, also Grade I listed, formal gardens surrounding the mansion. With over 90 spacious acres to explore, it was a good day out in the fresh air admiring the evolution of the English garden. Strolling through centuries of landscape design showcasing a range of styles including Dutch and Italian, wandering along the show-stopping formal Long Water walk and admiring the beautiful classical statues. The 1830s house itself is remarkable, a near unique example of English architecture following the style of an 18th-century French chateau. Its grounds are a glorious amalgam of three centuries of English garden design, and contain one of the few remaining formal gardens of the early 18th century. For over 600 years the Wrest estate was home to one of the leading aristocratic families in the country, the de Greys. Each generation left its mark on the estate. The family reached its greatest prominence when Edward IV made Edmund Grey his Lord Treasurer in 1463 and then Earl of Kent in 1465. More than 200 years later the formal gardens and the canal known as the Long Water were created by Amabel Benn, together with her son, Anthony, the 11th Earl, and his wife, Mary. This is a huge estate including the house itself, a walled garden, Italian garden, Rose garden, Conservatory, Orangery, Bath House, Terrace & French Parterre, Pavilion and pond. The gardens were the showstopper of the visit with carefully manicured borders. A must see on a tour of England. #UK #wrestparkbedfordshire #wrestparksilsoe #wrestparkhouseandgardens #uktour #touruk

A walk in the English Countryside! The weather here has been quite warm and sunny with no rain. The ideal opportunity to explore the surrounding area. I walked over the hills and dale and through the woods from the County of Bedfordshire to the County of Hertfordshire. Loved seeing the carpet of bluebells in a nearby wood. There were some public footpaths going over private land with interesting gates that safeguard the gate being left open. Here's a few of my photos! The end of my walk finished in Lilley, a small village in the County of Hertfordshire. It is over 600 feet above sea level. The church was rebuilt in the 19th century but contains such of the original features. My walk finished at the Lilley Arms where there is good food and local beer.