Napoleonic Heroes and British Government structures

Last night, my friend Nate joined me here in London and today we saw a number of the city’s main attractions.  We took the metro to Hyde Park and then walked down through it to Wellington Arch, which was erected in memory of Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, who was a celebrated military hero who commanded the British forces in their mission to help the Spanish fight for their independence against Napoleonic France and also commanded the British forces at Waterloo.  While at that monument, we saw a cavalcade of horsemen (in dress uniform) ride through the arch and down the lane.  We followed them as far as Buckingham Palace and they continued on.

Buckingham Palace was very impressive.  Surprisingly, the Queen’s Guard was not wearing red.  Apparently, in cold weather, they wear grey coats instead.  We continued our tour of London by walking through another garden to Trafalgar Square.  There, a statue of Admiral Nelson, one of the most awesome men in British History, is standing atop a massive column.  At the Battle of Trafalgar, Admiral Horatio Nelson commanded the British fleet that wiped out Napoleon’s French fleet that was preparing to invade Britain.

We continued on to see Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, and the Houses of British Parliament.  We crossed the River Thames and proceeded to walk along the river until we reached the Tower Bridge, on the opposite side of the city.  There, we crossed the bridge and saw the infamous Tower of London.  Not actually a tower, but a medieval fortress/castle, the Tower of London was host to a number of famous prisoners who usually met ghastly ends at the chopping block.

After that, we went to Regent’s Park, which was very nice.  Passing through the park we came to Primrose Hill, another park just behind it.  From the summit, we could see just about all of the major landmarks of London.  The view was spectacular.  We spent several minutes just sitting on the cross on the hill and staring at the city.  After that we swung back through Regent’s Park and went down Baker Street, past the Sherlock Holmes Museum.  I might have to come back and visit it tomorrow.