Too soon . . . final pictures of London with Mom and Liz

The last really touristy day of our trip in London took us by Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Trafalger Square, and 10 Downing Street, among other places.  The following are taken from a different perspective than most photos of the Parliament, as the building looks even more impressive when viewed unobstructed from across the river.

As was the case with St. Paul's, photography was banned inside Westminster Abbey.  This precluded me from taking more than a couple of meaningful photos.  My favorite is posted below.

The last two photos of this post are of the entrance to the Prime Ministers residence and the gateway to the mall respectively.  I could have included a couple photos of Trafalger square as well, but it lacked the interest of some of the other sites we visited and was packed with the interesting characters who showed up for the pride parade.

St. Paul's and the Girls

St. Paul's was truly stunning, dwarfing the other cathedrals we had seen in both scale and grandeur, but the church seems to recognize this and has banned photography in order to secure a monopoly on images of the spectacular interior.  I was, however, permitted to take photos of the exterior and included a couple of my favorites below.

In truth, I was allowed to take one picture of the interior.  It was rushed and is taken through thick plexiglass, but should at least give an idea of what the Cathedral looked like from the top of the dome.

The two pictures immediately following are of Mom and Liz, and were taken as we toured St. Paul's.  The first was taken from the top of the dome and the second from the Millennium Bridge.  I also included a third to give a different vantage point of the city, highlighting the Shard and the Tower Bridge.

THE City

In finance, there are two major banking centers, Wallstreet and "The City."  From atop one of the most spectacular buildings in London, St. Paul's, its was easy where London got its title.  Below are a few pictures of London from our first day in the city.  Unfortunately, I have since learned a couple of photographic tricks that would have made the pictures slightly clearer, but these should give a good impression of the view nonetheless.

Oxford (day two)

Our second day in Oxford was very laid back.  We had a picnic lunch and then watched people attempt to punt for most of the afternoon.  I still got a few good photos from walking around town in the morning though.

The last couple are from inside one of the colleges.  We almost didn't go in because of how late it opened, but we were glad we did.  I provided a great place to sit out and watch the punters as well.

Oxford (day one)

By this point in the trip I think I had already eclipsed the 1000 photo mark, so it has been rather hard to pick out the best to post.  Though I know I should have cut a couple out, I included 7 photos from our first day in Oxford.  The first three are of the University Church, which was quite spectacular.

Below are a couple of pictures that struck me as being distinctly British.  There really is a feel about England (or at least parts of England) that we don't have in the United States.

The next picture is especially for Granny.  Her garden may be more impressive than the Oxford Botanical Garden, but when I saw the big rose garden I couldn't help but think of her.

Finally, I included a picture that Mom actually took.  Somehow, she always manages to get Liz to give a good smile (I never can).

Picnic at Bath

The following pictures aren't really of Bath so much as they are of Mom and Liz, but I thought everyone should know what I had to put up with as I toured England :)

Haha, and that summarizes the trip . . .  Actually, the trip wouldn't have been half the fun without Mom and Liz, but that series of photos was too good to resist.  I put a couple more of our picnic spot below.  I figured if nothing else Granny would appreciate our choice.

Bath (day two)

Our second day in Bath we actually visited the Roman Baths and toured the Bath Abbey, which though it failed to attain the rank of cathedral, was quite stunning nonetheless.

These first photos are from inside the Roman Baths.

Next are a few photos of the Bath Abbey.  The first was taken to the background vocals of a street performer who easily had one of the most impressive voices I have ever heard.  It is truly a wonder she hasn't been picked up by the opera.

Bath (day one)

I am breaking Bath into a couple of posts because I have so many good pictures.  It was far and away the most beautiful and relaxing place we went in England and marked a real highlight of the trip.

The first picture is from the outskirts of Bath, looking down on town.  Photos really can't do the scenery justice.

The next couple photos are of the river through town and what is apparently one of only two bridges in the world to have shops on both sides (the other is the significantly more famous bridge in Venice).

The last photo is of a segment of the famous circus in Bath.  The buildings are all identical and literally curve around a large roundabout with three exits.

The Salisbury Cathedral

The Salisbury Cathedral was absolutely stunning and the town itself was actually quite nice as well.  The rain may have hampered our picnicking plans, but we still had a great afternoon.  Below are a few of my favorite pictures of the cathedral.

Alas, even the magnificence of the cathedral pales in comparison to the beauty of family :)  (Then again, had Liz smiled better I could have posted the picture of her and mom in front of the cathedral . . . haha)

Brighton

These are just a few of the photos from our time in Brighton.  The first couple of pictures are of the Brighton Pavilion, which was actually too big to photograph properly.

Below is a photo of the marina, and more importantly, the cliffs in Brighton.  The reminded me of what I had heard of the cliffs of Dover, which I have since learned are indeed very similar.