May, 2025 in London: Day 2
It was Day 3 that I realized most of my itinerary was focused on architecture. Nearly every place on my list satisfied some desire to see beautiful, old buildings. Naturally, that brought me to Westminster Squareā¦
The visit to Parliament might have been more enjoyable had I either booked a tour or my audio guide headset been working properly. However, I preferred to make the visit alone so that I could come and go as I pleased.
Photography wasnāt allowed beyond the first few halls and I wish I could have captured the loveliness of the plush, opulent chambers. There were small dark nooks that I wondered in and out of. I took in everything.
I usually find souvenir shops to be a waste of money but I was enjoying my time so much that I wanted to commemorate it. The above are part of a set of childrenās blocks that Iāve placed on my shelf at home.
After the gift shop, I went across the street to the London tourism piĆØce de rĆ©sistance: Westminster Abbey. I might have been 5 steps closer to God in this wondrous cavern built for Him had it not been for the sea of pesky tourists. If I ever return to Westminster Abbey, believe I will be the first person in line at opening.
I didnāt enjoy it as much as I would have liked to. But it still was a marvelous sight to see. And I had no idea it was so big. However, the large crowd of tourists actually subverted the holiness of the space: the crowds of sightseers made Westminster Abbey feel like more of a theme park attraction. But that didnāt take away from the beautyā¦
After exploring the courtyard, I got ready to leave the church and realized a service(?) was being held. I stood by to revel in this live service (actually being held at Westminster Abbey!) but I couldnāt focus on what was being said. The entire experience seemed a bit bizarre, truthfully (Iāll expand on that more when we meet)ā¦
Benjamin Franklinās London home.
As my close friends will tell you, my aim in London was to ātour the interiors of really old homesā. That brought me to Benjamin Franklinās London home. This was actually the least exciting stop on my tour. None of the original furnishings were in the home. Much of the flooring was original and some of the wood trim as well. However, there were no remnants from his life, save a small wallet behind a case in the basement. On top of that, I booked a āself tourā but was still held hostage by a tour guide for nearly an hour. I should have excused myself after 15 minutes.
Benjamin Franklinās London home.
The Ship & Shovell in Charing Cross.
After I left Franklinās old home, I went to a pub called The Ship & Shovell around the cornerā¦ I had a saladā¦ no beer (ā¦surely, this counts as proper pub fare, right?). The research on Reddit told me that you order at the bar as waiters donāt typically take your order at the tableā¦ Also, you sit whereever you want!
After lunch, I was still in the mood to explore so I took the tube to Harrodās. Everything you could ever want in designer goods, gourmet foods, spirits and wines. I shouldnāt but Iām definitely going back to Harrodās on my next trip (if youād like to please me, you can find some Harrodās gifts on my Throne wishlist).
Their gift shop was huge. Not even New York Cityās 59th Bloomingdaleās gift shop is this big. But Harrodās is known for their logo shopping totes and I wonder if the allure of anything with a Harrodās logo led to an expansion of their gift shop over the years.
Dining hall at Harrodās.
Dear Future British Gent of mine, it is often said (at least in the states) that London is not known for its food. I fear that the dining hall inisde Harrodās did nothing to dispel this rumor. But itās only fair that you get a chance to defend yourselves and, if we are wrong, please send your best representatives to argue your caseā¦
All jokes aside, I came for the best that the British had to offer in way of dining and I knew I would find it (more on that in an upcoming blog post).
Thus ended my second day in London, with a lot of gifts, steamed asparagus, and an āinterestingā tasting half chicken.
To see more lovely photos of my trip in London, view the āLondonā Highlight in my Instagram profile.
