Texans Tour of London: Day 4

London Marathon: week 16 of 19
Friday target run: 1 hour and 30 minutes

As day 4 was dawning of the Texans Tour of London, sunshine was exploding all over the city. Could the spring flowers and blossoming trees have looked any better? In my view, London was picture postcard perfect all week but no more so than on this day.

Although the Texans had done "London 101" before, they were interested in walking past a few of the main Westminster, Whitehall, and St. James/Green Park hot spots....and so we began. First stop: Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey.

Shortly after becoming Prime Minister in May 1940, Winston Churchill visited the Cabinet War Rooms to see for himself what preparations had been made to allow him and his War Cabinet to continue working throughout the expected air raids on London. These rooms, located underneath the buildings of the Home Office and Foreign Home Office, were designed to provide working and living accomodations for Churchill, Churchill's family, and those connected with overseeing the war. Having initially opened in the mid 80's, the Cabinet War Rooms were renovated in 2003. So next stop: The Cabine War Rooms...as they were in the early 1940s.

The Queen's Horse Guards stand on the site of Henry VIII's tournament ground or 'tiltyard'. Nearby is a remnant of the 'real tennis' court where Henry is said to have played the forerunner of modern lawn tennis. These mounted guardsmen originally protected what was the main entrance to Buckingham Palace; royal processions travelling through Whitehall still pass under the arches of the building.

The Queen's Horse Guards at Whitehall.

St. James Park.

Buckingham Palace ,including a glimpse of it peeking through Green Park, as well as the Victoria Memorial.

Green Park.

After a dinner in the Shepherd's market area, we spent 2 hours on the "Jack the Ripper" Tour. Yes, we did. Don't knock it until you have tried it.