Today was a cloudy day, and it started a bit rainy. Fortunately, the rain disappeared pretty quickly.
We started by heading over towards some of the typical tourist attractions. On the way, we were reminded of what the fall season means back home:

We headed to Green Park and skirted around the outside to get to Buckingham Palace. We determined that the Queen was not at home today, as the Union Jack flag was flying up top.

Next up was Westminster Abbey. We contemplated doing the walk-through tour, but it was going to be pricey, and the line was very long, and not really moving. I just decided to take some pictures of the outside instead.

Big Ben would have been next, but he is almost completely covered with scaffolding at the moment, so that was kind of a let-down. We headed over to Parliament, and the guard was rather amused with my photographing efforts.






We then headed over to the Florence Nightingale Museum. The most interesting tidbit I learned about her was that in her will, she left her nephew in charge of things, and he was supposed to destroy all of her notes, with the exception of a small selection. Fortunately, he didn’t do that, or we wouldn’t have all of the knowledge today about what an impact she had on nursing, medicine.
After the museum, we did a little wandering as we looked for someplace for dinner. We found The Crown & Cushion, and grabbed some pub grub. It wasn’t awesome, by any means, but it did the trick. Onward and upward.


Last up was Trafalgar Square and seeing the front of the National Gallery during ‘the Golden Hour’ before grabbing some dessert and heading back home.





We did a LOT of wandering around today and looking for blue plaques.
Blue Plaques from today:
- Frederic Chopin – Lived from 1810-1849. The residence in question was where he left to give his last public performance at the Guildhall.
- Wilfrid Scawen Blunt – Lived from 1840-1922, he was a diplomat, poet, and traveler. He was the founder of Crabbett Park Arabian Stud.
- Jeremy Bentham – A philosopher and reformer, he lived in the marked residence from 1792-1832. He was born in 1748, and died in 1932.
- James Mill (1773-1836) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) – Both gentleman were philosophers, and lived on-site from 1814-1831.
- Lord Haldane – Lived from 1856-1928. He was a statesman, lawyer, and philosopher.
- Lord Palmerston (*)- Lived from 1784-1865. He was a prime minister, and was actually born in the marked residence.
- William Smith – Lived from 1756-1835. He was a pioneer of religious liberty.
- Lord Fisher – He lived from 1841-1920, and was Admiral of the Fleet. He lived in the residence as a First Sea Lord from 1904-1910.
- Charles Townley – An antiquary and collector, he lived from 1737-1805.
- Sir Edward Grey – Viscount Grey of Falloden, he lived from 1862-1933. He was also a foreign secretary.
- Stella Lady Reading – She was the founder of the Women’s Voluntary Services. The marked residence was the headquarters of the aforementioned services, and she worked there from 1938-1966. She lived from 1894-1971.
- Sir Thomas Peirson Frank – Lived from 1881-1951. He was the chief engineer for the London County Council from 1930-1946. He saved London from drowning during the Blitz. (This particular plaque was found on the barrier along the river walk on the River Thames.
- T.E. Lawrence – The “Lawrence of Arabia,” he lived from 1888-1935.
- Lord Reith – He was the first director-general of the BBC, and lived in the marked residence from 1924-1930. He lived from 1889-1971.
- Sir John Gielgud – An actor and director, he lived on-site from 1945-1976. He lived from 1904-2000.
- Eleanor Rathbone – She lived from 1872-1946, and was the pioneer of Family Allowances.
- Sir Mansfield Cumming – The first Chief of the Secret Service, he lived and worked on-site from 1911-1922. He lived from 1859-1923.
- Scotland Yard – The marked site was the first headquarters of the metropolitan police, from 1829-1890.
- Lamborghini – Just sitting there, looking pretty.
- Herman Melville – Author of Moby Dick, he lived on-site in 1849. He lived from 1819-1891.
- Heinrich Heine – A German poet and essayist, he lived on-site in 1827. He was born in 1799, and died in 1856.
- Benjamin Franklin – Lived from 1706-1790. Never heard of him.
*Link added, courtesy of Adam.
Total steps: 18,373
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Emily and Adam