There are no elephants in Piccadilly Circus

… but there are lions at Trafalgar Square. That is one of the conclusions that Andy and Phil drew after a whirlwind tour of London on Monday. We used a combination of the hop-on, hop-off bus, an all-day pass on the Underground, a boat cruise on the Thames, and speed-walking in honor the upcoming Olympics to see a lot of the major attractions in one day. As required by the British Tourism bureau, we have lots of pictures of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament and the Tower Bridge. We also saw Buckingham Palace, St James Park, the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, and lots more. A picture is worth 1,000 words? Here you go.

A view from St. James park across from Buckingham Palace.

We also made a tour of the Churchill Museum and the War Rooms. The War Rooms were the underground command center of Great Britain during WWII, with the Churchill Museum immediately adjoining it. The Rooms were left in place when the war ended, and were re-opened about 25 years ago with many of the original maps, memos, furniture, signs etc still there. They even uncovered the secret sugar stash that one officer had hidden in his desk. These have been recreated as a fascinating museum of Great Britain during the bombings and the blitz. Being underground, it was hard to take pictures, but here is one that came out OK. Definitely worth including on your next visit to London.

Wax figures in the War rooms where Winston Churchill and his staff made all of the important decisions of WWII

And, as we all know from hearing coaching clichés, there is no I in team. But there is one in London.