Highlights of London

posted October 17, 2010 by Holly Hayes part of trip: Summer in an Oxfordshire Village

Tonight we are settled in our new hotel in Mainz and tomorrow we go to Heidelberg for two nights. Looking forward to it! But first, here are some highlights from our three days in London (Monday-Wednesday).

St Paul's Cathedral

We didn't go inside St. Paul's Cathedral this time, because we've visited a few times before, the admission is overpriced and they don't let you take pictures. Lame. But it is a lovely cathedral and we had a nice time taking some photos of the outside as we passed by one evening.

West facade
West facade with dome
St Paul's Cathedral, London
South transept

British Museum

The British Museum is one of the greatest museums in the world and one of my favorite places. It's huge, it's free, and it's all laid out beautifully.

Great Court
The Round Reading Room (1854-57) and Great Court enclosed by a ceiling of glass designed by Norman Foster (2000).
Assyrian lion guardian
Assyrian relief
Hinton St Mary Mosaic
The Hinton St. Mary mosaic, found in perfect condition in a Roman villa in Britain. It's one of the oldest surviving images of Jesus, dating from the 4th century. Those are pomegranates on the sides.
An ancient ivory Crucifixion - I'm sure I've seen this on the cover of one of my books at home.
Funny fish on a shard
Book and artifacts illustrating an Enlightenment antiquarian's fascination with Stonehenge and Druids
Ankh from Nubia, I think

Victoria & Albert Museum

I hoofed it for over an hour through the heart of London to get to the Victoria and Albert Museum, which I like even more than the British Museum because it has a friendlier vibe and they encourage photography rather than merely tolerating it - they've hosted Flickr events and everything. Rare in a museum. Thank you, V&A!

Glass chandelier by Seattle

next: Onward in Germany: Mainz to Heidelberg

previous: Maastricht and Strikes in France

Article Info

Page Title
Highlights of London
Added By
Holly Hayes
Date Published
October 17, 2010
Last Updated
February 1, 2024