***Trafalgar Square and ***Buckingham Palace and St. James' Park :
I started my walk at Trafalgar Square (most of which was under construction and dug out).
For the first day I planned on taking a guided buss tour. I looked for the busses -- and saw them in the streets but never found the first station. So I walked around by myself. I walked under the Admiralty Arch, built by Nash, along St. James Park to Buckingham palace. Along the park there are many duck, swans and geese, and many Crazy Englishmen -- running in their shorts in the freezing cold. An old drunk Irish lady was also walking in the park -- showing her knickers to everybody (She told me she was Irish).
I went across the park to *** The Cabinet War Rooms -- Churchill's Headquarters during the second world war --It was fascinating. The original Cabinet room, the phone Churchill used to call Roosevelt with (hidden in a toilet -- that was used only by the Prime Minister to keep the existence of the phone secret), Churchill's bedroom and night pot (which he never used -- as he preferred to sleep in the nearby Ritz Hotel), The Map Room -- which hadn't changed since the last day of the war. The audio guide was good (and it was also in Hebrew). The visit takes about two hours.
From there I went to * St. Martins in the Fields, a nice church (see day 16) under which, in the crypt there is a nice shop, and a nice restaurant which has cheap and good lunches. Don't bother going to the Brass Rubbing Center.
Next to the church there is a small market which sells cheap souvenirs.
I crossed the street to The National Gallery, in which I stayed until it closed at 6 pm. From there I went again to Buckingham palace to see it at night -- don't bother.
And then returned to the nearest tube -- Charing Cross.
Links: The National Galery
The Cabinet War Rooms
St. Martins
Start: Charing Cross Tube (Northern Line -- Charing Cross Branch)
End: Same
