Central London Walk - 4K - Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace via Trafalgar Square - July 2024

Wandering around central London on a warm summers Sunday evening in July 2024. This day happened to be the occasion of the London Rathayatra Festival, a religious festival originating in India where Hare Krishna devotees bring deities of their Lord Jaghanatha, his brother Balarama and sister Subhadra out of their usual temple home in Soho and lead them on huge wheeled colourful carts on a festive parade full of singing and dancing through central London, ending at Trafalgar Square.
The walk starts front of Westminster Abbey, the ancient cathedral in the heart of London that has been the site of coronations and weddings for Kings and Queens of England and Great Britain going back almost a thousand years. Moving on from the Cathedral, we head through the many flags of Parliament square, past the Houses of Parliament and 'Big Ben' before heading into Whitehall. As we walk along Whitehall we walk past the many former and current offices of the Civil Service, past honoured war memorials such as the 'Cenotaph' the 'Women of World War II' memorial, past Downing Street, home of the Prime Minister and the heart of the British government, and the entrance to the 'Horse Guards Parade'. Along the way we pass the ongoing demonstrations of the Ukrainian peoples, continually protesting the invasion of their country by Russia in 2022.
Next we head into Trafalgar Square. Here we pass through the end of the London Rathyatra Festival, to the sounds of the Hare Krishna devotees singing and dancing in the square in front of the monument of Nelson's Column, and then on up past the Rath carts themselves, parked proudly with their revered riders in front of the National Gallery art museum. From there we head towards St. James's Park, crossing first 'The Mall' with a sight of Buckingham Palace in the distance, before entering the park itself. St. James's Park is one of Londons most beautiful public spaces, comprising of large open green lawns perfect for sun-bathing and picnics, impressive lush trees providing welcome shade and shelter from the hot summer sun, and fantastic long lakes filled with ducks and geese and even a few pelicans that delight passers by wandering along the many paths that trail through the park.
At the end of the park we see the world famous Buckingham Palace, traditional home of the British Monarchy, and current residence of the King of Great Britain, King Charles the third. On this day road leading to the palace had been closed to traffic, and visitors and passers by wandered freely as they viewed this iconic landmark.
From there we head back into St. James's Park, following its paths along the other side of it's long lakes while under the shade of its trees before leaving the park and heading into the end of our journey, the Horse Guards parade ground.
Where: London, England
When: Middle of July, 2024
Filmed in: 4K, 60fps
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