Marvelous report. More, please.

Although our days were full, the excitement of being in London kept us going. I kept telling Mick that we could sleep when we got home!

Sunday, 15 January 2012

Once again, we lucked out with waking up to a sunny day. It was chilly, but bright and clear. The original plan was to visit the British Museum today. According to the BBC weather report, rain was predicted for Wednesday and the plan for that day was to see Buckingham Palace, walk around the area of St. James’s Palace up to Trafalgar Square then down Whitehall to Westminster Abbey. Based on the weather, I switched the two days so to be able to walk around London and soak up the sun.

We took the bus to the Green Park station instead of the tube so to see some of the sights on the way. We walked to Buckingham Palace through Green Park. The pictures that I have of those beautiful golden gates set against a blue, cloudless sky with the sun shining on them are stunning. The gilded statue of Victory on top of the Victoria Memorial gleaming in the sunlight is one of my favorite shots. As an added bonus, I did not know is that the Mall is closed to traffic on Sundays, which meant that we could move around freely without fear of being run down. We walked up the Mall, stopping at Stable Yard Road to watch the guards patrol the gate.

I loved all the monuments/memorials throughout London commemorating the royalty, war heroes and historical events. We turned onto Marlborough Road and saw the statue of Queen Alexandra’s Monument by Sir Alfred Gilbert. The base of the monument reads “Faith, Hope, Love – the Guiding Virtues of Queen Alexandra”. A nice thought that we can only hope to have in our lives. Across from the statue is the courtyard of St. James’s Palace. If you look carefully, there are little crowns on the tops of the gas lamps. Built in the 16th century, the building is an imposing and impressive work, especially the Tudor gatehouse, and was the home of several kings and queens. Once again, to stand next to this piece of history where decisions were made that affected thousands throughout hundreds of years is amazing. We took a short walk up St. James’s Street to see Berry Bros & Rudd, originally a grocers, now wine merchants, from 1698. Next door at number 6 is Lock and Company, hatters, that was founded 1676. They had hats in the storefront that were similar to the ones were worn at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding. Unfortunately, since it was Sunday, both stores were closed. We turned back toward Pall Mall and ducked into Crown Passage to see the Red Lion. This pub is over 400 years old and reputedly has the second oldest beer license in the West End. Again, we couldn’t go into the pub as it was Sunday morning and not open. However, there is a Pret A Manger next door just in case you need a snack while you are in the area. We went back out to Pall Mall and walked up the street admiring the buildings.

We turned onto Carlton House Gardens and pondered never be able to afford one of the flats in this area. I had read about the 1934 grave of a dog that I thought was an interesting story. On Carlton House Terrace next to the Duke of York steps stood the German (Nazi) Embassy from 1932 until 1939. The only reminder of this is a little gravestone of the ambassador’s pet dog, Giro. The stone reads ‘Ein treuer Begleiter’ (a true companion). Fascinating that this piece of history would remain despite the atrocities released on the English by Nazi Germany. In my opinion, a dog is man’s best friend and this demonstrates that the same sentiment can be shared by so many despite the differences in ideology.

We walked down the steps by the Duke of York memorial to the Mall, through the Admiralty Arch to Trafalgar Square. There stood tall the monument to Admiral Horatio Nelson. As you approach the square, take note of the small ships on top of the street lamps. There were lots of people enjoying the square, including several who were climbing on the lions (not children). There is a clock in front of the National Gallery that is counting down the days, hours and minutes until the 2012 Olympic Games. I had seen a show on the Travel Channel that talked about the Fourth Plinth that was originally designed to hold a statue of William IV, but remained empty due to lack of funds so I was surprised to see that there is now something on that plinth. It is “Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle” by Yinka Shonibare. It is a sculpture of the flagship “HMS Victory” housed in a glass bottle. The sign reads “the sculpture considers the relationship between the birth of the British Empire, made possible in part by Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, and multiculturalism of Britain today”. It has been there since 2010, so the show I watched was apparently a repeat.

My original plan was to go into the National Gallery, but I decided to see it another day so that we could spend the remainder of our time outside. We had lunch in the crypt at St. Martin’s in the Field. It was jammed, but it was a very different experience to eat lunch while sitting at a table adjacent to a gravestone. As we left the church, I made sure to look for the smallest police station in the UK on the southwest corner of Trafalgar Square. It was adapted for police purposes in 1926, however, today it is used as storage for cleaning equipment.

We walked down Whitehall and saw the horse guards with all the people standing next to them to have their picture taken. Despite the warning sign about the possibility of the horses kicking or biting, we saw (what I assumed to be) a parent holding her small child next to the horse and watch as the little girl put her hand out to the horse’s mouth. I held my breath and hoped for the best. Some things never cease to amaze me. We walked by Downing Street and saw the police guarding the gate. We paused at the National Monument to the Women of World War II and the Cenotaph, to pay our respects to the memories of those who fought in the wars.

It was a nice walk for the day and we enjoyed seeing a lot of the royal and historical things along our route. Due to Mick’s throbbing ankle, we opted to take the tube from Westminster back to the hotel so he could give it a rest before dinner.

Great report!

Among the flotsam/bits/useless stuff I picked up while living in England is a Lock & Co. top hat in its original case. Apparently it was made for a baronet who was an MP in 1910 and a colonel in WWI

Great report. You are making me long for London.

Just a footnote - the Fourth Plinth is now well-established as a base for a temporary display, each new item being chosen after public consultation. Some might remember Antony Gormley's idea that gave the plinth to a selection of all sorts of people for an hour at a time to do more or less what they wanted. The Ship in a Bottle is about to be replaced by Powerless Structures, which also relates to the theme of ambition and heroism that the rest of the Square depicts:

http://www.london.gov.uk/fourthplinth/

"Fascinating that this piece of history would remain despite the atrocities released on the English by Nazi Germany."

What atrocities?

If you believe bombing civilians or trying to cut off food supplies (just about the only Nazi actions against the English anyone could seriously object to) are "atrocities":

- We started them. We deliberately bombed civilian targets in Germany before they bombed us, to divert the Luftwaffe from destroying our fighter planes, which they might well have achieved. Instead their fighters were used to protect the bombers they were tricked into retaliating with, achieving little except giving us time to build enough fighters.

- We out-atrocied them in spades. We murdered about as many German civilians in one week's bombing in Hamburg alone as the entire UK civilian death count for the whole of WW2

- In spite of the extraordinary heroism of U-boat crews trying to choke our supply lines, and the immense sacrifices of Allied convoy crews confronting them, nutritional standards in the UK actually improved during WW2.

Though there was understandable postwar anti-German resentment among Britain's Jewish population, and among a lot of refugees from countries the Nazis occupied, ordinary British bitterness about the Blitz was generally assuaged by the infinitely greater horrors we inflicted on them. Any possible overall resentment was wiped out by the realisation of the real atrocities Nazis inflicted on those they'd ruled - and of the atrocities the Japanese inflicted on British prisoners.

Lutheran churches - for German sailors to use - were being rebuilt in London about two years after the last German flying bomb killed Londoners, and at about the same time in Liverpool's war-ravaged dockland. You occasionally find war memorials (for example in schools and Oxbridge colleges) including German alumni who'd fought for their country.

This isn't a tribute to British tolerance: anti-German feeling ran very deep, and lasted a long time, after WW1. But almost as soon as victory was declared in Europe, a myth emerged that what had happened between Britain (and its allies) and Germany was almost a model of civilised warfare. "Atrocities" were things that happened elsewhere. For whatever reason, popular culture became obsessed with Our Gallant Boys' victory, rather than with dwelling on imagined bestialities they'd inflicted on us.

Many visitors observe our continuing WW2 obsession with amusement. Apart from the odd shooting of prisoners (a practice almost as widespread among British and American troops as among the Germans on the western front) that obsession never includes any hint of Nazi atrocity towards the British.

>>Lutheran churches - for German sailors to use - were being rebuilt in London about two years after the last German flying bomb killed Londoners<<

I believe at least one German church in Whitechapel remained open and offering services in German throughout the war.

Sorry Flanner
"We started them. We deliberately bombed civilian targets in Germany before they bombed us, to divert the Luftwaffe from destroying our fighter planes, which they might well have achieved. Instead their fighters were used to protect the bombers they were tricked into retaliating with, achieving little except giving us time to build enough fighters."

wrong, read more

This is side-tracking bilbo, and flanner is characteristically over-egging the pudding, but on that point he is not totally wrong, at least as regards the tactics of the Battle of Britain. And the general point about "atrocities" is a fair one. For all the horrors the Nazis visited on others, most people in Britain were and are well aware the country's experience was very different from the depths of destruction and despair on the continent.

looking forward to reading more of your trip report lovs2travel. i found myself looking up lots of destinations you had picked out for our own trip in March

"We can sleep when we get home!" - that's my motto too! :)

Smart girl to switch up your itinerary based on the weather. (Hope it worked out!)
I've made a note of the hat shop. My daughter will love that. I just watched a video I found in a visitbritain email I received that shows how a hat is made. It was amazing to me! http://www.visitbritain.tv/partner-c...va-museum.html

So sorry about your husband's ankle.
Enjoying your report very, very much.

I am just amazed at the detail of information you have and are sharing. I wish I had this information before I went last year. I will be putting your report in my London file!

Thanks for the positive comments! We had a wonderful time. Took a bit, but Mick’s ankle is finally better. Latana – great website!!! I will save it in my favorites! Try to get to the V&A. It is awesome. I visited during my last trip and loved it. Janisj – I was sorry to not be able to get into Lock & Co., but I do love what they have on their website. PatrickLondon – thank you for the information on the Fourth Plinth. What a great idea to use it to display different works of art! Flanneruk – I am of the opinion that any civilian, in any country, who is murdered as a result of war is an atrocity.

Monday, 16 January 2012

The weather was beautiful again – sunny and in the mid-40s. Despite being thrilled that it had been so nice, it is definitely a worrying sign of global warming. Today’s planned itinerary was to see the sights along Fleet Street. The weather made for a good walking day. We took the tube to Bank because I wanted to see the Gresham Grasshopper on Lombard Street at the corner of Abchurch Lane. It is based upon the family crest of Thomas Gresham, who founded the Royal Exchange. As previously noted, we are from Massachusetts. Faneuil Hall is located in Boston and there is a gilded grasshopper weathervane on top of the building that is believed to be modeled after Gresham’s grasshopper on the Royal Exchange. It was a nice reminder of the connection between England and our home.

We visited the Bank of England Museum. My primary reason for going there was to see the Roman mosaic, however, we did look at the exhibits on the evolution of money in England. There is a pretty mosaic on the wall, as well as the floor, but there was something about it that didn’t sit right. Alas, after additional research I found that a Roman mosaic had been found under the Bank of England, HOWEVER, it is located in the British Museum. Ooops.

We then walked to St. Paul’s Cathedral. In St. Paul’s Churchyard, were many tents housing protestors who were part of the Occupy London campaign. A sign read “welcome to the world’s longest occupation! 93 days since last eviction”. It seemed to be a peaceful protest with people singing while we were there. I was able to use the 2 for 1 coupon (a savings of £14.50) for admission to St. Paul’s. We took an audio tour of the cathedral, which is massive. The interior is very beautiful with mosaics, lots of gold and marble. I thought about what it must have been like during the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Although we did not go up to the Whispering Gallery, we did explore the crypt.

We walked up Fleet Street and had lunch at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Our stop here was more for the historical ambiance instead of a gastronomical experience. Although there has been a pub at that location since 1538, the current building had to be rebuilt in 1667 after the Great Fire of 1666. We immediately noticed that the step at the entrance of the pub has been worn down over time so that there is a groove in the stone. There is a proper step over it, but we made sure to touch the original step and think about Charles Dickens putting his foot on the same spot. We had lunch in the Chop Room and at the prompting of our waitress, we explored a little bit to see the narrow hallways and numerous rooms. We went downstairs to the cellar. I recall reading that there was a building that belonged to a Carmelite Monastery in the 13th century and the vaulted cellars were part of that building.

We continued our stroll along Fleet Street. There is a beautiful Art Deco building across from Salisbury Court, which is the Daily Express Building. It has a black façade, rounded corners and chromium strips. You can’t miss it. It is not open to the public and the shades were drawn so you couldn’t see inside the building, which was a shame because I have seen pictures of the artwork in the lobby. They are fabulous! There are two other similar buildings in Manchester and Glasgow.

I attempted to find the crypt of the Whitefriars monastery, which I thought had looked really interesting. Despite my search, I was not able to find it. That was disappointing. The website that I had found it on said that was on Whitefriars Street by the Tipperary Pub. However, a second website, which I saw after the fact, said that it was on Magpie Alley off of Bouverie Street. Bouverie Street and Whitefriars Street run paralell to each other. We’ll know for next time!

On a brighter note, we were able to see the Temple Church. The church was open from 2:00-4:00 p.m. on this day. The opening times change, but the website provides the times a month in advance. The church was really impressive. The effigies of the knights were amazing. A lot of the church was damaged by an incendiary bomb in WWII, which landed on the round part of the church over the knights' tombs. Luckily, plaster casts of the effigies were made in the mid-1860s for the Great Exhibition and were kept at the V&A so they were able to reconstruct them. The sculptures of the faces around the circular part of the church were amusing and we took several pictures of them. We walked around Middle Temple and I explained to Mick what we were seeing as I had taken the London Walks Illegal and Legal London walk when I was in London two years ago.

We continued on our way, past the Temple Bar Monument, to Twinings Tea Shop on the Strand. I wandered in, while Mick remained outside, and bought a couple of pretty tins of tea. We saw the Australia House, which served as Gringott’s Bank from the Harry Potter movies. It was becoming dark at this point, so we jumped on the tube at Temple and headed back to the hotel. Before going up to the room, I bought a cup of tea at the Cabbie’s Tea Hut to help warm up.

Tuesday, 17 January 2012

Today was our daytrip to Salisbury. We already had our tickets from Megabus in hand as I had printed them out at home. When we arrived at the Waterloo Rail Station, we found that the train to Salisbury had been cancelled. Apparently, there was a problem with the rail going into Waterloo. After a moment of panic, we were directed to board a train and make inquires as to our next steps. We found the conductor who told us to change trains in Basingstoke for Salisbury. The change of scenery from London to the countryside was a welcome treat. It was very cold and the frost on the trees and plants made it seem magical. We changed trains and we were on our way to Salisbury. All went smoothly and actually, the timing could not have been better. As we walked out of the station in Salisbury, the bus to Stonehenge was arriving. We bought our tickets for the Stonehenge Tour from the driver and we were off to see one of the most incredible monuments in the world.

The bus tour included a commentary on the history of Salisbury and pointed out historic buildings. We drove by Old Sarum, the original Salisbury. The bus stops here on the return from Stonehenge, but we opted to go straight back to town. The commentary also provides information on the burial mounds around Stonehenge. I have read differing opinions on others’ experiences at Stonehenge from being underwhelming to outstanding. I found myself in the latter group. There were not many people there, which lent to the experience. To stand there and envision how the ancient builders developed the idea of their monument then made it come to fruition is astounding. Although we had the audio guide explaining Stonehenge, we also spoke with someone from the English Heritage who shared additional information with us. We both found Stonehenge to be amazing and spent quite a bit of time there despite the cold. As we were leaving, we warmed up a bit with a hot chocolate before boarding the bus back to Salisbury.

In the marketplace on Tuesdays and Saturdays in Salisbury is a farmer’s market, which is why I chose to do this daytrip on a Tuesday. It was very large with vendors selling everything from fruits and vegetables to fish and meats to clothes and jewelry. From there, we walked up High Street to the cathedral, admiring the ancient architecture along the way. It had been explained on the tour bus that Salisbury Cathedral was spared the German bombing raids in World War II as the German airmen were instructed not to destroy the Cathedral as they used it as a guide to locate the river to London.

The spire of Salisbury Cathedral dominates the horizon. It is an imposing piece of architecture built in the 13th century. The outside of the cathedral is decorated with intricate carvings so please do not overlook these images by rushing inside. We spoke with one of the tour guides who explained the oldest working clock and the new baptismal font. The website describes it as a “spectacular flowing ‘living water’ font”, which it truly is. We saw the Magna Carta in the Chapter House, which is incredibly well preserved. There are some beautiful monuments in the cathedral. Of those buried in the cathedral, there is a tomb to Lady Jane Grey’s (the “Nine Days Queen”) sister, Catherine, and her husband, Edward Seymour. Hers is a sad story. I found a website that has a list of people who are buried in the cathedral, which is pretty interesting. http://www.findagrave.com/php/famous...teryid=1977331

We made our way back to the train station and had a quick bite to eat. The issue with the Waterloo Rail Station had been resolved and we were able to go straight to London. We took the Tube back to the hotel where we freshened up. Mick remained at the hotel to rest his ankle while I decided to go to the British Library as it is open until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesdays. Although the exhibition area was smaller than I had imagined, its contents surely made up for its size. The collection of manuscripts, maps and bibles is like nothing I have ever seen. I saw Jane Austen’s writing desk and some of her writing, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, the Canterbury Tales and Beowulf amongst other items. There is an exhibit related to Mary, Queen of Scots. The letter written to Queen Elizabeth I from her son, James I, requesting his mother’s freedom is moving. Bibles and other religious writings from different faiths were also on display. The detail and the colors are exquisite. There are also two Magna Cartas at the Library, which meant that I was fortunate enough to see three documents in one day. I was very impressed by the Library and would go again in a minute. I browsed the gift shop and picked up some books as momentos of my visit.

Wednesday, 18 January 2012

We slept in a little today to catch up on some sleep. The weather desk at the BBC was correct and it had rained. However, it stopped by the time we got to the dining room for breakfast. It was about 55F, but seemed cooler because of the dampness. Happily, it did not rain for the rest of the day.

My mom’s favorite gates in London are the Queen Mother Gates (officially known as the Queen Elizabeth Gate). They are located on the Carriage Road in Hyde Park from Park Lane. We took the bus to Hyde Park Corner by Apsley House and walked over. I wanted to take some pictures of the gates and have them framed for my mother, however, I didn’t get many good shots as they were open. They truly are beautiful and very intricate.

We then took the tube to the National Gallery. What a place! We spent three hours wandering around admiring the art. The colors are so vivid and precise. It is hard to imagine that these paintings are hundreds of years old. They look as though they could have been done yesterday. It was one of our favorite places in London. We walked through two of the galleries before getting hungry. We ate at the National Café and had a really good meal before moving on to the other galleries. I would go back in a second.

After peeling ourselves out of the National Gallery, we walked down Whitehall to Churchill’s War Rooms. I used my travelcard and the 2 for 1 coupon and paid £16.50. I understand why this exhibit is so highly rated. This was not on my initial itinerary, but I’m glad that I added it at the last minute. I can’t imagine spending so much time in an underground bunker. There is a lot to be said about the fortitude of Londoners during that time.

We left the museum and made our way to Westminster Abbey. I had scheduled our visit on Wednesday because it is open late. The last admission is at 6:00 p.m. There were pros and cons to this plan. The pros included being able to see other things during the day that would normally be closed at this time of day and we had the Abbey pretty much to ourselves. The con was not being able to see the beautiful stained glass windows because it was dark outside. I had been to Westminster Abbey on a previous visit and know that those windows are glorious. Once again, I was blown away by the history of Westminster Abbey, an institution for hundreds of years. The monuments are just incredible. The Lady Chapel is beyond words. We were able to spend quite a bit of time at Westminster Abbey without feeling rushed or pushed around by throngs of visitors.

Leaving the Abbey, we were treated to the sight of the clock tower affectionately known as Big Ben. Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament are so pretty at night with the lights emphasizing the architecture. We walked over to the Westminster Bridge to see the statue of Boudica in the foreground of the London Eye, which was glowing in a beautiful soft blue. It was a nice way to end the day.

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Today was a bit overcast, but no rain. After breakfast, we took the tube to Baker Street and found Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. This had not been on my itinerary, but it was something that Mick wanted to see. Since he had been so good about hobbling around London on a sore ankle and seeing what I had wanted, I thought it only fair that he should be able to see something that he wanted. Happily, I was able to use a 2 for 1 coupon for a savings of £30. The figures are a work of art and they spookily look very much like the real thing. Interestingly, this and the British Museum were the most crowded places that we had visited during our trip.

We took the tube to Farringdon because I had wanted to see St. Etheldreda's Church in Ely Place. Unfortunately, this was vetoed in favor of lunch so it remains on my list of places to see. I had read several articles about Ye Olde Mitre, a pub near the church, which is a bit off the beaten path. I was determined that I would find it and used Google Maps and the A to Z to plot my course. This is not a pub that you would walk by on the street, it is located down a very narrow alleyway off of a gated side street. It is such a tiny pub, loaded with history. There were a ton of people there so we were not able to find a seat. Reluctantly, we left, but we did have pretty good sandwiches at Pret A Manger.

I crossed the street to St. Andrew Holborn to see the Blewcoat School figures. The Christ Church Blewcoat School was founded in 1688 as a charity to teach boys to “read, write, cast accounts and the catechism”, according to the London Encyclopedia. I believe the original school was located on Caxton Street in Westminster. There are two statues on the front of St. Andrew Holborn, a girl and a boy. The girl can be seen on www.secret-london.co.uk/BlueCoats.html and the boy can be seen on the church website www.standrewholborn.org.uk I found them to be a moving tribute.

While we were in the area, we finished Friday’s walk, which had been shortened due to jetlag on our first day. We crossed over the Holborn Viaduct and admired the statues on the bridge on our way to Giltspur Street. On one corner of Giltspur Street is the Viaduct Tavern, which was built on the site of Newgate Prison, which was by all accounts, a horrific place. Here is a description from the L.E. “the water supply was quite inadequate, the ventilation almost non-existent, the stench appalling and, during the frequent outbreaks of gaol fever, a virulent form of typhoid, the fumes bore the germs of the disease into every cell of the prison”. Makes one want to behave. Across the street is St. Sepulchre-without-Newgate and in its gates on the corner is London’s first public drinking fountain. It dates from 1859 and was erected to provide free water in an effort to discourage alcohol. It is directly across from the pub. Although there is a lot of construction in the area and there were several street signs resting against the railing, we could still see the fountain. There are two cups on chains in the fountain and engraved in the marble is “replace the cup”. St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, London’s oldest, is on Giltspur Street. Next to the graveyard at St. Sepulchre’s and across from the hospital is the Watch House, which was erected in 1791. It was used to keep watch over the newly buried bodies in the cemetery as grave robbers would steal the bodies for medical study at St. Bart’s.

On the corner of Giltspur Street and Cock Lane, is the Golden Boy of Pye Corner. I had seen a tiny picture of him in a book and it became my mission to find him. It is a small golden statue set in the corner of a building. The inscription under him reads “the Boy at Pye Corner was erected to commemorate the staying of the Great Fire, which beginning at Pudding Lane was ascribed to the sin of gluttony when not attributed to the papists as on the Monument and the boy was made prodigiously fat to enforce the moral that he was originally built into the front of a public house called the Fortune of War, which used to occupy this site but was pulled down in 1910”. Interestingly, as Mick and I were standing on the corner reading about the Golden Boy and taking his picture, a local walking quickly with a purposeful gate, paused to see what we were looking at. He stopped, began to continue on then stopped again to step closer to read about the Golden Boy. A second man did the same. It makes you pause to think about the interesting things in your city that you may have overlooked throughout the years.

We continued walking down Giltspur Street toward W. Smithfield. Once we got to the end of the street, we saw the bomb damage on the side of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. After some research, I learned that on 8 September 1915, a German Zeppelin raid hit the area and caused the damage. There was another air raid in 1917. Very close to the damage is the memorial to William Wallace, a.k.a. Braveheart. It was erected to recognize the area where he had been hung, drawn and quartered. What a horrible fate!

Above the front entrance of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital stands a statue of King Henry VIII. The hospital was part of a priory, but when King Henry dissolved the monasteries in the 1530s, the hospital was spared. The statue was erected for his gesture. I have read that this is the only outside statue of King Henry VIII in London.

We wound our way through Cloth Fair to return to the Museum of London. We picked up where we had left off at the Plague and followed it through to the present. I wanted to ride on the #15 bus, which is one of the heritage routes. On our way over to St. Paul’s Cathedral to catch the bus, we stopped into Tea, a cute shop, for a cup of….what else… tea. We took the bus to Piccadilly Circus. The majority of the time was sitting in traffic so it took us a while to arrive at our destination. Mick wanted to walk a bit so we set off in the direction of Leicester Square, where we found (of all places), M&M World! It was actually pretty fun – four floors dedicated to M&Ms. We were pretty tired at that point, so we took the tube back to the hotel. We cleaned up and went to Orsini’s for dinner.


Friday, 20 January 2012

Today, it was a bit drizzly out, but not as chilly. The skies brightened as the day went on. This was the day on the itinerary that I had intentionally left empty so we could go back to see anything that we had missed. Since I had bought the travelcard a day earlier than I had planned, I knew that I needed to see the Tower of London today in order to use the 2 for 1 coupon. At this point, the savings from the coupons paid for both travelcards.

Unfortunately, I woke up with a cold and ended up getting a late start. After breakfast, we took the tube to the Tower of London and waited for a Beefeaters tour, but after 15 minutes we decided we would go it alone. I had done a lot of reading on the Tower, which was helpful. Despite all that I read about the Tower being crowded, there were very little people there. We first went to see the Crown Jewels. They truly are beautiful. Since there was no crowd, we rode the people mover twice. They were just as beautiful the second time around.

Some trees were being felled in front of the White Tower. We were told that they had been planted in the Victorian Age and that it would now open up the view to the Tower Bridge and the buildings across the Thames. I can attest that it certainly did. I was most interested in seeing the White Tower. How incredible that this building has been standing for almost a thousand years! To stand in its shadow and think of all the history that took place there while it was a royal castle and a prison is unnerving. The royal armor collection is housed in the White Tower. It is quite extensive. We also enjoyed the other artifacts in the White Tower, as well as interesting movie on its building.

Upon taking our leave, we followed the walkway toward the Thames and took some nice pictures of Tower Bridge. Instead of retracing our steps back to the Tower Hill tube, we walked around the Tower so that the bridge remained on our right. We turned left at the street onto Tower Bridge Road to walk to the tube. I saw a tube sign and crossed the street. I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere because we walked down what I thought was a tunnel under the street, but I was pleasantly rewarded with seeing another section of the London Wall. We eventually reached the tube and went back to our neighborhood for dinner.


Saturday, 21 January 2012

This morning was the first day that it was actually wet enough to warrant using an umbrella. I was still not feeling well so we decided to sleep a bit and skip breakfast. Due to moving around the itinerary earlier in the week, we would be visiting the British Museum today. This worked out so well with the weather. We had a delicious breakfast at a great little café on Museum Street. I wish I could remember the name of it. They served both breakfast and lunch, everything was prepared fresh, served quickly and was very reasonably priced.

The British Museum is awesome! Mick said that we would go again on our next visit to London (yeah!). I have read that they have the best collection of historical artifacts in the world and I would have to concur. The museum was somewhat crowded, mostly with people taking pictures of the artifacts, but not actually looking at the artifacts. I wondered why they would not want to savor the time they had in front of such objects. We spent several hours at the British Museum admiring the exhibits. One could return over and over again and not see everything.

We then took the tube to the Knightsbridge station and went into Harrods. The place is gigantic with wall to wall people. They have opened a Harry Potter Shop on the third floor. It is a large area completely decorated with all things H.P. There are several props and costumes from the films, along with those you can buy. Anyone who enjoys the movies will have fun here. We strolled through the food halls, which are always interesting. I thought we might eat there, but the crowds made it claustrophobic so we decided to eat elsewhere. We walked down Brompton Road and stopped at the National Geographic store. We continued our walk and stopped at a pub for dinner. We probably should have eaten in the food halls. It was an expensive and disappointing last dinner. Since we wanted to leave on a good note, we went to our favorite restaurant, Orsini’s, for dessert and cappuccinos and reminisced about our week in London.


Sunday, 22 January 2012

On our last day in London, we woke up to sunny skies. After some last minute packing, we had breakfast. We walked to the South Kensington tube station and boarded the Piccadilly line to Heathrow. There were no disruptions in rail service and we made it to Heathrow in less than 45 minutes.

As with checking in, we upgraded to the extra legroom seats. We had a lot of time before our flight so we poked around in the airport shops. I bought the tea that my sister had requested from Harrods (duty free). We had lunch at Pret A Manger and then we were on our way home. The flight was uneventful and I was finally able to have my cream tea on the plane. I would have preferred to have it in London, but I enjoyed it all the same.

Well, that was our trip to London. We loved it and I hope to return soon. Thanks for reading!

It makes you pause to think about the interesting things in your city that you may have overlooked throughout the years. >>

you're not kidding. you saw loads more than i did in 15 years of working there. i might even try to persuade DH to spend a few days in london following in your footsteps [hopefully without the limp].

thanks for posting such an excellent report.

what a wonderful trip! Thanks for giving us a great trip report. I always appreciate hearing about things that aren't on the typical tourist route.

Lee Ann

That was a terrific report lovs2travel! Almost as good as being there myself.
Thank you for taking the time to do it.

Thank you so much for your feedback! I learned so much from all the trip reports posted on this forum. I enjoyed writing it and I appreciate your positive comments. We had such a great time!!