"London Calling..."

On the airplane, flying to London

How many of you remember "London Calling" by The Clash? A great song by a great band formed in the late 70's...my junior and senior high days.

"London Calling" Cab

We vacationed in London, England for several days over Easter break.

April 3, 2012: Our first day, we flew into Gatwick Airport and took a train into the city. We needed to go to the tourism office to pick up our London Passes which allowed us free entry into museums and free transportation. 

The guys spot a Krispy Kreme in the train station

They are in "Heaven"...I opted for coffee!

Waiting on our bus...

Waiting some more...

We then took a double-decker bus to our hotel, the Hilton Double Tree. That evening, we asked the hotel concierge for a recommendation for some good, authentic fish-n-chips. He suggested we go to a pub called Shakespeare's. It was fantastic, good beer, fish-n-chips with lots of vinegar and mushy peas! YUMMY! The perfect way to end the first day.


April 4, 2012: We got up early and headed downstairs for a traditional British breakfast consisting of: eggs, bacon, sausages, mushrooms, baked beans and bread.

Baked beans, NO! Mushrooms, YES!!

We met the nicest family visiting from Norway. We talked with them, all through breakfast, and became instant friends! After exchanging phone numbers and addresses, they asked us to call when we visit Norway, they are right outside of Oslo, one of the cities we want to see. One of their daughters had just returned from a year in Ohio, as an exchange student. She loved it there, so we had many things to talk about. It was so refreshing, meeting new people from around the world.


At 9 am we caught our sight-seeing bus (another double-decker) and saw the sights of the city while the guide made us laugh ourselves silly. I think he fed off of our laughter, the more we laughed, the funnier he became. It was a great tour and very informative at that! We had the option to hop off at any place we wanted to see up close and personal and then hop on another bus, but we chose to stay on our bus, we didn't want to miss out and get on another bus with a "grumpy" guide.

Nelson's Tower

On hot days, people wade in the fountains

Trafalgar Square

Trafalgar Square is the city center of London. The name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), a British naval victory of the Napoleonic Wars. The centrepiece, Nelson's Column is topped by a statue of Horatio Nelson, the admiral who commanded the British Fleet at the battle of Trafalgar. This is where political demonstrations take place, as well as holiday gatherings and celebrations such as New Year's Eve, and the Christmas tree lighting. Many were relaxing near their favorite statue or fountain.

Approaching Big Ben and Palace of Westminster

So impressive in person!!

Big Ben is part of the Palace of Westminster originally started in 1020. The palace houses both of the the UK's ruling bodies, the Houses of Parliament and the House of Lords.

House of Parliament

Westminster Abbey is steeped in more than a thousand years of history. Benedictine monks first came to this site in the middle of the tenth century, establishing a tradition of daily worship which continues to this day.

The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs.

The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of an Anglo-Saxon saint still at its heart.

A treasure house of paintings, stained glass, pavements, textiles and other artifacts, Westminster Abbey is also the place where some of the most significant people in the nation's history are buried or commemorated. Taken as a whole the tombs and memorials comprise the most significant single collection of monumental sculpture anywhere in the United Kingdom.

Once we hopped off our tour bus, we made our way to the River Thames for a boat tour. Along the way we had a bit of fun in the famous "red box" phone booths!!

Our river tour started right below Big Ben. Just as we climbed aboard our boat, Big Ben's bells rang. It was so cool.

Boat tour along the River Thames

City of London School~~Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter attended school here

Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

The Globe is a theatre which many of William Shakespeare's plays can be seen. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, and was destroyed by fire. The modern reconstruction of the Globe Theatre was opened in 1997.

My boys!!

Tower Bridge

We continued our sight-seeing by catching the underground subway, called "The Tube". It runs under the city and even under the River Thames. I have to say that I am so happy that I have learned how to use mass transportation systems in Denmark...I think anyone who hasn't had practice could get very lost in the underground.

A beautiful memorial to the Women of WWII

 We exited the station near St. James's Park in order to see Buckingham Palace. On our way there, we passed a beautiful memorial to the women of WWII and the Horseguards. Built on land where jousting had taken place, this imposing guard house was built between 1750 and 1758. Only members of the royal family are allowed to ride through the arch.

St. James's Park was beautiful, the tulips and other flowers were in full bloom. This was London's first royal park created by Henry VIII in 1532. There is a lake in the center of the park that attracts many birds. We took a few moments to get some photos and enjoy the views.

Mommy and Cameron

The willow trees were so pretty

The cherry blossom trees were in bloom too!

Cameron and Corey at the gardens in front of Buckingham Palace

The center statue in front of the palace

Buckingham Palace!!

                             

Massive gates in front of the palace

Cam, Mom, and Corey

Once we saw Buckingham Palace and the surrounding areas, it was time to head over to Dim T's, a restaurant where we were going to meet up with my cousin, Leslie and my Auntie Alice. My cousin lives in London and has for 18 years now. Her Mother was there visiting her, so it was perfect timing in that we all got to see each other!! It was a short visit though, they were scheduled to leave for Italy the next morning.

Auntie A, me, and Leslie

Cameron (11 years old) continues to remind me of how short I am!!

Corey, Cameron, me, Leslie and Aunt Alice

After lots of hugs and kisses and our "Good-byes" were said, we continued along the riverfront towards the London Eye. We saw the city by bus and river boat and it was time to see the sights from high above the city. It was a lovely stroll, plenty to still see and do. We even tried to sneak in a kiss and were caught in the act!!

Note to Self: take camera from kids!

This guy was playing Billy Joel on his saxophone, it was lovely!

Aren't the lights beautiful?

Those that know me know that I sometimes have a fear of heights. I wasn't really sure that I wanted to ride the London Eye and asked Randell to hold off on buying our tickets online before the trip because I wanted to decide once I got there.

Brave boys going on the London Eye

Boys trying to talk me into riding!

Facts: The London Eye can carry 800 passengers per revolution - equivalent to 11 London red doubled-decker buses. The London Eye welcomes an average of 3.5 million customers every year. You would need 6,680 fully booked British Airways Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets to move that number of fliers!

So, I figured that with that many people riding every year since it opened in the year 2000 and no one had died (that I know of), I would give it a whirl, a go-around...PUN intended.

Almost at the top, looking at the pod below us

Gorgeous views!!

Big Ben and The Parliament

Cameron helped me feel brave!!

Well, I survived and I loved it. The views were something I'm happy I didn't miss. It was worth the initial fast heart rate and lump in my throat!! It was a long day and we were pooped. We headed back to the hotel via underground and had a restful sleep. 

April 5, 2012: We had breakfast and then took the underground to The Monument. As we exited "the tube", alarms began going off and security began locking the gates and directing everyone out of the subway. It was very frantic and we were glad we had arrived at our destination when we did. Had it been minutes later, ?? I don't know what they do with the people on the trains underground when there is a threat...glad I didn't find out! A local told us there are threats all too often, mysterious packages left that need to be checked out to make sure they aren't bombs! YIKES!! 

Right outside of the Monument underground exit is The Monument, standing tall and visible throughout the city. It was erected in 1676, to honor those who died in the 1666 fire. A stove in a bakery wasn't fully extinguished and began a fire that burned for 3 days. Everything that wasn't stone, was burned. The city was devastated, property loss was huge.

The monument has a spiral staircase with 345 stairs to the top. At 311 stairs, there is a balcony that you can step out onto to see the views of the city. Once returning to the bottom, you are given a certificate stating that you climbed 311 stairs! The guys went straight up while I stayed at the bottom talking to a nice British fellow. Going up spiral stairs is not an issue for me, it's the coming down, it makes me dizzy. The gentleman shared with me that they call it "the monument wobble". He also told me to look it up on YouTube as it has been captured on film. He told me many people exit the monument and are so dizzy they fall to the ground! 


Next stop--The Tower of London. Nick, my 26 year old, visited London many years ago and told us how much he loved seeing this. The boys were very excited, needless to say, anything "big brother" likes, they like as well. It was a hit for all of us. There is so much history inside of these castle and tower walls, it would take forever to share it all. This is a "must see" for anyone visiting London!

We began with getting audio phones that allowed us to do a self guided tour and also gave us great information about what we were seeing. Construction of the Tower of London was initiated in 1070 by William the Conqueror, shortly after his victory at Hastings in 1066. The Tower was built to enforce the power of the king over the newly conquered region.

The fortress, strategically located at the Thames, was originally not more than a temporary wooden building which was replaced later by the White Tower. Over time the complex was expanded into a stronghold with about 20 towers.

To etch and carve this into a concrete wall is time consuming

Gives us an idea about how long they were held captive

They are protected by plexi-glass now.

The upper chamber walls in the Salt Tower are engraved with many prisoners' graffiti. Most of the graffiti was from the 1500-1600's, a time of religious and political rebellion. This tower is part of Henry III’s late 1230s curtain wall which rings the castle. Built on the fortress’s south-eastern corner, this tower overlooked the Thames river. Archers could shoot arrows through the arrow-loops in this room.

Sir Walter Raleigh was held prisoner for many years

The Bloody Tower--The tower became known as the Bloody Tower in the mid-16th century because it was believed to be the place where the Princes who were being held captive were last seen and were then murdered by their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. It was never proven at the time, but later, excavations uncovered two small bodies under the stairwell.

The story of the poisoning of Sir Thomas Overbury is also told and the lower chamber of the tower is furnished as it might have appeared during Sir Walter Raleigh’s imprisonment.

Sir Walter Raleigh's family lived in the tower with him

Outside of these towers and in the courtyard, there was a reenactment of the trial and execution of Monmouth, the son of King Charles II.

Monmouth proclaims himself King and leads a rebellion

Lady Wentworth pleads for Monmouth's life

The judge orders the execution

The executioner

The judge told me he "could tell I was of a fine breed..".

The Legend of the Raven: Legend says that the kingdom and the Tower will fall if the six resident ravens ever leave the fortress. 

It was Charles II, according to the stories, who first insisted that the ravens of the Tower should be protected. This was against the wishes of his astronomer, John Flamsteed, who complained that the ravens impeded the business of his observatory in the White Tower.

The cages where the ravens are sometimes kept

In deference to the ancient legend and the decree of King Charles II at least six ravens are provided with Raven's Lodgings at the Tower of London. A Yeoman Warder, or Beefeater, has the specific role of Ravenmaster at the Tower and takes care of their feeding and well being. The Ravenmaster builds this relationship with the ravens as he takes the fledglings into his home and hand rears them over a period of about six weeks. Ravens live up to an average of 25 years, but have been known to reach the age of 45 years. To prevent the birds from flying away one of their wings is clipped by the Ravenmaster. Ravens are members of the crow family, Corvus, and are eaters of carrion and live mainly on dead flesh. 

This guy was huge and kept "talking" to us...