Wednesday August 28
Back on the subway after breakfast. Bakerloo Line again, but not stopping at Baker St this time. Charing Cross is our stop, and the meerkats pop up on the edge of Trafalgar Square. Sarah was a little disappointed, only because there were no pigeons. I think she was hoping to recreate a scene from Mary Poppins. Bad luck.
Even sans pigeons, it’s a nice place, statues, obelisk and fountain, enveloped by buildings with some serious heft.
Saw Admiralty Arch, which is much more impressive than that wee marble number.
Started heading down to the famous part of town, we passed the Horse Guards Parade. Well that’s what it’s called. There’s a couple of guys, parked up on horseback, staring at the horizon, while the tourists do what tourists do. They’re like the guys I had a run in with. Have to stand perfectly still, ignoring everything. Is this some sort of hazing, or a punishment for something?
Over the road from there is a place called The Banqueting House. It’s pretty much what you could imagine, so we move on. It was on the way, and we get free access with the London Pass, so, there it is. A little further down, we see a cool monument to women in the war. Clever.
Just past that is Downing Street. We couldn’t get down for a look even if we wanted to. Security up the wazoo.
So it’s Westminster Abbey. No photos inside. No surprise.
As luck would have it, some of the lesser insides are less retentive than the greater.
One thing we did notice. It’s very busy. Very busy. Statues, plaques and gravestones.
Like most cathedrals and abbeys, there is usually some kind of corridor on either side of the central core of the building. It is these corridors that are always packed with these objects. I call it the sponsors alley. If good and wealthy folks bequeath a good part of their folding stuff to the church, it will buy them some real estate in the sponsors alley for a plaque, a statue, and possibly even a gravesite.
I must say, though, that compared to Exeter Cathedral, the working part of Westminster Abbey between the Sponsors Alleys, is very narrow. Very.
After church, we wandered over to the river. With the London Pass we have a free 24 hr access to the river cruises. We want to go down to the Tower of London, and on the water seems a delightful way to get there.
To get to the boat, we walk right past Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Unfortunately, both are undergoing renovations. The is lots of scaffolding around and over parts of parliament, but Big Ben is completely wrapped up. Sarah is disappointed not to see this iconic landmark.
As we are boarding the boat, we see one side has the clock face exposed. That’s your bleeding lot, mate.
The boat is a nice way to see the city. It’s first stop is virtually across the river, at the London Eye. Next stop is Tower Bridge, where we get off. In between is an entertaining commentary about the various views.
When we get off, there are a range of food outlets, so we do lunch at Wagamama.
We then pop into a wee church next door. It’s called All Hallows by the Tower. Once again, older than the moa.
And then it’s into the tower to check out the Crown Jewels. Sounds like a male strip-joint, doesn’t it? Oh, and Sarah saw a squirrel scamper up a tree. Standard Rules, no photos of the shiny stuff. Guys in red coats, stupid hats and painful rifles. I’m keeping my distance.
One last stop for the day. Two trains later, and the meerkats popped up in a very posh part of town. Piccadilly. Some beautiful buildings on this road. We walk past The Ritz. Sarah says I’m not dressed well enough to get in.
The one we are looking for is Fortnum & Mason. What Sarah was expecting was a foody store. What she found was a posh department store. Are they trying to be a Harrods or a Selfridges? Meh...
Back on the subway after breakfast. Bakerloo Line again, but not stopping at Baker St this time. Charing Cross is our stop, and the meerkats pop up on the edge of Trafalgar Square. Sarah was a little disappointed, only because there were no pigeons. I think she was hoping to recreate a scene from Mary Poppins. Bad luck.
Even sans pigeons, it’s a nice place, statues, obelisk and fountain, enveloped by buildings with some serious heft.
Saw Admiralty Arch, which is much more impressive than that wee marble number.
Started heading down to the famous part of town, we passed the Horse Guards Parade. Well that’s what it’s called. There’s a couple of guys, parked up on horseback, staring at the horizon, while the tourists do what tourists do. They’re like the guys I had a run in with. Have to stand perfectly still, ignoring everything. Is this some sort of hazing, or a punishment for something?
Over the road from there is a place called The Banqueting House. It’s pretty much what you could imagine, so we move on. It was on the way, and we get free access with the London Pass, so, there it is. A little further down, we see a cool monument to women in the war. Clever.
Just past that is Downing Street. We couldn’t get down for a look even if we wanted to. Security up the wazoo.
So it’s Westminster Abbey. No photos inside. No surprise.
As luck would have it, some of the lesser insides are less retentive than the greater.
One thing we did notice. It’s very busy. Very busy. Statues, plaques and gravestones.
Like most cathedrals and abbeys, there is usually some kind of corridor on either side of the central core of the building. It is these corridors that are always packed with these objects. I call it the sponsors alley. If good and wealthy folks bequeath a good part of their folding stuff to the church, it will buy them some real estate in the sponsors alley for a plaque, a statue, and possibly even a gravesite.
I must say, though, that compared to Exeter Cathedral, the working part of Westminster Abbey between the Sponsors Alleys, is very narrow. Very.
After church, we wandered over to the river. With the London Pass we have a free 24 hr access to the river cruises. We want to go down to the Tower of London, and on the water seems a delightful way to get there.
To get to the boat, we walk right past Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Unfortunately, both are undergoing renovations. The is lots of scaffolding around and over parts of parliament, but Big Ben is completely wrapped up. Sarah is disappointed not to see this iconic landmark.
As we are boarding the boat, we see one side has the clock face exposed. That’s your bleeding lot, mate.
The boat is a nice way to see the city. It’s first stop is virtually across the river, at the London Eye. Next stop is Tower Bridge, where we get off. In between is an entertaining commentary about the various views.
When we get off, there are a range of food outlets, so we do lunch at Wagamama.
We then pop into a wee church next door. It’s called All Hallows by the Tower. Once again, older than the moa.
And then it’s into the tower to check out the Crown Jewels. Sounds like a male strip-joint, doesn’t it? Oh, and Sarah saw a squirrel scamper up a tree. Standard Rules, no photos of the shiny stuff. Guys in red coats, stupid hats and painful rifles. I’m keeping my distance.
One last stop for the day. Two trains later, and the meerkats popped up in a very posh part of town. Piccadilly. Some beautiful buildings on this road. We walk past The Ritz. Sarah says I’m not dressed well enough to get in.
The one we are looking for is Fortnum & Mason. What Sarah was expecting was a foody store. What she found was a posh department store. Are they trying to be a Harrods or a Selfridges? Meh...
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