20110824  London  Sunny

We started wrong by oversleeping until 1000. Guess we're still not accustomed to GMT.

So we started in a panic caused by misinterpretation of the time we were to meet our tour for the afternoon. We caught the bus to Victoria Station (RR) and sought out Victoria Coach Station, which turns out to be totally unassociated with Victoria Station. We found it (something like a large city Greyhound terminal + tourist buses) but we were nearly two hours early.

So we thought we'd walk down the street to American Express to cash in some traveler's checks we bought several years ago. Their web site gave several addresses and didn't differentiate between them. The one we found turned out to be their UK headquarters, so all they could do was to send us on to a real store.

We abandoned that search and returned to the VCS and waited for the Harrod's open-top scenic bus. It came, we hopped up to the upper level and (after a while) it left, with people from Japan, Australia, us, and some mid-east countries.

The tour took us around the high spots, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, The City, to Tower Hill. There, we boarded a boat to go up the Thames. More views were seen, and discussed by the good guide. He tried to put in perspective the timing of London by saying the gate-house to the Tower castle was completed in 1200, by which time St Paul's cathedral of the time was 600 years old.

The boat trip ended and we re-boarded the bus. It took us to the Horse Guards Parade Grounds, part of the Buckingham grounds. There, the grassy parade ground is being ripped out to become the beach volleyball venue for the 2012 Olympics. I'll have to watch.

Then we were dropped at the entry to the London Eye tremendous ferris wheel (450' high). The ticket line wait was 30 minutes, the boarding line wait was 30 minutes and the trip to the top and down is 30 minutes. Very nice views from the top, but the crowds (it's still summer here) are large on the nice days like today (60's, mostly sunny).

The tour ended there, so we walked down the south bank to the Victoria footbridge back to the north(west) bank and up the side of Charing Cross station. We came to a place called Sherlock Holmes pub, and went up to their first floor (the first floor above the ground floor) dining room. D had a roast chicken and I had a chicken breast rolled around sage dressing, and a bottle of Semillon Chardonnay. That revived us enough to survive the rest of the trip home.

We walked two blocks to Trafalgar Square, then caught a black taxi to home for eight pounds. D went up to the room to rest while I went out to find a “cash point” (ATM). I finally found one and got cash for tomorrow's trip to Oxford, the Cotswolds, and Stratford-on-Avon.

I was worn out by now, but stopped in the Museum Tavern for a pint before coming home to type and post this. Owen Photos      Dolores Photos     

Up at 0600 tomorrow for the tour.

20110825  London  Cloudy

As said, up at 0600 for the tour. Down to the Pret A Manger for coffee, juice, and breakfast sandwich. Back up the street to the British Museum bus stop to be collected for the tour.

The mini-bus came along a few minutes late at 0723, David opened the door, and we climbed into an empty bus. David told us there were to be only six of us on the tour in the 16-passenger bus, so we spread out.

We went across London to pick up the other four, who turned out to be from Toronto, Ontario, and traveling together. Then onto the motorway toward Oxford (in the old days, Oxen-ford for the envisionable reason).

Debbie, an official Oxford Tour Guide, captured us and away. She was fantastic. She was born there and has lived there all her life. She breathes the place. She's an extrovert and has stories that had us in stitches. She forced herself into the path of Prince Charles and got him to wave at her, then had two other encounters with him and other visiting royalty. She pointed out the sculpture of the naked man atop a building on Broad Street and told stories of how the university students dress him for various occasions.

In between the stories, she gave facts on Oxford University and the 38 Colleges that are part of it. I can't go into all the stuff she told us – it was just too much. One historical note is this – the Sheldonian is an enclosed amphitheater where incoming and graduating ceremonies are held. It was Sir Chrisopher Wren's first design – at age 19 – and was commissioned in 1663. The U was in full swing as a place of education in 1167, and participated in all the various political shifts down through time. Churchmen Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer were burned alive here for upholding their protestant faith in the mid-1500's. It was solidly Royalist in the English Civil War. And on it goes.

The buildings, of course, are marvelous and old. But the main library extends five stories beneath ground level, all hidden. By law, every book published in the UK has its first copy sent here. It received 3,000 books per week.

We left Oxford and toured through the Cotswolds (Cots hills) en route to Stratford-on-Avon. The mini-bus was small enough and David skilled enough that we went through some very small lanes, tiny villages with rock walls on either side, and very picturesque settings. We even saw a pair of (fallow) deer in a field, the deer imported from France long ago. When we put up the photographs of today, you'll see what we mean. Rolling hills and valleys, gentle streams, all older than dirt.

We stopped in Saint-Edwards-Stowe-on-Wold for a lunch break. We were on our own for this. D & I wound up in Saint Edwards cafe for tea and sandwiches – when in Rome, etc. Then we walked through shops, took pictures, and rejoined David.

On then to Stratford. IMHO it's a totally commercialized place centered on Wm Shakespeare. Everything is Shakespeare. We did tour the house in which he was born in 1560-something. He did his career in London, but returned here later when he was famous and continued here until his death. He received royalties from his plays and owned the theatre in which they were first performed, so he became quite wealthy. He's buried in the local church.

D says she could do more time here to see plays (they're put on daily in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre here) and look around more.

David then took off for London and, with our consent, put us out on the street a few blocks from our hotel to make it easier for him to drop off the other four and go home.

We stumbled to the hotel where I put away the acquired goodies and then went to the Museum Tavern for food and beverages.

Then we returned to the hotel to put up our feet, take Tylenol, do these notes, and crash.

Owen Photos      Dolores Photos