We got up early for breakfast at our hotel. Nothing special, really. There was a variety of meats, baked beans, baked tomatoes, yogurt with jam and honey, and scrambled eggs. I had the eggs, some beans, and a tomato. Jennifer had yogurt, a tomato, and some eggs. There was a British lady at breakfast who put the beans on some toast before eating them. I guess I did it wrong.
After breakfast, we headed out for Westminster Abbey. Let's just say that experiencing rush hour in London was unpleasant. They all move really quickly and don't seem to notice or care who's in their way. They just focus on their destination. It's really difficult to cut across the crowds of people. The good thing is the Underground (except during rush hour when it's still fast but super packed full of people). We only waited for over a minute once. If only we had a system like that at home. A lady's voice kept asking us to "Mind the Gap" at every stop. Other signs we saw asked us to "mind your head" and "mind the step".
Our first sight out of the Underground was Big Ben and Parliament. There were a lot of media tents set up all around, I guess because of Brexit. We walked around a little and then headed for the Abbey in time for the opening.
Big Ben with the London eye in the background:
Did I mention that the morning rush included a mass of crazy bikers?
View of the London Eye across the Thames from Victoria Tower Gardens:
Sculpture of The Burghers of Calais from the Gardens with Parliament building behind:
Westminster Abbey was very interesting. We saw a lot of cool things, but it was way to crowded. They must make a fortune charging $30 to thousands of people per day. Sorry, no pictures from inside the Abbey, but we got what we could.
Abbey Cat:
Jen making friends:
Our next stop was the British Museum. This was the one place I wanted to see when we were planning, but spent the least amount of time there. We probably would have stayed longer, but it was a warm day and I guess the building isn't air conditioned. The cases were climate controlled, but not the building. We managed to see the few highlights that were on our list of must-sees.
Making a quick call outside the museum:
Outside the British Museum:
Pretty spectacular museum lobby!
The British got all the good stuff, and here's an example.
(Jen says the Germans did but I haven't been there):
The Rosetta Stone surrounded by a crowd of people. We couldn't even really see it, had to push some people out of the way for a look:
And a replica:
Why does everyone think they should touch the Lamassu? They're supposed to be intimidating.
Greek Temple:
Some of the Elgin marbles from the Parthenon:
The Sutton Hoo hoarde. This and much more came from an Anglo-Saxon ship burial.
We decided to have afternoon tea, but had trouble finding a spot. It seems like the Brits are coffee drinkers now. We finally stopped to have afternoon tea at Patisserie Valerie (the name made us choose that spot to eat). Yummy!
Tea with milk and scones with clotted cream and jam:
The Tower of London was the day's highlight. This was Jen's top choice. We only had a couple of hours there and saw most of it. We even saw the crown jewels which we hadn't planned on, but it started raining and there was no line a few minutes before closing time. We also visited the chapel where Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, and Thomas More were buried (along with several other notables).
Castles are more than just one building. It is really a castle complex. They contain multiple buildings, including a palace or royal apartments. All of these buildings are surrounded by fortifications.
Castle Gates:
The White Tower built by William the Conqueror. Hard to believe this is almost 1000 years old:
Lanthorn Tower:
Another view of The White Tower (my favorite building):
New Armories Building:
Henry VII Armor (Yes, it was a lot bigger and wider than any of the others):
Tons of armor were on display:
Display of spears - reminds me of Game of Thrones:
Beheading stone and ax:
Prisoners in the Tower of London carved things in the walls. Some are just names, others are more detailed. Some wrote poems or told of the injustice of their imprisonment. Others carved intricate designs and family crests.
The rain continued for the rest of the evening, but that didn't stop us. We walked across Tower Bridge to the area of London south of the River Thames. Behind all of the new architecture was a treasure of old buildings. It looked like it was probably an undesirable neighborhood, but now it seemed to be where all the locals hang out. We then walked down to see Shakespeare's Globe Theater.
Our rainy walk across Tower Bridge:
View of the Tower of London from Tower Bridge:
Tower Bridge:
Shakespeare's Globe Theater:
We had wanted to visit the British Library and, although it was open until 8 pm and right by our hotel, we didn't make it. We went to Piccadilly Circus and then wandered around that area of town a bit. We walked through China Town, Leicester Square, and then Covent Garden. We had dinner at a little Italian restaurant called Cafe Mode. That dinner turned out to be a very strange experience. After we ordered, the waiter told us to go down in the basement and watch the free comedy show. I know that sounds a bit sketchy, but we could hear it going on. He said he would come get us when our food was ready. We heard a comedian tell a story about being hung over and throwing up on a lizard, and then we were called for dinner. After we ate, the waiter brought us a little shot glass of an Italian liquor that we shared. We saw the waiter take a group of confused French speakers to the show, and he practically begged us to go back after dinner. Honestly, the room held about five people and the show wasn't that funny. I don't know what happened to the French people, but we left.
Piccadilly Circus:
China Town (Pizza Express???):
Tomorrow we will be heading out of London on a 6 am train, so it's off to bed!
