London Adventures

Look kids, Big Ben, Parliament

Mike, Laurie, May, Sheri and I got off the boat and were ready for some London exploring. We would also be meeting up with my cousin Joanne and her husband Ken. London is a wonderful modern city that also has history around every corner. The City of London covers a very small area of only 1.12 square miles. Has only 8,600 residents (500,000 during the work day.) In this area before the great fire of 1666 there were 107 churches. After the fire 87 churches were rebuilt and 51 at the direction of Sir Christopher Wren of which 24 still stand today. As one of our guides said "You exited one church and fell into another." I am not sure what the need for all these churches was but they do all begin to look alike very quickly.

Windsor Castle

After getting off the boat we found our driver and headed for Windsor castle. We toured the grounds and saw some of the private chambers of past kings and queens. We were treated to a changing of the guard where the band played the British royal classic 'Living on a Prayer' by Bon Jovi.

Tower of London

We did many of the obligatory things one must do in London. We wandered around the Tower of London. While I have been there a couple times before, this was the first time I saw the Crown Jewels. I am not sure what people's fascination with shiny rocks are, but we saw many sparkly things.

The highlight for me is always the ravens. They, of course, have the run of the place, and they seemed more than happy to let you know how important they are.

Pub Tour

Most of the gang got together to go on a pub tour. Our guide Richard took us around the city and gave us a succinct yet thorough history of London. I wish I could remember everything but it goes by so quick and just won't stick. However, to sum up, there were fires and plagues, beheadings and murder, artists and conmen, and of course the occasional religious persecution for not believing in the exact right god. Interspersed with all the blood and guts were stops at three different pubs. We also saw where Daniel Radcliffe went to school. Not exactly Hogwarts but close enough.

The Arts

There is an author that has been getting some traction over the last 500 years. His name is William Shakespeare. Apparently, he was quite good at putting words in a certain order that conveyed great meaning. We visited a recreation of the theatre where his plays were performed. We had a wonderful young guide that gave us an amazing tour of the Globe Theatre. One of the few original publications of Shakespeare's plays was on display. The last time one of these came up at auction it sold for nine million pounds.

Next up was the musical Hadestown which was simply amazing. The songs, the staging, and the tragic story was something I will not soon forget.

Westminster Abbey

We (Sheri, Joanne, Ken and I) were fortunate to get into Westminster Abbey. Unfortunately, the rest of the group was unable to get tickets. The gargoyles and other decorations on the building were quite macabre, and I found them to be wonderfully creepy. We saw the final resting spot of many kings and queens. I cannot keep them all straight. But I did see the graves of some truly deserving and great men. Charles Darwin was one my early heroes who opened my eyes up to the beauty and complexity of life. I am not going to pretend I understood the theories and ideas of Stephen Hawking, but he also pushed the boundaries of science and therefore brings us a tiny step closer to the truth. How ironic to be buried inside a church.

Other London Landmarks

London is filled with landmarks around every corner. We saw Big Ben and Parliament. We did not go inside either. We hoofed it over to Buckingham Palace. We did not go inside. We also saw Tower Bridge. This one we did go inside. It turned out to be a remarkably interesting tour. The views from the upper catwalks were spectacular. Both of which had a section with a glass bottom floor. While your brain knows its safe it still takes some courage to walk out onto the invisible support. It did provide a couple of great picture opportunities.

Mike showing us his nuts

Where the banshees live and they do live well

The entire gang spent the day and headed to Stonehenge. This for me is one of those jaw dropping places. It is my third time being there, and this time was no less awe inspiring. We were the very first ones there, and it was not crowded it all. It really added to the experience.

After leaving Stonehenge we headed to Bath. We only had a few hours there, and I look forward to returning when we can spend more time. We toured the Roman Baths and had lunch. It was a very pleasant day indeed.

We actually tasted the water. It was not good.

Almost the whole group

It was getting close to time to split up the merry group. Here is almost everyone (not sure where Laurie was off to.) Mike, Laurie and May would soon be headed home while Sheri, Ken, Joanne and I are headed to Amsterdam where our first proper nomadic stay of one month can begin. To this point it has felt non-stop. Lets see if we can get some rest in one of Europe's great cities.

The London crew enjoys some snacks.

Until the next adventure!

Brad & Sheri