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After a good nights sleep, John and I were excited about our first full day in London. The Gallery Hotel includes a continental breakfast with the room, so by 7 a.m., we went downstairs to eat our breakfast. This hotel is listed as an "Elegant English Hotel" and it definitely is. The service is excellent, and this morning’s breakfast in their private English manor dining room was very enjoyable. Rolls, Croissants, Sweet Danish rolls, 3 types of cereals, assorted flavors of yogurts, fruit, sliced ham and cheese, toast, orange juice, coffee and hot tea were available to us. Returning to our room, we waited for our tour guide from London Tours, Harry Norman to pick us up at our hotel at 9:15 am. I found London Tours on the Internet, when I was doing the research for this trip. His website was very informative, and when I inquired, he sent several personal recommendations from previous clients. They had all expressed their enjoyment with the tours that they had recently taken. If anyone has read my previous journals of our trips, then you know how often John and I get lost when we are driving in unfamiliar places. I decided John would enjoy these very few days in London much more if we actually saw something.... without the confusion of London traffic or driving on the wrong side of the street. Harry was the answer! Harry Norman is a friendly and charming man........ who really knows London, and can maneuver the streets with ease. He drove us around in his luxury, air-conditioned minivan and we saw so many of the local sites that I'm not sure I can remember then all.
We started off by driving by the Royal Albert Hall, the Albert Memorial Monument, the London Eye, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and lots more. We stopped at Westminster Abbey, where Harry let John and I go off on our own for about 45 minutes.
Westminster Abbey is located just across the street from the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. It is an Anglican Church where services have been held for over 1000 years. Monarchs have been crowned there and over 3000 Royals and dignitaries have been buried there. Originally built in 1065, it was rebuilt in the 13th Century and has been altered over the centuries. We purchased tickets, and whet inside, as John was anxious to see this particular site. No photography or video tapping was allowed inside, but I can tell you this was an incredible church. Inside we saw so many tombs of English Royalty, (including my favorite - Queen Elizabeth I) Church dignitaries, Military notables, scientists, and honored citizens from past times. These are not plain tombs....... but Crypts with statutes lying in rest atop each of the tombs. Each one is more elaborate than the one before. It just takes your breath away to see this centuries old magnificence of this medieval church. After leaving the Abbey, John and I walked around the area to take exterior photos of this beautiful building. Across the street were the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, so we were delighted to have this photo opportunity.
At the appointed time, we returned to Harry's minivan and drove off to see the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace. This time he dropped us off at the Guards Quarters, where the Guards assemble for the march to the Palace. We arrived just in time to see the guards ready to start the march to the Palace. We followed the parade to the front of the Palace, but could not get very close to see the actual ceremony because of the crowds. We walked around and took several scenic shots of Buckingham Palace with the crowds of people watching the festivities. It was all so very beautiful.
Soon, we were back driving around with Harry again. Next, he showed us a medieval house constructed in the year 1240, now owned by the St Bartholomew's Church. We went inside St. Bartholomew’s Church, which dates back to the 1100's and saw the tomb of St. Bartholomew. This ancient Church was the filming site for the wedding scenes in the movie, Shakespeare in Love. About 1 p.m., we stopped at a local pub called The Founders Arms located along the River Thames. After a typical English pub lunch, we walked along the river, past the Tate Modern Museum to the new Globe Theatre. It is made to be a replica of Shakespeare’s original Globe Theatre. Harry then showed us the original sight of the Globe Theatre that was destroyed by a fire. Harry's informative stories of different points of interest that he showed us along the way are very enjoyable. I particularly liked seeing the Clink Prison Pub and hearing his explanations about being "thrown in the clink". Walking back we went into an old Pub from the 1200's where Harry pointed out some pictures and told us local stories about it. Harry is very knowledgeable about the local area and showed us many places off the beaten path. At one point he stopped and showed us the "Old Curiosity Shop" immortalized by Charles Dickens. Dating back to 1567, it was very interesting to see.
Just before 3 p.m., Harry took us over to the Tower of London where we went off again on our own for about 1 hour. This historic royal landmark, built in the 11th century, has been a fortress, a prison, a treasury and a palace. It now houses an exhibit of the Crown Jewels, has exhibits displaying armor, weapons, etc from the medieval times and allows you to see all the rooms throughout the many towers. Staged scenes by actors were played out in the courtyard for the general public. Tours are offered by the Beefeater’s (the Yeomen Warders who guard the Tower) in full costume. We took the self-guided tour, and stopped frequently to take pictures.
The Tower Bridge is one of London’s most famous landmarks. It can be seen from the Tower, as we took many pictures of this impressive sight. This bridge was built over 100 years ago, and houses the Tower of London Exhibition. Unfortunately, we did not have the time to walk thru this exhibit, but we did enjoy the view.
By 4 pm, we were back with Harry for the drive back to our Hotel. Taking the scenic way, Harry pointed out many other sites and even drove us past the famous department store, Harrods. During the course of driving around with Harry, we saw Scotland yard, new and old, English civil & criminal courts, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street, many Embassies of various countries, including the United States, the Cabinet War Rooms, the Stock Exchange, Fleet street which is the home of several daily London Newspapers, both sites where the London Fire started and ended and more places than I can remember! Harry seems to know EVERYTHING!!!!
After resting in our room for only a short time, we set off walking to the very up-scale department store, Harrods. Harry had pointed it out to us, and showed us the route to walk, before bringing us back to our hotel. Guards stand at all the entrances and signs tell you that no photography is allowed in the store. There is one exception… at the simple memorial to Princess Diana within the store, located near the escalators. John and I wandered from floor to floor, all 6 of them, and from department to department. I lingered longer in the gift sections and children's toys, as I have 4 small grandchildren to remember with gifts from London. Everything is so elegant and it was so much fun, but the store closes at 7 pm....... So, after doing some shopping (a few toy items, a small teddy bear in a beefeater uniform and a London teapot for myself) we were off in search of a restaurant for our dinner. Below is a photo of the Harrods Department Store and another picture of me looking at the Lego display of Harry Potter in the Harrods windows. The Harry Potter book comes out next week, and advertisements are everywhere. It seems everyone is a fan, including us.
We walked the streets towards our hotel and soon found the Cafe Montpeliano..... An Italian restaurant. London is so diverse with cuisine from 70 different countries (so says a small guide book, I read) that you can find many different types of food to choose from. In fact, in our area, we couldn't find any typical English meals for dinner. Most of the choices where ethnic varieties (Chinese, Italian, Thai, Asian, Japanese, Russian, Bangedesh, French and Mediterranean).... to name just a few. Dinner was excellent and we were soon on our way again. Back at our hotel by 8 pm, well fed, but thoroughly exhausted. It was a very long and busy day for us, but with Harry Norman's help, I think we saw a good sampling of London in one day! |
