2015 ADVENTURE – PART 1

Even in my dotage, I can still be amazed.  As in how easy it is to get from 55 Hillsborough St. in downtown Charlottetown to 49 Queensborough Terrace in the heart of London.  We left home on the 8:00 pm flight on New Years Day and walked into the hotel lobby at 11:00 the next morning.  Getting through Heathrow, one of the busiest airports in the world, was a breeze.  We took the Heathrow Connect train to Paddington Station and walked the short distance to our hotel from there.

After some breakfast and a short nap, Elva and I crossed Bayswater Rd. to Hyde Park.  We’d seen that Kensington Palace was nearby, so decided to pay the Royal residence a visit.  It seems that Will, Kate, little George and Prince Harry all live there, as well as a few other Royal odds-and-ends.  We didn’t expect to see anyone important but enjoy an excellent exhibition on the lives of Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert.  It was a nice way to spend our first afternoon.  And Elva found a dress she liked!

After a better night’s sleep than we’d enjoyed on the flight across the Atlantic, we walked the 5 km or so to Leicester Square and, from there, the short distance to Covent Garden.  Covent Garden contains a first-class market and the square is surrounded by some impressive buildings, including the Royal Opera House.  We had our first ‘pies’ - mine of the steak and kidney variety - for lunch.  They were excellent!  This is a shot of the interior of Covent Garden.

In the afternoon, we took in a movie called Unbroken, the story of Louis Zamperini, an American World War II veteran of the Pacific campaign.  It’s a tale almost too incredible to be true and well worth seeing.  Then, we walked back toward our hotel and dined on Indian fare at a nearby restaurant.

Sunday began with a walk through Hyde Park, past the Wellington Arch, down the Princess Diana Walk, past Buckingham Palace and through Saint James Park.  We were on our way to the London Eye and our 11:00 rendezvous.  After walking some more along the south bank of the Thames, we boarded the big Ferris wheel and got a better view of the City.  A clearer day would have been nicer but, in London in January, you take what you can get.

From the Eye, we walked past Big Ben and the Parliament Buildings to Westminster Abbey.  It being Sunday, the church was closed for the day.  Undaunted, we walked to the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square and took in some of the exhibits on our own before taking a guided tour.  Although we’re not art aficionadas, we did enjoy the impressive collection and the beautiful building in which it’s housed.  The National Portrait Galley is equally impressive, as is the church of Saint-Martin-in-the-Fields.  After the long walk back to the hotel, we dined on the quintessential London pub fare: fish and chips.

On day four of our London adventure, we bought ‘Oyster Cards’ - passes for the London Underground - and made our way to the stop nearest the Tower of London.  We arrived there at opening time and took the first guided tour with Moira, a member of the famed Beefeaters, officially called the Yeoman Warders.  She regaled us with stories of the Tower’s origins in the eleventh century; torture and beheadings; the ravens that call the fortress home; and the beautiful Chapel Royal.

On our own, we viewed the Crown Jewels and visited the White Tower, built by William the Conqueror after he defeated King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in the year 1066.  We came away very impressed by this UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Next, it was back to bipedal transportation and a walk across the Thames on the Tower Bridge.

We walked along the south bank to the London Bridge and crossed it on our way to Saint Paul’s Cathedral, built under the supervision of Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666.  Our guide encouraged us to climb the 350 feet to the top of the dome (not that we needed any encouragement), so we hoofed ‘er up the 566 steps to take in a magnificent view of the city below.  See that little gallery just below the cross.  That's where we were!

On Day 5, we decided to take it easy.  We started our day standing patiently outside the gates of Buckingham Palace, waiting for the Changing of the Guards.  Surrounded by thousands, we didn’t see much, but at least the spectacle was free!  This is me holding up the nearby Canada Gate.

We walked from the palace along Piccadilly Street and called in at Fortnum & Mason, grocers and tea suppliers to the Royal Family, in business since 1707.  Sometimes the most interesting things, like our visit to this special store, happen quite by accident.  The most expensive bottle of wine I saw had a price tag of $3,000 on it!

In the afternoon, we walked through the pouring rain to Piccadilly Circus and to the matinee showing of Jersey Boys.  What a show!  For those who haven’t seen it, it’s the story of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  The narrative was inspiring and the singing and acting world-class.  No wonder people turn their noses up at shows like Canada Rocks and Johnny Cash at our own Confederation Centre.  We finished the day with a fine buffet meal in Chinatown.

We started our last day with a visit to Westminster Abbey, another of London’s UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Founded in the 10^th century, it has witnessed crownings, weddings and funerals of most of the British monarchs.  It is the burial and memorial place for many historical figures from the last 1,000 years of British history.  Too damn many tombs for my liking!

In the afternoon, we walked to the British Museum, a huge complex of buildings that reminded us of the Metropolitan Museum in New York and the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.  We took in a couple of guided tours on ‘The Enlightenment’ and the history of ancient Egypt.  Interesting, but too much to take in given the one afternoon we had.  We did see two exhibits that were on my list of ‘must-sees’: the Elgin Marbles and the Rosetta Stone.  It’s true that the British were great collectors of antiquities, but these represent two that belong where they were found, not in the British Museum.

London impressed us.  We’ve been to other big cities like Paris, Rome, New York and Istanbul, and London ranks as the best.  People are unfailingly polite; the city is clean and orderly; everything runs on time; entry to the public museums is free; you feel safe wherever you go.  Another thing: Londoners are damn tough.  As the temperature hovered barely above freezing, we saw a couple bathing in a pond in Hyde Park, as well as numerous bare-legged cyclists out for a Sunday ride.  The city is expensive, but well worth a visit.  We wished we’d had more time, and we do hope to return someday.

Tomorrow, the next leg of our adventure begins: an 88-day cruise aboard the MS Rotterdam VI.  Elva’s fortune cookie read: “You are about to embark on a most delightful journey.”  Can’t argue with that!