Right away we were first off to St. Paul's Cathedral. Like so many of the religious and historic sights in England, no interior pictures are allowed. This link is to some interior pictures of the Cathedral that are available on the internet. St. Paul's Cathedral Five different churches have existed on this site. The first church dates back to 604 AD. Several famous people are entombed in the church's crypt including the Duke of Wellington who defeated Napolean at Waterloo. The church is also where many famous weddings have taken place including Prince Charles to Lady Diana in 1981. The funeral of Winston Churchill was also held within St. Paul's in 1965. After visiting the cathedral and enjoying a quick lunch, we were off to take the water taxi along the River Thames, heading towards the Tower of London. At 215 miles in length, the River Thames is the longest river in England. As we journeyed along this river headed towards our London Tower destination, we saw many London landmarks along the way including the Tower Bridge, Big Ben, the London Shard, the London City Hall, and the London Eye.
The Tower Bridge is a combined bascule bridge (draw bridge) and suspension bridge. It was constructed between 1886 and 1894. The bridge is a total of 800 feet in length. The central span of 200 feet is split into two equal bascules that take 5 minutes to raise when it needs to allow tall river traffic to pass. While the bridge is raised about 1000 times a year, a passage that requires raising the bridge must be booked a minimum of 24 hours in advance.
Big Ben tower, constructed in 1859, is probably the most iconic landmark in London. Big Ben technically refers only to the bell in the tower, though most have come to include the actual clock when they refer to Big Ben. Unfortunately on our visit, Big Ben was undergoing major renovations that are not scheduled to be completed until sometime in 2021. We did get a peek at the clock face, however, amongst all the scaffolding. When the renovations are complete Big Ben will return to ringing a perfect note of E natural on every hour.
The London Shard standing at 1,016 feet it is the tallest building in the United Kingdom. The Shard hosts a 26-floor office complex that is occupied by 32 companies, a hotel, and numerous restaurants. Not being a fan of heights we skipped the trip to the top. But if you are in London and heights do not bother you, it is said that they have a delicious gastronomic afternoon tea experience with outstanding views of the city.
The London City Hall building is impressive. In the building's interior is a helical stairway that accends the entire 10 stories of the building. On the top floor is an open viewing deck that has been named London's Living Room.
When the London Eye was built in 1999 it was the world's tallest wheel. Today it is the world's 4th tallest. The London Eye is the most popular paid attraction in the United Kingdom. There are a total of 32 capsules, with one being the 'Royal' capsule. The London Eye can carry 800 people at one time. The capsules travel at a slow 50 feet per minute. I enjoyed photographing, but once again heights are not my thing.
The Tower Bridge is a combined bascule bridge (draw bridge) and suspension bridge. It was constructed between 1886 and 1894. The bridge is a total of 800 feet in length. The central span of 200 feet is split into two equal bascules that take 5 minutes to raise when it needs to allow tall river traffic to pass. While the bridge is raised about 1000 times a year, a passage that requires raising the bridge must be booked a minimum of 24 hours in advance.
Big Ben tower, constructed in 1859, is probably the most iconic landmark in London. Big Ben technically refers only to the bell in the tower, though most have come to include the actual clock when they refer to Big Ben. Unfortunately on our visit, Big Ben was undergoing major renovations that are not scheduled to be completed until sometime in 2021. We did get a peek at the clock face, however, amongst all the scaffolding. When the renovations are complete Big Ben will return to ringing a perfect note of E natural on every hour.
The London Shard standing at 1,016 feet it is the tallest building in the United Kingdom. The Shard hosts a 26-floor office complex that is occupied by 32 companies, a hotel, and numerous restaurants. Not being a fan of heights we skipped the trip to the top. But if you are in London and heights do not bother you, it is said that they have a delicious gastronomic afternoon tea experience with outstanding views of the city.
The London City Hall building is impressive. In the building's interior is a helical stairway that accends the entire 10 stories of the building. On the top floor is an open viewing deck that has been named London's Living Room.
When the London Eye was built in 1999 it was the world's tallest wheel. Today it is the world's 4th tallest. The London Eye is the most popular paid attraction in the United Kingdom. There are a total of 32 capsules, with one being the 'Royal' capsule. The London Eye can carry 800 people at one time. The capsules travel at a slow 50 feet per minute. I enjoyed photographing, but once again heights are not my thing.
There was so much to see along the river and then we arrived at the impressive London Tower. After being up for something like 36 hours we were off touring the Tower of London which is massive in so many ways. The walls alone are 15 feet thick. The Tower was ordered to be built by William the Conqueror in 1078. Early in its history, it served as a grand palace. There were also portions, however, that served as a torturous jail. In the 16th century, its reputation was known more as a place of torture and death. Queen Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII was executed here (1536) as was Henry VIII's fifth wife, Catherine Howard (1542). At least 6 ravens are kept at the tower at all times as superstition states that the tower and the British Monarchy too will fall when the ravens are gone. Some believe that several ghosts are residents of the tower including Catherine Howard, Dame Sybil(the nurse of Prince Edward), Henry VI and of all things a grizzly bear (that connection is due to the zoo that was housed here from the 1200s to 1835). The crown jewels have been kept at the Tower of London for over 600 years. They are estimated to be worth more than $ 32 billion today. These jewels are on display at the Tower of London. The line to view the jewels, however, was about 3 hours long and after our long day, we took a miss on this. Even without viewing the Crown Jewels we still spent almost 3 hours touring the Tower of London. Yeoman Warders still guard the tower, as they have since the middle ages. It is a very competitive position and you cannot even apply until you have completed a minimum of 22 years in the armed forces with an unblemished record. Those that make it through the selection process get to wear a uniform that costs $9000 a copy. I guess you had better not spill your lunch on that. Prior to the 1800s, for 500 years, most of England's money was made at the Tower of London. At the Tower, there is also a huge display of different armor as well as a huge collection of weaponry that dates back to medieval times. After a long day and lacking sleep we were headed back to our hotel on the water taxi. Leaving the water taxi platform I had a most unfortunate fall which had me checking out the British Health Care system. I had X-RAYS, was examined by a doctor and treated in 45 minutes. I found their hospitals to be very efficient and well organized and even though I had foreign medical insurance they wanted nothing from me and charged me zero. I came out of this with a fairly serious shoulder sprain which had me do the entire trip in a sling with lots of Tylenol and ice. Three weeks later (still in a sling) I will soon be seeing an orthopedic doctor in Florida to see what it is going to take to get me back on the golf course. That said, we forged ahead on our trip and the whirlwind pace of the trip actually served to keep my mind off of the pain in my shoulder. On day two we were up early and off to visit the British Museum.
Walking to the British Museum from our hotel we passed by the Marble Arch. The Marble Arch was originally commissioned in 1827 to act as a gateway to Buckingham Palace. In 1850 it was decided that the Arch was too small for this purpose and the Arch was relocated to its present location as a grand entrance to Hyde Park. The Arch has quite an interesting history. More on the Marble Arch can be found at the Marble Arch
The British Museum is nothing short of incredible. We spent basically the entire day there and still there was so much more to see. There is no way to highlight all we saw in this museum. There are a few pictures below. Some of the more notable highlights within the museum I will give a short mention to. The actual Rosetta Stone located in the museum dates back to 196 BC. It contains 3 languages- hieroglyphic script, Greek and Demotic. Until its discovery in 1799 man had no method of translating the Egyptian hieroglyphics. The museum has a collection of 140 Egyptian mummies and coffins dating back to 1600 BC. The Sloane Astrolab in the museum dates back to 1290. It is the earliest and largest English Astrolab to have survived the Middle Ages. It demonstrates the early knowledge of Arabic Astronomy and instrumentation. Various Parthenon sculptures built nearly 2500 years ago can be viewed up close in the museum. The Parthenon was built in Athens as a temple dedicated to the Greek Goddess Athena. The Lewis Chessmen at the museum were discovered in 1831 and date back to the 12th century. Most are carved from walrus ivory with a few are made from whale teeth. The set is thought to have been made in Norway. Unique to the Lewis Chessmen is the introduction of the Bishop piece. The Queens in the set all hold one hand against their cheek- a mystery to this day of the actual meaning that was intended to convey. The massive statue found on the ground floor, named Hoa Hakananai'a, is one of the Moai from Easter Island. It dates 1000-1600 BC. I have included just a few pictures below. It was amazing as we walked through this museum with the huge collection of items dating from 2000 years ago or more. The age of the various artifacts we found was just a bit difficult to get our minds around.
The magnificent church of Westminister Abbey represents over 1000 years of British Heritage. No interior photography was allowed but a few pictures can be seen at this link. Westminister Abbey Note, however, that these pictures do not really do a great job demonstrating the magnificence that was inside. Westminister Abbey was begun by Henry III in 1245. Westminister Abbey has been the coronation church for 39 coronations since 1066, the last being Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Over 3300 people have been buried or commemorated within the Abbey walls including 17 British Monarchs, (King Henry V, all the Tudors except Henry VIII) and also other notables such as Isaac Newton, Edward the Confessor, Charles Dickens, and Steven Hawking. The older coffins of various Kings and Queens are incredibly elaborate and numerous too. Seventeen Royal Weddings have taken place at the Abbey, the most recent being in 2011- Prince William to Catherine Middleton.
The Royal Mews houses some of the most beautiful carriages ever made, all used by the Royal Family for different types of occasions. Also at the Royal Mews is one of the finest 32 stall stables and riding schools. Two breeds of horses are at the Mews, the Winsor Greys (a type of Irish Draught) and the Cleveland Bays. There are over 100 carriages in the Royal Collection. Each has a specific purpose and seven or eight of them are on display at the Royal Mews. Two of the more impressive carriages are the Diamond Jubilee State Coach and the Gold State Coach. The Diamond Jubilee State Coach was intended to celebrate the Queen's 80th birthday but was not completed until 8 years later. This coach has been referred to as a museum on wheels. Besides being lavishly decorated in gold leaf, the interiors and exteriors of this carriage include pieces from Henry VIII's warship, pieces of wood from Westminister Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Kensington Place, the Royal Yacht Brittania and a piece from Sir Isaac Newton's Apple Tree. While the carriage has a lot of history it is of very modern construction, being equipped with six hydraulic stabilizers, heaters and electric windows. It is one of only two Royal coaches built in the last 100 years and is said to have cost $4.5 Million to complete. The Gold State Coach was commissioned in 1760 for George III. It is lavishly decorated in gold (4 tons) and adorned with various cherubs dolphins mermaids and gold tritons. The coach has been used in every coronation since 1821. It is also used for Royal Weddings and Monarch Jubilees.
Buckingham Palace resides in the very heart of London and was a special sight to get to see. Just the Staterooms are open to visitors when the Queen is on holiday during select weeks in the summer. The staterooms are truly magnificent and are filled with the largest private art collection in the world. Included are over 1 million works by familiar names such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Claude and more. Once again no interior photos were allowed but a few interior shots can be seen at this link. Buckingham Palace In 1761 King George III purchased the property for Queen Charlotte as a private residence. In the 19th century, the house underwent extensive renovations where three additional wings were added. The palace today has 775 rooms. These comprise 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 52 royal, and guest bedrooms, and 19 staterooms. There are 350 clocks in the palace and two people are assigned to wind those clocks every day. Now that sounds like a bit of a boring job. The palace's magnificent ballroom is over 7200 square feet in size. The first event to be held in this ballroom was a celebration of the end of the Crimean War (1856). This room, in 1883, was also the first room in the palace to get electricity. With a post office, pool, cinema, health clinic and more the palace is more of a small town. While we only visited the Staterooms, that area alone took almost 3 hours to tour.
The House of Parliament is composed of the House of Commons and House of Lords. Once again within most of the building, no photography was allowed. A few interior pictures can be seen at House of ParliamentThe building was built in the 11th Century, however, a fire destroyed most of the building in 1834. Construction on the current building began in 1840 and was completed in 1870. The House of Chambers was then destroyed in the WWII bombings, with the reconstruction of the House of Commons being completed in 1950. The building is somewhat color-coded. The areas of the building that are used by the Monarch are gold, the areas used by the Lords are red and the areas for the Commons are green. The Monarch comes to the gallery just once a year to preside over the official state opening of Parliament. The Monarch is not allowed past the Throne in the House of Lords as going further would be considered an interference in the workings of the elected House of Commons. Each year at the opening of parliament the Monarch reads a speech that outlines the legislative program for the coming year that has been prepared by the Prime Minister. For over four centuries each day in the Commons begins with prayers where all are required to face the wall during the duration of the prayers. While members of the House of Lords originally were only determined by heredity today, the number of heredity peers is limited and most of the Lords are appointed due to some expertise they may have in various areas such as science and economics.
While in London we took the train to Windsor Castle that is located about 45 minutes outside of London. The Windsor Castle is the longest-occupied castle in Europe. The castle has been used as a residence by monarchs since Henry I. Edward III who was born at the castle spent lavishly on its expansion in the 1300s. Today more than 500 people live and work at the castle, making it the largest inhabited castle in the world. It is also the preferred weekend residence of the Queen. The castle contains about 1,000 rooms covering 484,000 square feet of floor space located on 13 acres. On the grounds is St. George's Chapel where Prince Harry and Megan Markle were married as were Prince Charles and Camilla. This chapel is also where 10 kings are buried including Henery VIII. Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I are credited with making the castle the center of the British crown. As was true of Buckingham palace the Royal collection at Windsor is extensive and impressive and also like at Buckingham Palace no interior pictures were allowed. While each room is decorated using items from the Royal collection and their combination offer a special beauty, the individual items are available to be viewed online at this link. The Royal Collection Trust We spent 3 hours touring Windsor Castle and St. George's Chapel and we were in awe with all there was to see.
Walking to the British Museum from our hotel we passed by the Marble Arch. The Marble Arch was originally commissioned in 1827 to act as a gateway to Buckingham Palace. In 1850 it was decided that the Arch was too small for this purpose and the Arch was relocated to its present location as a grand entrance to Hyde Park. The Arch has quite an interesting history. More on the Marble Arch can be found at the Marble Arch
The British Museum is nothing short of incredible. We spent basically the entire day there and still there was so much more to see. There is no way to highlight all we saw in this museum. There are a few pictures below. Some of the more notable highlights within the museum I will give a short mention to. The actual Rosetta Stone located in the museum dates back to 196 BC. It contains 3 languages- hieroglyphic script, Greek and Demotic. Until its discovery in 1799 man had no method of translating the Egyptian hieroglyphics. The museum has a collection of 140 Egyptian mummies and coffins dating back to 1600 BC. The Sloane Astrolab in the museum dates back to 1290. It is the earliest and largest English Astrolab to have survived the Middle Ages. It demonstrates the early knowledge of Arabic Astronomy and instrumentation. Various Parthenon sculptures built nearly 2500 years ago can be viewed up close in the museum. The Parthenon was built in Athens as a temple dedicated to the Greek Goddess Athena. The Lewis Chessmen at the museum were discovered in 1831 and date back to the 12th century. Most are carved from walrus ivory with a few are made from whale teeth. The set is thought to have been made in Norway. Unique to the Lewis Chessmen is the introduction of the Bishop piece. The Queens in the set all hold one hand against their cheek- a mystery to this day of the actual meaning that was intended to convey. The massive statue found on the ground floor, named Hoa Hakananai'a, is one of the Moai from Easter Island. It dates 1000-1600 BC. I have included just a few pictures below. It was amazing as we walked through this museum with the huge collection of items dating from 2000 years ago or more. The age of the various artifacts we found was just a bit difficult to get our minds around.
The magnificent church of Westminister Abbey represents over 1000 years of British Heritage. No interior photography was allowed but a few pictures can be seen at this link. Westminister Abbey Note, however, that these pictures do not really do a great job demonstrating the magnificence that was inside. Westminister Abbey was begun by Henry III in 1245. Westminister Abbey has been the coronation church for 39 coronations since 1066, the last being Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. Over 3300 people have been buried or commemorated within the Abbey walls including 17 British Monarchs, (King Henry V, all the Tudors except Henry VIII) and also other notables such as Isaac Newton, Edward the Confessor, Charles Dickens, and Steven Hawking. The older coffins of various Kings and Queens are incredibly elaborate and numerous too. Seventeen Royal Weddings have taken place at the Abbey, the most recent being in 2011- Prince William to Catherine Middleton.
The Royal Mews houses some of the most beautiful carriages ever made, all used by the Royal Family for different types of occasions. Also at the Royal Mews is one of the finest 32 stall stables and riding schools. Two breeds of horses are at the Mews, the Winsor Greys (a type of Irish Draught) and the Cleveland Bays. There are over 100 carriages in the Royal Collection. Each has a specific purpose and seven or eight of them are on display at the Royal Mews. Two of the more impressive carriages are the Diamond Jubilee State Coach and the Gold State Coach. The Diamond Jubilee State Coach was intended to celebrate the Queen's 80th birthday but was not completed until 8 years later. This coach has been referred to as a museum on wheels. Besides being lavishly decorated in gold leaf, the interiors and exteriors of this carriage include pieces from Henry VIII's warship, pieces of wood from Westminister Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, Kensington Place, the Royal Yacht Brittania and a piece from Sir Isaac Newton's Apple Tree. While the carriage has a lot of history it is of very modern construction, being equipped with six hydraulic stabilizers, heaters and electric windows. It is one of only two Royal coaches built in the last 100 years and is said to have cost $4.5 Million to complete. The Gold State Coach was commissioned in 1760 for George III. It is lavishly decorated in gold (4 tons) and adorned with various cherubs dolphins mermaids and gold tritons. The coach has been used in every coronation since 1821. It is also used for Royal Weddings and Monarch Jubilees.
Buckingham Palace resides in the very heart of London and was a special sight to get to see. Just the Staterooms are open to visitors when the Queen is on holiday during select weeks in the summer. The staterooms are truly magnificent and are filled with the largest private art collection in the world. Included are over 1 million works by familiar names such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Claude and more. Once again no interior photos were allowed but a few interior shots can be seen at this link. Buckingham Palace In 1761 King George III purchased the property for Queen Charlotte as a private residence. In the 19th century, the house underwent extensive renovations where three additional wings were added. The palace today has 775 rooms. These comprise 188 staff bedrooms, 92 offices, 78 bathrooms, 52 royal, and guest bedrooms, and 19 staterooms. There are 350 clocks in the palace and two people are assigned to wind those clocks every day. Now that sounds like a bit of a boring job. The palace's magnificent ballroom is over 7200 square feet in size. The first event to be held in this ballroom was a celebration of the end of the Crimean War (1856). This room, in 1883, was also the first room in the palace to get electricity. With a post office, pool, cinema, health clinic and more the palace is more of a small town. While we only visited the Staterooms, that area alone took almost 3 hours to tour.
The House of Parliament is composed of the House of Commons and House of Lords. Once again within most of the building, no photography was allowed. A few interior pictures can be seen at House of ParliamentThe building was built in the 11th Century, however, a fire destroyed most of the building in 1834. Construction on the current building began in 1840 and was completed in 1870. The House of Chambers was then destroyed in the WWII bombings, with the reconstruction of the House of Commons being completed in 1950. The building is somewhat color-coded. The areas of the building that are used by the Monarch are gold, the areas used by the Lords are red and the areas for the Commons are green. The Monarch comes to the gallery just once a year to preside over the official state opening of Parliament. The Monarch is not allowed past the Throne in the House of Lords as going further would be considered an interference in the workings of the elected House of Commons. Each year at the opening of parliament the Monarch reads a speech that outlines the legislative program for the coming year that has been prepared by the Prime Minister. For over four centuries each day in the Commons begins with prayers where all are required to face the wall during the duration of the prayers. While members of the House of Lords originally were only determined by heredity today, the number of heredity peers is limited and most of the Lords are appointed due to some expertise they may have in various areas such as science and economics.
While in London we took the train to Windsor Castle that is located about 45 minutes outside of London. The Windsor Castle is the longest-occupied castle in Europe. The castle has been used as a residence by monarchs since Henry I. Edward III who was born at the castle spent lavishly on its expansion in the 1300s. Today more than 500 people live and work at the castle, making it the largest inhabited castle in the world. It is also the preferred weekend residence of the Queen. The castle contains about 1,000 rooms covering 484,000 square feet of floor space located on 13 acres. On the grounds is St. George's Chapel where Prince Harry and Megan Markle were married as were Prince Charles and Camilla. This chapel is also where 10 kings are buried including Henery VIII. Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I are credited with making the castle the center of the British crown. As was true of Buckingham palace the Royal collection at Windsor is extensive and impressive and also like at Buckingham Palace no interior pictures were allowed. While each room is decorated using items from the Royal collection and their combination offer a special beauty, the individual items are available to be viewed online at this link. The Royal Collection Trust We spent 3 hours touring Windsor Castle and St. George's Chapel and we were in awe with all there was to see.
               Incredible detail obtained without modern tools The British Museum, London  The British Museum, London  Hinton St. Mary Dorset The Earliest Known Mosaic Picture of Christ The British Museum, London  The British Museum, London  The British Museum, London  Together with Augustus over 50 years, Her Son Tiberius Succeeded Augustus in 14 AD The British Museum, London  One of the Finest Surviving Pieces of Roman Glass The British Museum, London  The British Museum, London  The British Museum, London  Originally From the North-West Palace of Ashurnasirpal II (Iraq) The British Museum, London   Edgeware Road, London  Located in the Lobby of our Hotel, London  Winston Churchill (1874-1965) The First Foreign National to Recieve Honorary American Citizenship London  Key Leader of the Largest Sufferage Organization(NUWSS) London   London  London  The Royal Mews, London  The Royal Mews, London     all crossing areas are marked Look Right or Look Left to help us foreigners avoid stepping out in front of a vehicle.           Windsor Castle, Windsor  Windsor Castle, Windsor |
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