Thursday, April 20, 2006
Can you guess what today is? Oh yes - it's Scott's 40th Birthday!!!! He woke up this morning and when he went outside we had the sign waiting to greet him!!! Lordy Lordy - My husband is 40!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
One last look at Big Ben all lit up. We had a great time in London. It's Big Ben Kids!!!
It was train ride back into London and then out for our last servings of Fish & Chips and Bangers & Mash. And of course - a fresh pint.
We have seen Stonehenge - check that block!
It was amazing. Our guide Richard gave some interesting theories about how and why Stonehenge was built. But they are all just theories. Jake and I agreed that some giants played with their blocks and built them.
From Salisbury, we boarded a bus out to visit Stonehenge. It was a pretty drive past old houses with thick thatch roofs. One was even being repaired by a thatch master as we passed. We also rode by a few celebrity houses - Guy Ritchie and Madonna's country estate and their neighbor's home - Sting. It was SO COOL to actually be standing right there at Stonehenge.
Lush house? Good to know it's open 24 hours a day!
Here is part of the old wall that enclosed the cloisters. It was a very charming town.
The pub was so cozy and warm. A nice fire was roaring and the food was great. God save the Queen!
It was then time to get out of the rain. Scott, the kids and I headed out to one of the pubs in town for some lunch. We went to the New Inn, well, it was new 900 years ago when it was first opened!
Here is another look at the interior. One thing that was neat, during our visit, they asked all visitors to take a seat and join in saying the Lord's Prayer just as people have done in this church for hundreds of years.
Here is one of the few remaining windows.
Here is a look at past of the ceiling inside. Originally all of the windows were made of beautiful stained glass. Under Henry VIII, this all changed. He wanted the Pope to grant him a divorce from his wife. When he was refused, he split from the Catholic church and formed the Church of England. When this split occured someone had the brilliant idea to brighten up the Cathedral and replace almost all of the windows with clear white glass.
It has the tallest spire in Britain at 404 feet. We were not able to climb to the top though.
Once in Salisbury we walked over to the cathedral. Unfortunately it started to rain so it was a little cold and wet. It is one of the finest medieval Cathedrals in all of the U.K. It was built in the 13th century in less than one hundred years.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
London, day three! We went over to Waterloo Station to catch an Original London Walks Tour to Salisbury and Stonehenge. We took a train out through the country to Salisbury.
We finished off the day at the Kings Arms pub - with some fish & chips and a pint! God save the Queen.
Back over to Big Ben for some pictures in the sunshine. It's Big Ben kids!
Here is the palace! Nice crib, eh? The flag was flying which meant that the Queen was in residence.
We headed back to Buckingham Palace and unfortunately, this is the closet we could get to the Palace Guards.
From Westminster, we hopped on the bus and set out to get Scott his souvenir. No - not another bike, a shirt from Europe's Oldest Harley Davidson dealer.
The rest of the Abbey is really a massive mausoleum. Lots of names of people you would recognize - Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, Geoffrey Chaucer - and they are all buried here. Every part of the floors and walls basically has someone buried in it. Out in the cloisters, we did see this monument that Scott was sure to snap a picture of - it reads: To the glory of God and in memory of all ranks of the Airborne Forces and special air service who fell in the second World War.
This is my favorite part of the Abbey. It is the ceiling of the Lady Chapel. The whole ceiling is this fabulous intricate and finely detailed fan vaulting.
This is the Chapel of Henry VII ( known as The Lady Chapel). It was regarded as a wonder as soon as it was built and still is today. It was begun in 1503. Wow - 1503!!!!
It was time for a visit to Westminster Abbey. Since the crowning of William the Conqueror here in 1066, the Abbey has been the nation's "Coronation Church". It is also the burial and memorial place of numerous figures from the last one thousand years. We asked one of the guards inside and he told us that there are 3,500 people buried inside the Abbey that they know of. The old Monk's played with the books so they may never know the exact number.
We saw parts of the ceremony but then we just had to get away from the crowds!
We hopped on another bus and went over to Buckingham Palace to watch the famous changing of the guard ceremony. Unfortunately, about half a million other tourists also had the same idea!
I had to include this too - the painting by William Holman Hunt is called The Light of the World. It dominates the north transept of the Cathedral. It dates from around 1900. The figure of Christ knocking on the door that opens from inside suggests that God can only enter our lives if we invite Him in. It is a beautiful painting. Kaitlyn was awestruck by it.
We could also see the famous Globe Theater where Shakespeare held his plays. Although, this one is not original but it's on the original spot.
We then walked up and outside the dome - the view was worth the climb! Way in the background over Scott's head, you can see Big Ben - it's Big Ben Kids!!
Here is a picture of the interior of the dome. It is the second largest dome in the world - second to St. Peter's (which this was modeled after). We could climb up to the dome. The Whispering Gallery runs around the interior and is 259 steps up from ground level - oh yes, we counted. It gets its name from a charming quirk in its construction, which makes a whisper against its walls audible on the opposite side. It really works too!
I had to share - this is from my guide book about the Cathedral. This church was built between 1675 and 1710, after its predecessor was destroyed in a fire. It is a beautiful Cathedral.
Our first destination today was St. Paul's Cathedral. You can almost see the old woman selling her food for the birds for tuppins a bag. (Okay - it's a Mary Poppins reference!) The is also the Cathedral where Princess Diana and Charles were married. It was beautiful!
Monday, April 10, 2006
London day 2!! We hopped on the famous double decker buses of London! Of course we had to ride uptop!
Monday, April 17, 2006
It's Big Ben kids!!! We managed to get a few pictures of Big Ben before the rain came. Then it was back to the hotel to get cleaned up for dinner at the pub! Our first day in London was GREAT!!!
After the ship, we walked across the River Thames again, but this time we walked over London Bridge.
Here is a shot from the Belfast of the Tower Bridge that we had walked across. It is a cool looking bridge - completed in 1894. The drawbridge used to be powered by steam until 1976, when it was electrified. It's a photo spot!
We explored the entire ship from down in the boiler room to up in the bridge. And I think that if there was a button, valve or handle to turn - Jake turned it!
Since 1971 the Royal Navy cruiser has been used as a floating naval museum.
After we finished exploring the Tower, we walked over the Tower Bridge to the HMS Belfast.
This is known as the Traitors' Gate. Prisoner, many on their way to die, entered the tower by boat here. On the other side of the wall is the River Thames.
Behind Scott and the kids you might be able to see one of the famous Ravens. Legend has it that Charles II was warned that should the ravens leave the Tower, the monarchy would fall, and he therefore ordered that henceforth a small population should always remain. The ravens that are normally in the cage were taken inside as a precaution due to the bird flu. We also were able to view the Crown Jewels which comprise the regalia of crowns, scepters, orbs and swords. It was truly amazing. While you were queuing to view the jewels they showed short films and color footage of HM Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. It was cool to first see the footage and then the actual crowns. Unfortunately - we were not allowed to take pictures. It's good to be the Queen!
The kids and I are grabbing a quick picture with one of the Yeoman Warders - also known as the Beefeaters. I love their uniforms! There are 40 Yeoman Warders that still guard the Tower and live here today.
Behind the kids is the White Tower. Inside this tower is where the armouries are located.
And here it is - the famous Tower of London - Her Majesty's Palace and Fortress. This ancient fortess was founded by William the Conqueror in 1078. Its mighty walls are now home to displays from the Royal Armouries including armours worn by Henry VIII and Charles I.
Sunday, April 9, 2006
God Save the Queen!! We just finished checking into our hotel ( the Comfort Inn Victoria - great location!) and we were off in a London cab! The cabs are pretty cool - they look old fashioned. Our first destination was the Tower of London.
