We Went To London To See The Queen

Yes, we went to London to see the queen and RP was able to pay homage, maybe not according to protocol but it is what it is.


The day dawned bright with a 20% chance of rain. Of course, in London that means it will rain but the wet stuff waited until after dinner. We bought our hop on/hop off tickets and a ticket for the EYE. Both are absolute musts if time in London is limited. There was a BIG BUS stop just around the corner, so off we went on a tour complete with guided commentary - a bit of history, more of interesting trivia and a lot of delightful British humour. Luck would have it that the India Embassy was right across the street from our pick-up stop.





We snapped a few photos from the open top:
St. Paul's Cathedral, masterpiece of Christopher Wren


Stone pillar honouring the tragedy of the fire of London in 1666 when 80% of the city was destroyed.


Then we hopped off only to hop on the Thames River Cruise (Big Bus is a good option).


The cruise, I think, is probably very relaxing. Unfortunately, we were accompanied by a large group of European high school students, half of which were boorish, obnoxious, rude, insensitive, intrusive, invasive, little buggers, who were completely unsupervised. Mostly silly, high on testosterone boys trying to impress the sophisticated young female students, who also thought they were morons. By the end of the trip, when the captain was calling for someone to explain safety rules to the 'children', we realized their chaperones had plunked themselves as far away as possible, tuned them out and earned not a penny of their wages. Not only was RP ready to read the riot act, but also passive moi was ready to upbraid the leaders and tell them how to do their job. Instead we found a pay to use 'loo' and let the morons disperse. We are, after all, retired and not prepared to let foolish people spoil our fun. The photo ops from the river were amazing.











Yes, we were typical tourists, snapping picts at every moment. Even RP asked for the wee camera I had given him to take to golf courses on the trip. He NEVER wants to take pictures but there he was framing shots and capturing the best light. That says a lot for the wonder of this city. Sadly, any camera cannot really capture the magnitude, the glory, the magnificence, the beauty that is London. We tried and here are a few of our efforts.









Just across the river from the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey is the iconic London Eye, built for the Millenium as a temporary structure. It wasn't long before the accountants figured out the monetary value and the structure became permanent. It stands 400 feet tall, has 32 passenger capsules (one for each London Borough), which hold 25 people per capsule and takes 30 minutes per revolution. The queues move quickly; it is well organized and monitored safely; efficiency reigns supreme; the capsules are quiet and uncrowded; the views jaw dropping, absolutely incredible. BUCKET LIST, BUCKET LIST!! No words, just picts from THE EYE!

















After The Eye, RP succumbed to the lure of Ronnie Mac coffee and then it was on to the business of State and Church. The photos cannot possibly capture the incredible architecture or artistic glory of the houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. Seeing is believing. BUCKET LIST! BUCKET LIST! (Not the Ronnie Mac part:)











Next stop, Buckingham Palace. This was as close as we got to the Queen.


Nevertheless, we payed our tribute along with the 1000s of tourists who come 24/7 to do just that. There are hoards of people everywhere you go. We just went with the flow, enjoyed the ambience and did not care, in the least, that we were typical tourists. Having said that, we did behave politely, smiled lots, waited our turn, took photos of strangers, who returned the favour, and marvelled at it all!














Now, we did not see Her Majesty but there was someone important in this carriage. We were fortunate to hear the clip clop of horses' feet as the regal carriage approached the palace. Try as I might to capture a shot of WHO, a large white van pulled discreetly in front of the carriage at the palace's far entrance, completely blocking the view of WHO. Someone in a black suit emerged. I saw only a sleeve and leg cuff. Protocol is handled so well and the masses are left to wonder.


Although there are several magnificent museums free of charge, most venues in London charge by the pound, actually multiple pounds. You need to be loaded to do it all justice. We passed on many opportunities to pay the piper, opting instead to listen to the driver's commentary.


At one point our bus was trying to make a tight turn on a VERY narrow street BUT was blocked by a line of cabs who refused to move. It was entertaining for us to hear the Brits react - first with sighs, then with 'bloody hell', next with 'jackass puny cabs', erupting to 'move the f*#**^! thing backwards' expressed by the young ladies behind us. Finally, cheers when our driver finally yelled at the cabbie, who obligingly backed up to make room for our huge double-decker. The entertainment was well worth the price of our all day ticket. Oh, BTW, the ticket is now valid for another day because it is October, end of tourist season. You could have fooled us. If this is the quiet time, please do not plan London in high season.


We get to do it all over again tomorrow with different points of interest. Big Bus offers no less than 39 stops, 52 venues. Back at the Strand we were greeted by our cheery doorman.


After happy hour and photo reviewing we headed off the the nearby Maple Leaf, which was packed last night. Tonight we got a table in no time. Pubs in England are great fun, as was this one for most patrons. As I sat next to stuffed black bear cub and gazed across the room to a moose head, complete with antlers upon which hung unmentionables, I wondered just why we were here and what fun is this? There was a dollar store (called Pounders here) plastic flag banner fluttering over head, a typical Sleeman!'s sign, very old hockey banners and other assorted tacky "made in Canada" stuff. We need to work on our image. Hoping for a good meal I sipped the chardonnay, which ultimately was the best part of our 2nd to last meal in the UK. Oh well, memories are made of this.


Tomorrow will be the last day of this remarkable journey and Harrods awaits. Darn, no £££s left, no weight luggage to spare. Guess we will just have to be typical tourists. I am not ashamed for we help the economy of the UK big time!


Oh and the grande finale, THE THEATRE tomorrow tonight. Someone is suggesting fish and chips are the pre-show meal!

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London In the Rain

First of all, I am giving myself a pat on the back for selecting the cosmopolitan Strand Palace from the choices our travel agent provided. The location is within easy walking distance of many of the famous sights. We are in the heart of the west end theatre districts, three short blocks from Covent Gardens and two blocks from the River Thames. There are shopping and restaurant opportunities galore. The hotel itself is huge; nine floors and on our floor alone I counted 105 rooms. A full breakfast buffet is included. If visiting London, a stay here would put you in the midst of it all.


We awoke to the sound of rain, lots of it. So began our first full day in London. From what I have heard London wouldn't be London without a bit of a sprinkle. Given the all day rain forecast, we revamped our plan to spend the day on an open top hop on/hop off bus. Over breakfast, while listening to no less than 10 different languages being spoken, we decided to fill the morning hours by taking an umbrella walk to get our bearings while heading to Trafalgar Square, where we would board a bus for Stonehenge at 12:30. It was RP's idea to really dig up some antiquity on the last leg of the journey and maybe call on some ancient spirits to bring on the sun.


London is a spectacular city, beautiful even in the rain. Under the cover of the huge Callaway umbrella I managed to capture a few shots, as follows.
The Nelson Column:


Canada House, closed to visitors in the mornings and Gordo nowhere to be found:


A golden tribute to generations of the future:


The London Eye:


Big Ben:


Hungerford Foot Bridge over the Thames:


Charring Cross Station in the rain:


A few of the hundreds of double deckers that can be seen at any given moment from any given spot:


Pedestrian crossing warnings are often painted on the roads. It seems to us that the citizens of the UK do not always have the right of way, nor do they pay heed to the signals. Jay walkers, ourselves included (getting braver) ALWAYS look right or left first depending on which side of the road you are on.





The umbrellas kept us pretty dry; we bought some postcards for the grandkids and a ticky-tacky tee shirt for RP to wear to the gym. Then it was time to board the bus. Interesting that the tour company is named Evan Evans.


Great Grandpa John's youngest brother was Henry Evan Evans. Now this bus is a Mercedes Benz and offers grand luxury. We sat ourselves in the front seat for the best view and received entertainment not expected. That would be the ordeal of getting out of London but not before making a couple of stops to pick up passengers.


Now for a few pictures of us getting out of London in the rain. New Delhi comes to mind except horns are seldom sounded, there are no 3 wheelers and the vehicles here are much, much larger. Talk about gridlock. We from Victoria must try to remember this perspective next time we find ourselves in The Crawl.


4 lanes merge into one due to construction, which is happening all over the city.


Big or Teeny, transportation to suit all.


Stonehenge is about 80 miles from London to the west near Salisbury. We both learned about this phenomenal site many years ago in Social Studies but nothing read about can quite prepare for actually viewing it. It is stunning in its magnitude, awesome in its majesty and astounding in it history. Now, 5000 years after construction began, it is designated with world heritage status. There was no need to perform a sun ritual for the closer we got the brighter the day became. That is a good thing as I doubt it would have been as enjoyable in rain like we had in London this morning.


Once at Stonehenge patrons are given individual audio sets, which allows for viewing the prehistoric monument at leisure. We took one hour to follow the audio tour and then had a half hour to get a snack while chatting with others visiting. We are glad we made this impromptu trip. Good call RP!


We also got in on a bit of action. Apparently one of the many coach drivers had a bit of a melt down. He yelled at his passengers and then abandoned them and his bus in the parking lot. That crankiness required calling the bobbies, the bus company manager and making arrangements for the passengers. Guess the driver took off with keys. I am blogging this as we head back to London (love the iPad). Our bus driver kindly offered to take as many stowaways back as possible. They were ever so grateful.


As according to sun dance rituals, the sun does shine, here much later in the day, on Charring Cross Station, just two blocks from our London home. All distances in London are calculated using Charring Cross as the base point. Charring cross after the rain:


It had been a long day so we thought we would have dinner at the nearby Maple Leaf Restaurant. No luck, not a spare seat in the house. We will try again tomorrow. It must be good. Back to Covent Garden for a delicious dinner at Navajo Joe's, which is across the street from Great Grandpa John's home and workplace in 1862. It also happens to be the restaurant youngest son's good buddy, Clarkie, worked at some time ago. Small world it is. The view of #13 King Street from Navajo Joe's:


Now for a political aside. We are staying directly across the street from The Savoy. This, I believe, is the hotel where one of our esteemed MPs stayed at a rate of 600 pounds per night, ordered a 14 pound glass of orange juice, and opted for limo service to get to Canada House in Trafalgar Square, because a taxi would take too long in the congested traffic. We, across the street, are paying less than half of the MP rate, have a full breakfast included with as much orange juice as we want and we walked to Canada House in the rain in less than 10 minutes. I believe said politician has resigned as it should be. That is my 'wee' rant for today. "OH CANADA,"


Tomorrow it is the hop on/hop off bus come rain or come shine. Umbrellas are dry and ready for anything.


I wonder if I can shop for shoes tomorrow or maybe get a manicure! LOL!





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