London
Okay, here is the first installment of the travels to the UK. For three days we were in London or thereabouts. I tend to include a lot of details so this is quite long. If you're interested I hope you don't mind the length otherwise skim to your heart's content.
London
We arrived around 9:30 am as scheduled. Our flight had left Rochester at 7:20 the night before. With little to no sleep for any of us, the arrival was such that it seemed like we were getting to Heathrow at 4:30 in the morning. We went through immigration and customs without any trouble other than immigration wanting to know where we would be staying. We each ended up giving the hotel’s address in London as that is the only one we really knew.
After getting our luggage, we headed for the Hertz counter. Though we weren’t to pick up our rental until Tuesday, we figured this would be the easiest way to get information on how to get to London from the airport. Unfortunately, there was no one at the counter. Calling the number from the card on the counter, Shawn was told what we needed to do to get the car Tuesday and how to get the Tube to London. This cost us five pounds each rather than the fifteen each that the shuttle service wanted. We were lucky in that the Holiday in we were staying at was close to the Gloucester Road station.
It turned out that the Tube would be our friend for the time we were in London. But first we needed to get our room. Exiting the Tube, we asked for the Holiday Inn from one of the station attendants. He told us it was just at the light to our right and down the street half a block. We did as he instructed and found this little hotel that had been converted out of a large old townhouse. After waiting to check in, we were told that we had the wrong hotel. The one we wanted was down the block to the next light and hang a left. Much taller and more modern it had twenty-two floors and was right behind the Tube station. Who would’ve thought that two Holiday Inns would be so close to each other?
Checked in and ready to go, it was about one o’clock. We headed out to see the city. We had a map that would take us around and also had the Tube stations and lines on the other side so we felt fairly certain of finding our way. The first thing we did was to head towards Kensington St. and Harrods. Checking it out, we found out that it was the Victoria and Albert Museum, just a little selection of the items that they collected during their reign. Looking at the time we decided to have lunch before going in. So we proceeded to get lost in the warren of little side streets nearby looking for a place that was fairly cheap to eat lunch. This exposed us to the reality of exchange rates and cost of living in England. Eventually, we discovered a little eatery named Seasons. They had little beef and onion pies at only two pounds, twenty or just over four dollars. This was the lowest price we had seen for anything. We tried it and it was good. After lunch we returned to the museum.
That was where I first had trouble with the camera John loaned me. I couldn’t get it to turn on. So, for the first day in London, I was without the required tourist accessory of a camera. I had to ask Shawn to take pictures of anything I wanted saved for my memory. I knew this would get old fast and had no back-up plan or camera. I suffered in silence and only asked for a few shots of the architecture. The V&A was very interesting as to what one family, albeit a rich and powerful one can make happen.
And off to Harrods we went. The V&A and Harrods are both on Kensington St. so all we had to do to find it was keep walking in the right direction, east. As we went, our education to the cost of living continued. We saw a real estate agent’s office and looked at some of the prices on the properties shown in the window. Something to know about real estate in England is that it comes in two forms, freehold and leasehold. Only if you buy a freehold do you actually own the land and property. Otherwise you are leasing it, no matter what the price. We saw some nice houses that were very expensive and only leaseholds.
Eventually we reached Harrods. Madhouse, zoo, organized mayhem and all the other adjectives of that sort fail to describe what it was like inside. We passed through several different small departments with such things as jewelry, fragrances, china and such before we found the grocery departments. While the store was busier than most I’ve seen, here the crowds simply doubled. It was packed almost completely full.
We first entered at a candy shop. Then we found separate departments for vegetables, meats (including a sushi bar), pastries, coffees and teas, and a chocolate shop with ten or more different stations for various chocolates. Shawn and Doug got some teas and coffees and a Turkish delight. I was looking for the toffee as requested by Chris. It was a totally bewildering place. Finally, we asked for directions and ended up going back to the candy shop. There I found the toffee in s few different types and got one of each. As a side note, we had already seen Starbucks Coffee on the street once or twice, but the real killer was in the candy shop section of Harrods. Much to our dismay, tucked in the far corner and taking up a good amount of area was, ready for this? A Krispy Kreme! What a tragedy of American capitalism. All three of us recoiled in mock horror.
Deciding that we were done with Harrods, we left and continued our westward walk. Eventually, we reached the southeast corner of Hyde Park. At that point we pulled out our map and saw that we weren’t too far from Buckingham Palace. Heading south along the side of the Trafalgar, we passed the Nelson Memorial and one to the soldiers of the two World Wars.
We reached the area about Buckingham and found a kiosk selling tour tickets for the palace. Unfortunately, it was now after five and the last tour was admitted at 4:30. Fortunately, the girl in the kiosk was still selling tickets and very helpful. She told us to buy ones for the 12:45 tour on Sunday. This would allow us to come down early, see the changing of the guard and then go directly to the tour. We agreed that this was a good idea and did just that. By now, we had been up for a very long time and our feet were getting tired, or at least Shawn and Doug’s were. I could have kept walking and walking as that is what I’m used to doing everyday.
Trying to follow our map we, at last found Victoria Station and caught the Tube back to the hotel. There we decided to go to dinner and plan for our trip to Stonehenge with the help of the concierge. Dinner was another exercise in sticker shock. But, we made a little discovery. The Seasons shop that we had lunch in was only one of a chain of shops and there was one just down the street from the hotel. Beef pies for Shawn and Doug while I had chicken fingers.
Back at the hotel, we talked to a very nice gentleman named Gladstone. He was first amazed that we had walked to Buckingham that day and then totally stunned that we wanted to find a way to get to Stonehenge to be there by 6:30 Monday morning. Trains from London just don’t run that early. So Shawn asked about a taxi and almost put himself into shock. The cost for a taxi to and from Stonehenge was estimated to be two hundred pounds or more. That would have been about four hundred dollars! It was quickly decided that a taxi was a bad idea and that renting a care would be much more economical. So we had Gladstone make arrangements with a place called Europcar located by Victoria Station, for us to get one Sunday after four and return it Monday before four for a one-day rental. It would cost us forty-five pounds plus gas. That was acceptable. I would cover the cost of gas and Shawn and Doug would cover the rental.
It was now about eight Saturday night or the equivalent of 3pm Saturday back in Rochester. This meant that we had been up with little or no sleep for roughly thirty-one hours. It was time to crash.
Sunday morning and the boys sleep in. Wonder why? Eventually (I seem to be using that word a lot), we were all showered and ready to find breakfast. Out we went. Across from the Seasons, we found a coffee shop that sold pastries and such. I had a waffle and hot chocolate while they had their choices including what would be the standard tea for Shawn and coffee for Doug. I was quite surprised to find that the waffle was sugared on the bottom. With the real maple syrup from Canada, it made for a sweet and tasty late breakfast. I was to find out that many of my meals would be later than I would normally have eaten them. I hoped to watch my sugars with light snacks and the odd granola bar in between meals. I had brought some penny candies (tootsie rolls and such) as well as the bars that Mom had given me that she and Dad would be able to eat at home.
After breakfast it was time to wander over to Buckingham to be in plenty of time for the changing of the guard ceremony. We headed up some of the side streets and found the first Seasons that we had eaten at. It was only four or five blocks from the hotel. Shawn was directing us with a small map but I took the initiative and said to go down some side streets. We wandered here and there and saw more of what it was like to live in this section of London. The one thing that Shawn never got over was the manner in which Londoners and the whole of Great Britain park. We called it, “Anarchist Parking.” It is not against the law to park against traffic. So if you see a spot on the street it doesn’t have to be on the side of the street that you are driving. Just go ahead and park. This also brings to mind the whole right hand drive and left side of the road issues. Walking in London is very different than here at home.
At most of the major, light controlled intersections the road has painted on it which way to look for oncoming traffic. Especially in London it’s important to look the right direction. There was a few times that looking the wrong way almost put us in the path of an oncoming vehicle.
Walking down the side streets took us here and there but always in a southeasterly direction. We passed a little side street that ended in a circle with a very nice tree in the middle. On the wall behind the tree, in large white letters, was the name of the street, Charles DeGaulle. I found it ironic that a Frenchman had a street named after him in London, England.
Soon enough we reached Victoria Road and the Royal Mews. I used to think that a mews was where you kept the falcons and other birds of prey. In England it means where you keep any livery as well. There were plenty of streets or alleys called mews that were simply the ways to get to the garages for the houses in front. As I write garage, I’m reminded that the British pronounce that word differently than we do here. It rhymes with carriage over there. Just past the Royal Mews is Buckingham Palace. We arrived with almost half an hour or more to spare. Even so, there were people already lining the fence and the fountain across the street for the best vantage points. Soon enough, the Bobbies were telling people to climb down from the walls and to stay out of the street. One of them told Shawn that the best spot to see the processional from was the side of the park by the fountain. From there we got to see the troop march from the barracks to the palace grounds. It was a good viewpoint for the recessional as well, even though we moved to the front of the area to try to see the actual changing ceremonies. We did manage to see bits and pieces of the ceremony through, over and around the crowds. This made the third Changing of the Guard ceremony I’ve seen in three different royal palaces in three different countries; Sweden, Denmark and now England.
As soon as the recessional was done, we headed to the Ambassador’s entrance to take the palace tour. This was the first encounter we had with the security arrangements for the royal family. Just like an airport or the Empire State Building, we had to go through metal detectors and have our bags checked.
It’s hard to describe the tour of Buckingham Palace other than to say that it was quite impressive in all imaginable ways. The art, the architecture and the history of the palace are all amazing. There was so much to see and so many pictures not to take. As with all secure buildings and art museums, there were no indoor pictures allowed. Only once we finished the tour, would we be able to take pictures of the rear of the palace.
One interesting note, from one long room facing the rear and gardens, I saw a bird on the lawn that I didn’t recognize. It was about the size of a crow and black but it had large white stripes on its wings and white sides to its body. I asked one of the men what it was. I had just seen my first magpie. I called Shawn over to point it out and we got to talking with the gentleman who was watching that room. We asked about the bombings during the Blitz and he told us that Prince Charles was dedicating a memorial down at the river that day for something about the war that I can’t remember now. We had a good discussion before continuing the tour.
Once outside and walking through the gardens, we had ice cream from the royal creamery. It was very rich and tasty, much like any gourmet brand. It was however, very expensive. A little Dixie cup was two pounds. That’s four dollars for something that here would cost 75-80 cents. Ah, well.
We left the grounds of Buckingham and headed towards Westminster Cathedral. Ironically, we never saw the cathedral clearly. We got a little turned about and found the Jewel House instead. This is an old tower that in the thirteenth century was used to house the royal treasury and jewels. It saw many uses over the years including storage of the records of Parliament (which was just across the street, with a huge line to tour it) and the home of the official weights and measures. It was interesting but very small compared to many of the other historic buildings in the area.
From there we walked by Big Ben and to the Thames on the other side of Parliament. At the bridge, we found a stand selling English pancakes with various toppings. Shawn decided to get one. While he was waiting in line, the young woman before was using a different sort of PDA. While looking at the posted menu, she would type each word into the PDA. She then got a translation of it into what appeared to be Korean. It was a handy little item to tell her what cinnamon or other toppings were.
Shawn got a pancake with cinnamon and we shared it. I found it interesting that they were made in the same way as crepes, on a flat griddle using a t-stick to spread the batter and such, but the batter and resulting pancake was just a bit thicker than a crepe. It was tasty just the same.
Across the river from Big Ben and Parliament are the London Aquarium and the London Eye. Both of these turned out to be more than we were willing to pay. The Eye is a giant Ferris wheel from which you can see the entire city.
We were getting tired and hungry. So we decided to head to Victoria Station to get the rental car for the trip to Stonehenge. We found the rental agency around the corner from Victoria Bus Station, which should never be confused with the Victoria Tube Station. They are close to each other but not the same beast.
We got a little car and Doug navigated Shawn back to the hotel where it would have cost $25 to park in the hotel garage overnight. Shawn’s parking magic worked again, there was a space right next to the hotel, in front of a Jaguar.
A note on the car, it was right hand drive, as most are in England and a standard. So Shawn was driving from the wrong point of view, on the wrong side of the street and trying to shift with the wrong hand at the same time. Parallel parking was another thing that was backwards to him. We successfully made it and went to eat at Seasons once again. Then it was back to the hotel for them to crash and me to read for a while. Three-thirty in the morning comes all to soon, when you go to bed after ten.
Yes, three-thirty came very early.
As would be usual, I was the first into the shower and ready to go. There really was no place where we could have breakfast that early so I had a granola bar and took my meds with that. We hit the road at 4:05am. This was Shawn’s big test. Could he get to and from Stonehenge without trouble on the wrong side of the road as we navigated at highway speeds? The answer was almost a resounding yes. There was one little oops that I will mention later.
Gladstone and his co-worker were off just a bit in giving us travel times to Stonehenge. I guess they were considering what traffic would be like in the middle of the day not before the sun was up. We got there, with little difficulty, an hour early. Being hungry, we decided to go back to the nearest town where we had seen an open gas station. It was on the way back to town that Shawn had a little lapse. We were merging from the left onto the bigger road and Shawn naturally started to pull over to the right side of the road. There was no one coming at us but when he realized, at our yells, what he had done, he froze and couldn’t get the car back into gear to get to the left side. This was only a problem for us and the one, lone car that happened to have been behind us. That car did not want to go by and sat there waiting for us to get back where we belonged and go on. I wasn’t sure if he was too afraid to pass or knew that this way we would be assured of a safe move to the other side of the road. Either way, we made it and went to the mini-mart. Cold cereal and water for me, Shawn had a super thick chocolate milk with his and Doug had a coffee. Then it was back to the park.
I hadn’t understood when Shawn told us about the arrangements for getting into Stonehenge before the park opened, that it was for up to twenty-four people. I had assumed that the three of us would be the only ones there. I was wrong. We were joined by a touring group of ten or twelve Wiccans or Neo-pagans. Rather than intrude ourselves on their beliefs, we hung back as they entered the circle of stones and had a ritual circle to greet the day. Once they had finished that, we also went up to the circle visited the awe-inspiring work.
I’m not sure how to describe the feeling of age and amazement I felt. Others there, most the others but Doug as well, were communing with the stones by hugging them, pressing their faces or their whole bodies against them or in other ways. I was amazed by the visible age and weathering of the stones that made up the Henge. I saw at least five different types of lichens and mosses. It was a feeling that has to be experienced for yourself. Unanimously, we declared the whole trip worth the money; even if this was all we had a chance to do.
At one point, Doug was standing at the center of the circle when I joined him. He said that he could feel something standing there, something that was the stones communicating in some way with him. Then he asked if I could feel it. My reply was that I felt the age of it but there was no psychic connection there for me. I know that the others certainly thought they were feeling something.
By the time our lone hour was up, I was ready to leave the Henge and take what I had seen and experienced and internalize it. The others had a closing ceremony and eventually wandered away. The three of us stayed a few minutes longer in order to get some pictures that weren’t filled with strangers.
As we were leaving, a mother and daughter came up to us from the other side of the fence. They asked if we would take a couple pictures for them. Then they gave us a newspaper from the twenty-something girl’s hometown and asked that we put it in the picture of Stonehenge. She explained that the paper would publish the picture if it were in it as well. I held the paper while Shawn took the pictures.
As they thanked us, they mentioned that they would be going to Avebury to see the circle there. A circle of standing stones that encompasses the whole of the old town. It was now only 7:30 or so and we didn’t have to be back to London until four to return the car on time. We decided to head to Avebury as well.
The best way to Avebury was to follow a few secondary A roads, ones with two lanes and selected passing. Unfortunately, it was a Monday and that meant schools were in session. We hadn’t thought of this until we got to the town of Devices. There we hit the nastiest snarl of traffic and kids walking to school that we could have imagined. By this time, the roads were narrower than before. We barely had enough room to get by oncoming cars thanks to the anarchist parking. There were cars parked more than half way into the road on both sides. It was a matter of wait for your opportunity and squeeze by. We also ran into a bit of construction and delivery trucks in the town. It took us at least half an hour to get through a town the size of the village of Webster. Small and crowded it definitely was.
Once past Devices, we found a grassy lot for parking for Avebury and the National Trust. There were only general outlines of parking and two automated parking ticket dispensers. For this, you had to pay two pounds or have a National Trust pass and enter the membership number. I pulled out my newly arrived membership card and saved us the money. Then we followed a grassy trail behind some backyards and in between the schoolyard and its playing fields. We came around a corner and down a slight embankment to find the little town of Avebury before us and many standing stones lining the sheep fields.
This was only our second exposure to standing stones and we were quite impressed. It was now about 9:30 and none of us had been to the restroom since we left the hotel. The National Trust site was closed until ten, as was the little eatery that they called a restaurant on the site. Fortunately, we were directed to public facilities down the road that were open all the time. It took us a couple of passes on the road to find them but we succeeded.
It was still before anything opened so we walked to the end of a little lane and found a path that was open for walking. Of course it went into a sheep field but it also led us to some of the larger separate stones. Watching our step, we went to the first pair of stones and felt the awe of the sight of such huge stones simply being there for so many, many years. Archeologists believe that the Avebury stones are roughly five hundred years newer than Stonehenge. That still makes them at least 4000 years old.
We wandered from one field to another where the ring was clearly laid out. This was only an arc of the ring but the effect of so many stones lined up in a pattern so obviously made by sentient design from so long ago, was stunning. You look at this work of man and wonder. You wonder how, you wonder why. You wonder if you could do this in your backyard without the aid of modern machinery.
We followed the path to the end of the pasture away from town and saw that the next property was signed private and turned back to town. By then it was a bit after ten and a gift shop was open. We checked it out and bought some postcards. I found some t-shirts that I liked but they were $30. So I had to think about it for a while. There was one with the Stonehenge circle embroidered on it and one with a stylized stone and Avebury on it that I liked as well. Never one to go with the clear and simple, I decided to get the Avebury shirt as we left town.
But before that we went down to the National Trust site. This was a large thatch roofed barn that we learned dated from the 14th century. That’s an old barn! The lady there explained that it was kept mostly darkened to accommodate the thirty different species of bats that made their homes in the barn. There were some interesting exhibits and we were also instructed that the stables section had a display of the excavation process and some of the finds from it. We were also told that we could visit the manor house’s gardens and take the house tour for free with our pass.
We stopped for a quick snack and then went to the stables passing by on the way a dovecote from the same time as the barn. The display was small but informative. The manor tour was not until noon, which was longer than we wanted to wait. We had to get back to London by four to return the car. So we toured the gardens on our own. These gardens would make anyone proud to have. There were roses and other flowers in abundance but there were more hedges and topiary than imaginable. Unlike many places that have topiary, these were not animal shapes but geometric ones instead. The effect was beautiful. There were also open lawns and a reflecting pool all surrounded by this wonderful hedgework. We found a tour guide and I asked how long it took to do the whole garden. Three to four months was his reply. At that point they have to start all over. As we left to visit the church, I saw a gardener trimming some of the bushes and told her it was excellent work and much appreciated.
The church also dated from the 14th century. It was small and old and surrounded by the graves in the churchyard, which were equally old to very new. We decided that it was time to head back to London and returned to the car.
Back in London we had to find the rental agency to return the car without going into the congestion relief zone. The zone in question is around Buckingham Palace and other points of heavy traffic, such as Parliament. You can purchase a special radio pass, I assume much like EZ-Pass, and drive there without penalty. If you don’t have one, then there is a mandatory one hundred pound fine. Shawn was quite concerned with not wanting to pay such a fine. With one wrong turn we were off our planned route and Doug used the map to navigate us to where we needed to be.
We took our stuff and went back to the hotel to drop it off before heading to the Tower of London. The name Tower of London is a bit misleading. I had never seen pictures of it or knew its background more than it was where many of Henry VII wives died and other famous executions took place. There are many pictures of London’s Tower Bridge but few of the Tower itself. I was expecting a lone tower with some type of wall about it. What is really there is a fortress of several buildings and defenses. The Tower of London is yet another castle fortification!
We paid our moneys and went in. At the time it was after four and we had to be at the theatre for The Mousetrap by eight. Also the Tower closed at half past five. Not a lot of time to see everything. We did our best. We did get to see the Round Tower, which was where the Armory Museum is as well as the Crown Jewels. I could have spent hours in each part. I’ve decided that simple gold, no matter how it is worked, doesn’t enthrall me as much as gems do. There is a moving walkway about the actual crown jewelry that allows you the closest look but it keeps moving and therefore you do too. There is a walk that is further away but from that distance you can’t see the details and beauty of the gems in the jewelry. I went by on the slide walk twice, definitely not enough. But we had to keep going to see everything and get dinner before the show.
We left the Tower at closing and caught the Tube to Leicester Square, the theatre district. Our first thought was finding the right theatre. We walked one way and another before asking a Bobbie for directions. That was Doug’s job as he was the one responsible for the night’s entertainment. We found the theatre on a side street and then went on to seek dinner. The prices here were as bad or even worse than the rest of London. Eventually, we found a pub that we could get a quick bite at. Strike that, we had thought it would be quick but we waited almost an hour before being served.
We did get served, served portions that would not have fed a child decently. By that time it was almost time for the doors to open. We walked back to the theatre and found out that the doors weren’t open yet so we walked a bit more. Nearby, we found The Orc’s Nest, a gaming store of some fame. It was truly a gaming store, devoted entirely to fantasy games and many miniatures. Not really what I had hoped it would be. I was always on the lookout for books.
When the doors opened, we were seated in the orchestra one row back from the middle and dead center stage. These were the best seats in the house for viewing the production. The theatre itself was nicely appointed but small. What amazed me was the round vaulted ceiling with a globe chandelier. I didn’t take a picture before the play as there were signs forbidding photography in the theatre. I assumed this meant of the production but waited for after the show to ask permission to photograph the ceiling. Unfortunately, I was denied. Although many others were taking pictures, I obeyed their wishes.
The play itself is a two-act production of a murder mystery. Set in a bed and breakfast that is just opening, the guests arrive as the roads are being closed by the weather. One of them is killed and the play proceeds from there. I won’t say who the murderer was or any more about the plot. The production was well acted and enjoyable even if we were extremely tired. Having arisen at three that morning, an eight o’clock production is like having something start at midnight on a normal day.
After the show was over, we caught our ride back to the hotel for the final night in London.
London
We arrived around 9:30 am as scheduled. Our flight had left Rochester at 7:20 the night before. With little to no sleep for any of us, the arrival was such that it seemed like we were getting to Heathrow at 4:30 in the morning. We went through immigration and customs without any trouble other than immigration wanting to know where we would be staying. We each ended up giving the hotel’s address in London as that is the only one we really knew.
After getting our luggage, we headed for the Hertz counter. Though we weren’t to pick up our rental until Tuesday, we figured this would be the easiest way to get information on how to get to London from the airport. Unfortunately, there was no one at the counter. Calling the number from the card on the counter, Shawn was told what we needed to do to get the car Tuesday and how to get the Tube to London. This cost us five pounds each rather than the fifteen each that the shuttle service wanted. We were lucky in that the Holiday in we were staying at was close to the Gloucester Road station.
It turned out that the Tube would be our friend for the time we were in London. But first we needed to get our room. Exiting the Tube, we asked for the Holiday Inn from one of the station attendants. He told us it was just at the light to our right and down the street half a block. We did as he instructed and found this little hotel that had been converted out of a large old townhouse. After waiting to check in, we were told that we had the wrong hotel. The one we wanted was down the block to the next light and hang a left. Much taller and more modern it had twenty-two floors and was right behind the Tube station. Who would’ve thought that two Holiday Inns would be so close to each other?
Checked in and ready to go, it was about one o’clock. We headed out to see the city. We had a map that would take us around and also had the Tube stations and lines on the other side so we felt fairly certain of finding our way. The first thing we did was to head towards Kensington St. and Harrods. Checking it out, we found out that it was the Victoria and Albert Museum, just a little selection of the items that they collected during their reign. Looking at the time we decided to have lunch before going in. So we proceeded to get lost in the warren of little side streets nearby looking for a place that was fairly cheap to eat lunch. This exposed us to the reality of exchange rates and cost of living in England. Eventually, we discovered a little eatery named Seasons. They had little beef and onion pies at only two pounds, twenty or just over four dollars. This was the lowest price we had seen for anything. We tried it and it was good. After lunch we returned to the museum.
That was where I first had trouble with the camera John loaned me. I couldn’t get it to turn on. So, for the first day in London, I was without the required tourist accessory of a camera. I had to ask Shawn to take pictures of anything I wanted saved for my memory. I knew this would get old fast and had no back-up plan or camera. I suffered in silence and only asked for a few shots of the architecture. The V&A was very interesting as to what one family, albeit a rich and powerful one can make happen.
And off to Harrods we went. The V&A and Harrods are both on Kensington St. so all we had to do to find it was keep walking in the right direction, east. As we went, our education to the cost of living continued. We saw a real estate agent’s office and looked at some of the prices on the properties shown in the window. Something to know about real estate in England is that it comes in two forms, freehold and leasehold. Only if you buy a freehold do you actually own the land and property. Otherwise you are leasing it, no matter what the price. We saw some nice houses that were very expensive and only leaseholds.
Eventually we reached Harrods. Madhouse, zoo, organized mayhem and all the other adjectives of that sort fail to describe what it was like inside. We passed through several different small departments with such things as jewelry, fragrances, china and such before we found the grocery departments. While the store was busier than most I’ve seen, here the crowds simply doubled. It was packed almost completely full.
We first entered at a candy shop. Then we found separate departments for vegetables, meats (including a sushi bar), pastries, coffees and teas, and a chocolate shop with ten or more different stations for various chocolates. Shawn and Doug got some teas and coffees and a Turkish delight. I was looking for the toffee as requested by Chris. It was a totally bewildering place. Finally, we asked for directions and ended up going back to the candy shop. There I found the toffee in s few different types and got one of each. As a side note, we had already seen Starbucks Coffee on the street once or twice, but the real killer was in the candy shop section of Harrods. Much to our dismay, tucked in the far corner and taking up a good amount of area was, ready for this? A Krispy Kreme! What a tragedy of American capitalism. All three of us recoiled in mock horror.
Deciding that we were done with Harrods, we left and continued our westward walk. Eventually, we reached the southeast corner of Hyde Park. At that point we pulled out our map and saw that we weren’t too far from Buckingham Palace. Heading south along the side of the Trafalgar, we passed the Nelson Memorial and one to the soldiers of the two World Wars.
We reached the area about Buckingham and found a kiosk selling tour tickets for the palace. Unfortunately, it was now after five and the last tour was admitted at 4:30. Fortunately, the girl in the kiosk was still selling tickets and very helpful. She told us to buy ones for the 12:45 tour on Sunday. This would allow us to come down early, see the changing of the guard and then go directly to the tour. We agreed that this was a good idea and did just that. By now, we had been up for a very long time and our feet were getting tired, or at least Shawn and Doug’s were. I could have kept walking and walking as that is what I’m used to doing everyday.
Trying to follow our map we, at last found Victoria Station and caught the Tube back to the hotel. There we decided to go to dinner and plan for our trip to Stonehenge with the help of the concierge. Dinner was another exercise in sticker shock. But, we made a little discovery. The Seasons shop that we had lunch in was only one of a chain of shops and there was one just down the street from the hotel. Beef pies for Shawn and Doug while I had chicken fingers.
Back at the hotel, we talked to a very nice gentleman named Gladstone. He was first amazed that we had walked to Buckingham that day and then totally stunned that we wanted to find a way to get to Stonehenge to be there by 6:30 Monday morning. Trains from London just don’t run that early. So Shawn asked about a taxi and almost put himself into shock. The cost for a taxi to and from Stonehenge was estimated to be two hundred pounds or more. That would have been about four hundred dollars! It was quickly decided that a taxi was a bad idea and that renting a care would be much more economical. So we had Gladstone make arrangements with a place called Europcar located by Victoria Station, for us to get one Sunday after four and return it Monday before four for a one-day rental. It would cost us forty-five pounds plus gas. That was acceptable. I would cover the cost of gas and Shawn and Doug would cover the rental.
It was now about eight Saturday night or the equivalent of 3pm Saturday back in Rochester. This meant that we had been up with little or no sleep for roughly thirty-one hours. It was time to crash.
Sunday morning and the boys sleep in. Wonder why? Eventually (I seem to be using that word a lot), we were all showered and ready to find breakfast. Out we went. Across from the Seasons, we found a coffee shop that sold pastries and such. I had a waffle and hot chocolate while they had their choices including what would be the standard tea for Shawn and coffee for Doug. I was quite surprised to find that the waffle was sugared on the bottom. With the real maple syrup from Canada, it made for a sweet and tasty late breakfast. I was to find out that many of my meals would be later than I would normally have eaten them. I hoped to watch my sugars with light snacks and the odd granola bar in between meals. I had brought some penny candies (tootsie rolls and such) as well as the bars that Mom had given me that she and Dad would be able to eat at home.
After breakfast it was time to wander over to Buckingham to be in plenty of time for the changing of the guard ceremony. We headed up some of the side streets and found the first Seasons that we had eaten at. It was only four or five blocks from the hotel. Shawn was directing us with a small map but I took the initiative and said to go down some side streets. We wandered here and there and saw more of what it was like to live in this section of London. The one thing that Shawn never got over was the manner in which Londoners and the whole of Great Britain park. We called it, “Anarchist Parking.” It is not against the law to park against traffic. So if you see a spot on the street it doesn’t have to be on the side of the street that you are driving. Just go ahead and park. This also brings to mind the whole right hand drive and left side of the road issues. Walking in London is very different than here at home.
At most of the major, light controlled intersections the road has painted on it which way to look for oncoming traffic. Especially in London it’s important to look the right direction. There was a few times that looking the wrong way almost put us in the path of an oncoming vehicle.
Walking down the side streets took us here and there but always in a southeasterly direction. We passed a little side street that ended in a circle with a very nice tree in the middle. On the wall behind the tree, in large white letters, was the name of the street, Charles DeGaulle. I found it ironic that a Frenchman had a street named after him in London, England.
Soon enough we reached Victoria Road and the Royal Mews. I used to think that a mews was where you kept the falcons and other birds of prey. In England it means where you keep any livery as well. There were plenty of streets or alleys called mews that were simply the ways to get to the garages for the houses in front. As I write garage, I’m reminded that the British pronounce that word differently than we do here. It rhymes with carriage over there. Just past the Royal Mews is Buckingham Palace. We arrived with almost half an hour or more to spare. Even so, there were people already lining the fence and the fountain across the street for the best vantage points. Soon enough, the Bobbies were telling people to climb down from the walls and to stay out of the street. One of them told Shawn that the best spot to see the processional from was the side of the park by the fountain. From there we got to see the troop march from the barracks to the palace grounds. It was a good viewpoint for the recessional as well, even though we moved to the front of the area to try to see the actual changing ceremonies. We did manage to see bits and pieces of the ceremony through, over and around the crowds. This made the third Changing of the Guard ceremony I’ve seen in three different royal palaces in three different countries; Sweden, Denmark and now England.
As soon as the recessional was done, we headed to the Ambassador’s entrance to take the palace tour. This was the first encounter we had with the security arrangements for the royal family. Just like an airport or the Empire State Building, we had to go through metal detectors and have our bags checked.
It’s hard to describe the tour of Buckingham Palace other than to say that it was quite impressive in all imaginable ways. The art, the architecture and the history of the palace are all amazing. There was so much to see and so many pictures not to take. As with all secure buildings and art museums, there were no indoor pictures allowed. Only once we finished the tour, would we be able to take pictures of the rear of the palace.
One interesting note, from one long room facing the rear and gardens, I saw a bird on the lawn that I didn’t recognize. It was about the size of a crow and black but it had large white stripes on its wings and white sides to its body. I asked one of the men what it was. I had just seen my first magpie. I called Shawn over to point it out and we got to talking with the gentleman who was watching that room. We asked about the bombings during the Blitz and he told us that Prince Charles was dedicating a memorial down at the river that day for something about the war that I can’t remember now. We had a good discussion before continuing the tour.
Once outside and walking through the gardens, we had ice cream from the royal creamery. It was very rich and tasty, much like any gourmet brand. It was however, very expensive. A little Dixie cup was two pounds. That’s four dollars for something that here would cost 75-80 cents. Ah, well.
We left the grounds of Buckingham and headed towards Westminster Cathedral. Ironically, we never saw the cathedral clearly. We got a little turned about and found the Jewel House instead. This is an old tower that in the thirteenth century was used to house the royal treasury and jewels. It saw many uses over the years including storage of the records of Parliament (which was just across the street, with a huge line to tour it) and the home of the official weights and measures. It was interesting but very small compared to many of the other historic buildings in the area.
From there we walked by Big Ben and to the Thames on the other side of Parliament. At the bridge, we found a stand selling English pancakes with various toppings. Shawn decided to get one. While he was waiting in line, the young woman before was using a different sort of PDA. While looking at the posted menu, she would type each word into the PDA. She then got a translation of it into what appeared to be Korean. It was a handy little item to tell her what cinnamon or other toppings were.
Shawn got a pancake with cinnamon and we shared it. I found it interesting that they were made in the same way as crepes, on a flat griddle using a t-stick to spread the batter and such, but the batter and resulting pancake was just a bit thicker than a crepe. It was tasty just the same.
Across the river from Big Ben and Parliament are the London Aquarium and the London Eye. Both of these turned out to be more than we were willing to pay. The Eye is a giant Ferris wheel from which you can see the entire city.
We were getting tired and hungry. So we decided to head to Victoria Station to get the rental car for the trip to Stonehenge. We found the rental agency around the corner from Victoria Bus Station, which should never be confused with the Victoria Tube Station. They are close to each other but not the same beast.
We got a little car and Doug navigated Shawn back to the hotel where it would have cost $25 to park in the hotel garage overnight. Shawn’s parking magic worked again, there was a space right next to the hotel, in front of a Jaguar.
A note on the car, it was right hand drive, as most are in England and a standard. So Shawn was driving from the wrong point of view, on the wrong side of the street and trying to shift with the wrong hand at the same time. Parallel parking was another thing that was backwards to him. We successfully made it and went to eat at Seasons once again. Then it was back to the hotel for them to crash and me to read for a while. Three-thirty in the morning comes all to soon, when you go to bed after ten.
Yes, three-thirty came very early.
As would be usual, I was the first into the shower and ready to go. There really was no place where we could have breakfast that early so I had a granola bar and took my meds with that. We hit the road at 4:05am. This was Shawn’s big test. Could he get to and from Stonehenge without trouble on the wrong side of the road as we navigated at highway speeds? The answer was almost a resounding yes. There was one little oops that I will mention later.
Gladstone and his co-worker were off just a bit in giving us travel times to Stonehenge. I guess they were considering what traffic would be like in the middle of the day not before the sun was up. We got there, with little difficulty, an hour early. Being hungry, we decided to go back to the nearest town where we had seen an open gas station. It was on the way back to town that Shawn had a little lapse. We were merging from the left onto the bigger road and Shawn naturally started to pull over to the right side of the road. There was no one coming at us but when he realized, at our yells, what he had done, he froze and couldn’t get the car back into gear to get to the left side. This was only a problem for us and the one, lone car that happened to have been behind us. That car did not want to go by and sat there waiting for us to get back where we belonged and go on. I wasn’t sure if he was too afraid to pass or knew that this way we would be assured of a safe move to the other side of the road. Either way, we made it and went to the mini-mart. Cold cereal and water for me, Shawn had a super thick chocolate milk with his and Doug had a coffee. Then it was back to the park.
I hadn’t understood when Shawn told us about the arrangements for getting into Stonehenge before the park opened, that it was for up to twenty-four people. I had assumed that the three of us would be the only ones there. I was wrong. We were joined by a touring group of ten or twelve Wiccans or Neo-pagans. Rather than intrude ourselves on their beliefs, we hung back as they entered the circle of stones and had a ritual circle to greet the day. Once they had finished that, we also went up to the circle visited the awe-inspiring work.
I’m not sure how to describe the feeling of age and amazement I felt. Others there, most the others but Doug as well, were communing with the stones by hugging them, pressing their faces or their whole bodies against them or in other ways. I was amazed by the visible age and weathering of the stones that made up the Henge. I saw at least five different types of lichens and mosses. It was a feeling that has to be experienced for yourself. Unanimously, we declared the whole trip worth the money; even if this was all we had a chance to do.
At one point, Doug was standing at the center of the circle when I joined him. He said that he could feel something standing there, something that was the stones communicating in some way with him. Then he asked if I could feel it. My reply was that I felt the age of it but there was no psychic connection there for me. I know that the others certainly thought they were feeling something.
By the time our lone hour was up, I was ready to leave the Henge and take what I had seen and experienced and internalize it. The others had a closing ceremony and eventually wandered away. The three of us stayed a few minutes longer in order to get some pictures that weren’t filled with strangers.
As we were leaving, a mother and daughter came up to us from the other side of the fence. They asked if we would take a couple pictures for them. Then they gave us a newspaper from the twenty-something girl’s hometown and asked that we put it in the picture of Stonehenge. She explained that the paper would publish the picture if it were in it as well. I held the paper while Shawn took the pictures.
As they thanked us, they mentioned that they would be going to Avebury to see the circle there. A circle of standing stones that encompasses the whole of the old town. It was now only 7:30 or so and we didn’t have to be back to London until four to return the car on time. We decided to head to Avebury as well.
The best way to Avebury was to follow a few secondary A roads, ones with two lanes and selected passing. Unfortunately, it was a Monday and that meant schools were in session. We hadn’t thought of this until we got to the town of Devices. There we hit the nastiest snarl of traffic and kids walking to school that we could have imagined. By this time, the roads were narrower than before. We barely had enough room to get by oncoming cars thanks to the anarchist parking. There were cars parked more than half way into the road on both sides. It was a matter of wait for your opportunity and squeeze by. We also ran into a bit of construction and delivery trucks in the town. It took us at least half an hour to get through a town the size of the village of Webster. Small and crowded it definitely was.
Once past Devices, we found a grassy lot for parking for Avebury and the National Trust. There were only general outlines of parking and two automated parking ticket dispensers. For this, you had to pay two pounds or have a National Trust pass and enter the membership number. I pulled out my newly arrived membership card and saved us the money. Then we followed a grassy trail behind some backyards and in between the schoolyard and its playing fields. We came around a corner and down a slight embankment to find the little town of Avebury before us and many standing stones lining the sheep fields.
This was only our second exposure to standing stones and we were quite impressed. It was now about 9:30 and none of us had been to the restroom since we left the hotel. The National Trust site was closed until ten, as was the little eatery that they called a restaurant on the site. Fortunately, we were directed to public facilities down the road that were open all the time. It took us a couple of passes on the road to find them but we succeeded.
It was still before anything opened so we walked to the end of a little lane and found a path that was open for walking. Of course it went into a sheep field but it also led us to some of the larger separate stones. Watching our step, we went to the first pair of stones and felt the awe of the sight of such huge stones simply being there for so many, many years. Archeologists believe that the Avebury stones are roughly five hundred years newer than Stonehenge. That still makes them at least 4000 years old.
We wandered from one field to another where the ring was clearly laid out. This was only an arc of the ring but the effect of so many stones lined up in a pattern so obviously made by sentient design from so long ago, was stunning. You look at this work of man and wonder. You wonder how, you wonder why. You wonder if you could do this in your backyard without the aid of modern machinery.
We followed the path to the end of the pasture away from town and saw that the next property was signed private and turned back to town. By then it was a bit after ten and a gift shop was open. We checked it out and bought some postcards. I found some t-shirts that I liked but they were $30. So I had to think about it for a while. There was one with the Stonehenge circle embroidered on it and one with a stylized stone and Avebury on it that I liked as well. Never one to go with the clear and simple, I decided to get the Avebury shirt as we left town.
But before that we went down to the National Trust site. This was a large thatch roofed barn that we learned dated from the 14th century. That’s an old barn! The lady there explained that it was kept mostly darkened to accommodate the thirty different species of bats that made their homes in the barn. There were some interesting exhibits and we were also instructed that the stables section had a display of the excavation process and some of the finds from it. We were also told that we could visit the manor house’s gardens and take the house tour for free with our pass.
We stopped for a quick snack and then went to the stables passing by on the way a dovecote from the same time as the barn. The display was small but informative. The manor tour was not until noon, which was longer than we wanted to wait. We had to get back to London by four to return the car. So we toured the gardens on our own. These gardens would make anyone proud to have. There were roses and other flowers in abundance but there were more hedges and topiary than imaginable. Unlike many places that have topiary, these were not animal shapes but geometric ones instead. The effect was beautiful. There were also open lawns and a reflecting pool all surrounded by this wonderful hedgework. We found a tour guide and I asked how long it took to do the whole garden. Three to four months was his reply. At that point they have to start all over. As we left to visit the church, I saw a gardener trimming some of the bushes and told her it was excellent work and much appreciated.
The church also dated from the 14th century. It was small and old and surrounded by the graves in the churchyard, which were equally old to very new. We decided that it was time to head back to London and returned to the car.
Back in London we had to find the rental agency to return the car without going into the congestion relief zone. The zone in question is around Buckingham Palace and other points of heavy traffic, such as Parliament. You can purchase a special radio pass, I assume much like EZ-Pass, and drive there without penalty. If you don’t have one, then there is a mandatory one hundred pound fine. Shawn was quite concerned with not wanting to pay such a fine. With one wrong turn we were off our planned route and Doug used the map to navigate us to where we needed to be.
We took our stuff and went back to the hotel to drop it off before heading to the Tower of London. The name Tower of London is a bit misleading. I had never seen pictures of it or knew its background more than it was where many of Henry VII wives died and other famous executions took place. There are many pictures of London’s Tower Bridge but few of the Tower itself. I was expecting a lone tower with some type of wall about it. What is really there is a fortress of several buildings and defenses. The Tower of London is yet another castle fortification!
We paid our moneys and went in. At the time it was after four and we had to be at the theatre for The Mousetrap by eight. Also the Tower closed at half past five. Not a lot of time to see everything. We did our best. We did get to see the Round Tower, which was where the Armory Museum is as well as the Crown Jewels. I could have spent hours in each part. I’ve decided that simple gold, no matter how it is worked, doesn’t enthrall me as much as gems do. There is a moving walkway about the actual crown jewelry that allows you the closest look but it keeps moving and therefore you do too. There is a walk that is further away but from that distance you can’t see the details and beauty of the gems in the jewelry. I went by on the slide walk twice, definitely not enough. But we had to keep going to see everything and get dinner before the show.
We left the Tower at closing and caught the Tube to Leicester Square, the theatre district. Our first thought was finding the right theatre. We walked one way and another before asking a Bobbie for directions. That was Doug’s job as he was the one responsible for the night’s entertainment. We found the theatre on a side street and then went on to seek dinner. The prices here were as bad or even worse than the rest of London. Eventually, we found a pub that we could get a quick bite at. Strike that, we had thought it would be quick but we waited almost an hour before being served.
We did get served, served portions that would not have fed a child decently. By that time it was almost time for the doors to open. We walked back to the theatre and found out that the doors weren’t open yet so we walked a bit more. Nearby, we found The Orc’s Nest, a gaming store of some fame. It was truly a gaming store, devoted entirely to fantasy games and many miniatures. Not really what I had hoped it would be. I was always on the lookout for books.
When the doors opened, we were seated in the orchestra one row back from the middle and dead center stage. These were the best seats in the house for viewing the production. The theatre itself was nicely appointed but small. What amazed me was the round vaulted ceiling with a globe chandelier. I didn’t take a picture before the play as there were signs forbidding photography in the theatre. I assumed this meant of the production but waited for after the show to ask permission to photograph the ceiling. Unfortunately, I was denied. Although many others were taking pictures, I obeyed their wishes.
The play itself is a two-act production of a murder mystery. Set in a bed and breakfast that is just opening, the guests arrive as the roads are being closed by the weather. One of them is killed and the play proceeds from there. I won’t say who the murderer was or any more about the plot. The production was well acted and enjoyable even if we were extremely tired. Having arisen at three that morning, an eight o’clock production is like having something start at midnight on a normal day.
After the show was over, we caught our ride back to the hotel for the final night in London.