Day Seven: Prison Time in the London Tower Isn’t What It Use to Be

We met Sarah for breakfast this morning and got off on an early start. The tube took us over to the East end and we got off at the Moorgate Station. A few blocks later and we found Leadenhall Market. The Market hadn’t opened yet, but people were setting up and there were several nice shops, cafes, and restaurants in the Marketplace.

After a few more turns we finally found The Glass House. In another setting some of you will recognize this as The Leaky Cauldron in the Harry Potter movies. We didn’t go inside, but Sarah said it is mostly the setting and not the shop itself.

We headed out of the Market area and circled around the new Lloyds of London Building, which has to be one of the ugliest buildings I have ever seen for a city setting. As we first came up to it, before Sarah told us about the building, I thought it was a brewery or a factory building in the middle of the financial district. All of the ductwork and piping is on the outside and the windows look like ship portholes. I didn’t take a picture , but here is one that I found in Wikipedia. Suffice it to say, if I owned stock in Lloyd’s of London and saw shareholders’ money being spent on this monstrosity, I would not be happy. That being said, I don’t have stock in the company and if I did it wouldn’t be significant enough to warrant their concern.

Almost directly across the street if a great view of the Gherkin Building. I have mixed views regarding this building. It looks great, but when juxtaposed against the very (and I mean very) old church on the street, it does seem out of place. However, it is much better than the Lloyd’s Building.

From this part of town we then walked over to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. These structures are right next to each other and you can look down the moat on the East Side of the Tower to the entrance of the Tower Bridge.

What you can’t see in this picture is the satellite dish for television on the lower wall of The London Tower. I don’t think being a prisoner there now is quite the same as it was a couple of hundred years ago.

We had hoped to take a tour of the Tower Bridge and get up onto the upper walkways, but time was running out for us to get to the noontime concert at St. Martin’s-in-the-Field, so we passed on the exhibits and tour for this time. We did walk down onto the end of the bridge and then circled back around the Tower where Cheri took a picture of Sarah and me. I managed to also enlarge and crop a portion of the picture.

Rushing from the Tower of London we made it to St. Martin’s-in-the-Field just before noon time so we could make it to the concert. As we went in and found almost no one there we realized that noontime also extended to 1 pm when the concert would actually start. So we headed off to a coffee shop for a quick cup and pastry to tide us over until we could have a proper lunch.

The concert was okay. It probably would have been much better if it had been just the pianist or some other voice part, but it included a soprano soloist, and that just ‘doesn’t float my boat.’ She was good, but I would much rather have listened to an alto, tenor or baritone—Thomas Morris comes to mind as someone I would love to have heard in this setting. She sang Schubert’s Ave Marie to open, performed a couple of mournful pieces by Debussy, her diction on a collection of Barber pieces was not really recognizable, the Puccini aria reminded me sharply why I don’t care for most soprano arias, and thankfully the Richard Strauss piece was short. I certainly thank Cheri and Sarah for indulging my desire to hear some music in the church…I only wish it was just the pianist—who was excellent.

The setting is beautiful and I took one shot of the window behind the alter. The panes and mullions are arranged to provide an oval in the center and twisting off from that to provide an abstract, but effective cross.

Following the concert we went to a Mexican Restaurant called Wahaca (pronounced Oaxaca) a couple of blocks off from Trafalgar Square. It is a place Sarah has been to before and she want us to try it. The meal was great. Authentic Mexican style with locally grown organic produce. We had a wonderful meal.

After lunch we had some time to kill before heading off with Sarah to her work at the pub, so we went into the National Portrait Gallery for awhile and then spent some time just sitting in Trafalgar Square. I did manage to catch Cheri trying to make heads and tails out of the various English coins in her coat pocket and then a quick study of Mother and Daughter on the steps of the National Gallery.

We caught a double-decker bus from Trafalgar Square to Edgeware and we were lucky enough to get front row upper deck seats again. I took a few pictures of the Oxford Circus as we went through and you can see how crowded it gets with people and vehicles. The pictures don’t really give you the full effect of the ride.

The adventure for today came to a close with getting Sarah to work on time and having a bite to eat at her pub for dinner. For your moment of Zen click on the following picture.

Double-Decker Ride

Days Five and Six: Next Thing You Know I will be Dripping Brains from my Ears!

Two days together this time because last night was late, even by my standards, so you get a double-shot on Thursday.

Day Five: Wednesday, and Thursday for that matter, were days on our own. Since we had no set schedule we started out by sleeping in. I figure I am just keeping myself on East Coast time since there is a five hour difference. So getting up at 10 am here is the same as getting up at 5 am there.

Still with no rush, and the decision to leave Sarah behind to continue fighting her cold, we headed in to London Town with a plan to see Westminster Abbey. We arrived in good time and bought entry tickets and additional private tour tickets with a Verger—from Merriam-Webster: 1: chiefly British : an attendant that carries a verge (as before a bishop or justice)2: a church official who keeps order during services or serves as an usher or a sacristan.

The tour was very good and we were able to get a bit more of a ‘back scene’ look at the Abbey during the ninety minutes we spent with the Verger. Besides the primary site for Coronations and Royal Weddings it is also the burial site for over 3,000 individuals and there is a very broad English history associated with the place.

Originally built in 1065 and first used for the Coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066. All Coronations since then have taken place at Westminster Abbey. In 1560 Queen Elizabeth established the Abbey as a collegiate Church keeping it separate from Catholicism or forms of Protestant churches. The Abbey continues to operate as a college and the Deans Offices are show in the picture to the left. Through the archway in the center is a drive to the center yard of the college and surroundings of other buildings used for studies.

I didn’t take any pictures in the building, and from previous postings you know this isn’t because of any signs, it just didn’t seem appropriate.

We did hear much of the history and some of it was lost on me since I have a hard time remembering the order of all of our Presidents, much less trying to remember the English House of Royalty. Mary, Queen of Scots and a few dozen close friends are buried here in a very ornate chapel erected by her son King Charles. A separate Mary (this is where it gets real confusing for me since she was the same generation as Mary Queen of Scots) is buried here along with her sister Queen Elizabeth (also the same generation). This was significant because Mary re-accepted Catholicism and Elizabeth was against it, Protestant obviously, and they both ruled as Queens at the same time—where does Mary Queen of Scots fit in this (see what I mean)? The family decided that, along with making room for Mary Queen of Scots Chapel it would make sense to have them resolve their issues in eternity since they couldn’t do it while on earth.

Besides the Abbey and lunch at another pub (which I still have not gotten tired of) we toured through Regents Park up to Buckingham Palace. The Palace is in the background behind the monument to Queen Victoria. She is facing NE towards the mall and the home of the Horse Guards and surrounding the monument are the Angel of Justice (facing NW), the Angel of Truth (facing SW), and Charity (facing the Palace). On top is a Victory. All a very nautical theme—the whole sailors thing again—which is said reflects Great Britain’s naval power of the time.

Between Buckingham Palace and the Horse Guards is Spencer House where Royal Court is held. We don’t believe Court was in session, at least they hadn’t told me, but the Queen’s Guards still stand duty at the gateway. It continues to be very impressive how still and placid these individuals remain. There are two facing each other across the gateway and they only move every ten minutes or so to shift the rifle from one side to the other and take two large stomping steps in place; enough to keep the blood flowing. Suffice it to say that the weapons they are holding are not toys and people don’t cross over the simple chain draped across the driveway.

Later in the day we met Sarah near the Baker Street Station after she got out of a downtown class. Andrew caught up with us in the Station as well and we headed off to the West End for a theater night. We almost missed each other in the station, but as Cheri points out, my eagle eyes spotted Andrew coming up one escalator as we got ready to head down a different tunnel. The show we went to see was Traces which was very entertaining. I didn’t quite follow the story line (my fault since I didn’t look it up ahead of time), but the acrobatics were fantastic. It was quite enjoyable to see and Sarah had gotten us great front row balcony seats.

Following the show we wandered around a bit looking for someplace to eat. We worked our way down to Covent Garden and found Maxwell’s which I think is a bit of a US chain restaurant that found its way to the UK. Then it was onto the Tube and back to Harrow. By the time we got back it was late so no blog then…only now.

Day Six: As I said above today was again on our own, so again we didn’t get seriously moving until 10 am. Our thought this day was to explore a little bit of the outskirts of London, at least for a little while. We hopped on the Tube for a couple of stops and then changed lines to a more local train service that took us to West Hampstead. Then we changed to the Overground train to make our way to Hampstead Heath. A Heath is a park area and this one is only four miles from Trafalgar Square, but you feel like you are well into the country.

We got off the train and worked our way over to the park area (after asking for some directions). The trails are mostly paved and they cover a very hilly terrain. We started out following a couple of interconnected ponds and then went up through a field that heads to the highest point in the area. The rise is called Parliament Hill and the views back to the city are protected such that certain sites seen from the hill can not be blocked by new construction. You can see by the picture that the view wasn’t very clear, but we could make out St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the London Eye through the haze. On a clear day it must be a great sight.

We walked around the Heath for about an hour and then decided to head into Hampstead Heath to find someplace to eat. Our wandering took us by several places until we found The White Horse pub. We expected typical pub food but we were pleasantly surprised to find Thai food on the menu. It was great! The V shaped building was well windowed so we could watch the activities in the square and it is a lively place that seems like it would be enjoyable in the evening as well. Cheri had the Pad Thai which had only one pepper next to it while I opted for the Pad Grapow which had three peppers. The food was fabulous! After I had eaten half of it I told Cheri that my nose was running, with three quarters gone my eyes were watering and just before my last bite I said to Cheri, “Much more and my brains will start dripping out my ears.” It wasn’t spicy hot, it was spicy flavor-able and very good. I recommended to Sarah that she take Jess there in March. I also had a chance to try some more English Ale (as in most pubs) and they serve a Doom Bar Ale that is from Cornwall and quite good.

With full bellies I made Cheri walk up the hill to Hampstead to catch the Tube into London Town. The Hampstead Station is about 200 feet below ground and you have to take an elevator down to the train platforms. During World War II this station was used as a bomb shelter because it provided such good protection.

We rode the Tube back into town and tried to figure out how to get to St. Paul’s Cathedral. Not knowing any better we got off at Charing Cross (which is near Trafalgar Square) and started walking along the Strand. After a few mistaken turns and no Cathedral in sight I finally asked a doorman if we were anywhere near St. Paul’s. It turned out we needed to continue walking down the Strand about another fifteen minutes and it would come into sight.

Since I had a couple of pints with lunch I also needed to find a loo so we headed down the Strand with two purposes—St. Paul’s and a toilet. Fortunately, the Brits do the public toilet thing exceptionally well. They provide free sites every few blocks and they are well maintained and clean. We found a spot and when I came back out there was Cheri standing in front of the home office for Twinings Tea. This is the longest standing, family owned business continuously operating in the same spot (since the 1700’s).

We went in and the aroma as soon as you enter the shop is wonderful. The selection is great and we were only disappointed that they do not have a tasting room, so we settled on purchasing a few items instead. Just as there is a picture of me leaving the Whiskey Shop, here is a picture of Cheri outside the Tea Shop with her bag in hand.

From there it wasn’t much further before we could make out St. Paul’s dome through the buildings. It really is a magnificent building and it stands out well among the surrounding buildings. We walked all the way around before going up to the entrance and then found out that it was closed for a service until later in the early evening. That helped us to decide on making a return visit sometime in the next two days so we can spend a fair amount of time exploring the Cathedral. Plus, we needed to head back to Harrow to meet Sarah after her class and take her out to dinner.

When we first walked around Harrow with Sarah I had seen an Indian restaurant that looked good and said I wanted to try it before we left. Tonight was the night and it was well worth the wait. This restaurant rivals the India Quality in Boston (one of our favorite Indian restaurants). We had a great meal with again just enough spices—not eye watering or brains from the ears—to make it enjoyable.

Another great day in this adventure.

Day Four: I had a lot of Dates, but I Decided to Stay Home and Dye my Eyebrows

I know it is an Andy Warhol quote, but I didn’t know that until seeing it at the Andy Warhol Exhibit while visiting Madame Trussuad’s Wax Museum today.

We met Sarah over near the Northwick Park Station again this morning only today we headed over to the University of Westminster Harrow Campus instead of heading into the City right off. Sarah got us in through Reception and we were able to see the Resources Area (Library), Student Union, and the Studio areas. She needed to sign up for some studio time next week to work on her Master’s project so it was a great time for us to tag along. I also got a couple of shots of the undergraduate dorms and Sarah in front of one of the entrances.

We then sent Sarah back to her place to get some rest. She is fighting a cold and the only way for it to get better is for her to rest…while Cheri and I go sight-seeing.

The Tube dropped us off at the Baker Street Station and we went to the same coffee house as yesterday. No jack hammering today, so we could enjoy people watching from our outside perch at the cafe. It was then on to Madame Trussaud’s.

Touring the museum was…okay, not great but okay. It is one of those things that you often hear about, but it isn’t the kind of place I would necessarily go again. On top of the ‘okay-ness’ this week is also half-term for the schools—the quaint British term for February vacation—so the museum and most areas were packed with kids. Fortunately we have plenty of time and it was somewhat enjoyable to see the kids having a good time (and some parents having to keep up…but not us).

From Madame Trussaud’s we went back to the Whiskey Shop I mentioned in yesterday’s blog. The shop is called Cadenhead’s and again, I could spend quite a bit of time there, only today there were no libations.

Here are the two bottles that I picked up in the shop. My scotch drinking friends will appreciate that these are both straight from the cask, no filtering or coloring added. The Mannochmore is one of only 500 bottles and the Tobermory one of 691. These will be enjoyed with a few drops of water—not surprisingly since they are 46%—and with appreciation.

Cheri also managed to catch a shot of me coming out of the shop with my new possessions.

Of course once Cheri had the camera, she couldn’t resist getting a shot of me with the almost always present Blackberry. But then she did say, “You’re almost never lost if you have that thing with you.” Well we weren’t lost, but it certainly was taking us quite a bit longer to get from Baker Street back to the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square. We did stop for lunch at the Lamb and Flag pub, where we ate in what we always imagine is English style—Fish & Chips and Beef & Ale pie. After that we thought it was a short walk, at least it had been when we did it with Sarah (who knew where she was going). After about 45 minutes of walking we gave in and dove into an Underground Station. Ten minutes later we came up at Trafalgar Square and we were just in time to take the 2:30 tour.

The tour was great and we learned quite a bit about some of the art and the art history. By the time we finished it felt good to meet up with Sarah and sit for a while.

Originally we planned to grab a quick supper and go the free concert at St. Martins-in-the-Field, but when I looked up the concert time (on the ever present Blackberry), we discovered that the lunchtime concerts are free and the evening concerts required tickets. This evening the performance is the Faure Requiem which I have sung before, but I also think it is something that Cheri and Sarah would have only tolerated. Instead we found out that you can go into the Crypt of St. Martins-in-the-Field for Afternoon Tea…so that’s exactly what we did. Nothing like have your tea in a Crypt; reminds me of my Academy days singing in the Chapel Choir. After Sunday morning rehearsal we would go into the Crypt below and have coffee and donuts with John Paul Jones.

After our tea, we decided to walk down Whitehall Street past the Cabinet Offices and on to the Parliament Building. This picture is the view from Trafalgar Square looking down Whitehall to Big Ben and the Parliament Building.

It was starting to get dark as we reached the end of the road, near Westminster Abbey, and we were able to get a few good pictures of Big Ben and the adventurous tourists.

From here we walked along the Thames and found our way to a nice Italian restaurant near the Embankment Station. We had a great meal and then took the Tube back out to Northwick Park Station. Sarah walked part way back to the hotel with us and then split off to see Andrew for a few minutes and Cheri and I headed back to the hotel. One more adventure in the books, and one date I’m glad I didn’t miss to dye my eyebrows.

Day Three in London: On the Trail of Lovers and Sailors

For those of you that have already figured this out, yes this picture is from our trip to Greenwich yesterday. I just happen to like it and since I can take some liberties with authorship I am leading off with it today. This is a 24 hour clock so the time was actually 15:52:35 and not what you may think as several minutes before 8:00. The time is also very accurately kept and adjusted by the movement of stars transiting the prime meridian—very cool if you are a math, celestial geek (like some of us).

In addition, I didn’t get to use the following picture from the Royal Observatory yesterday so I am putting it in here…because again, I like it.

Day Three: We were a little more ambitious today and got up and showered in time to head out and meet Sarah near the Northwick Park Underground Station at 9 am. Today the trains were all running so it made travel quite a bit easier.

We boarded at Northwick Park and travelled in to the Baker Street Station. This seemed like a good spot to get off and start our days adventure, particularly since there are several coffee houses in the area so we were able to stop in for a latte, a mocha, and some juice. Since we were having something to drink it also made sense to have some butter croissants and a triple chocolate muffin to absorb some of the liquid. Also since it was a nice morning, by New England standards, we decided to eat al fresco along the sidewalk. What you don’t see in the picture is the two work vans and compressor that set up right next to us and the workmen that began jack hammering to uncover some under-sidewalk piping. It was entertaining and the noise only lasted a short period, but it was certainly not done following any measures that OSHA would approve.

We headed out from our breakfast to find a shop in the Baker Street area that specializes in single malt scotches. After a short walk we found the shop and suffice it to say that I could have spent several hours in there talking with the owner. In addition, as any sailor knows the sun was over the yardarm someplace so when the owner offered me a taste (at 11 am) I was not one to shy away—plus as Cheri and Sarah pointed out, I am on vacation. The result was a setting aside of a couple of bottles and I will fill in more about them after I pick the bottles up later this week.

From there we started some more walking and after multiple turns and street we came to Piccadilly Circus and the fountain statue or Eros—this is the lovers part. I attempted to do a panoramic shot around the Circus to capture the Times Square type of feel, but I don’t have the correct software.

We did take advantage of the time to sit for a few minutes and to get some quick photos of the band of adventurers.

Since I can’t do the panorama right now, here is a collage of the area that may give you a little feel for it.

From Piccadilly Circus and Eros we moved on to Trafalgar Square and Lord Nelson—this is another part of the sailor thing, besides the whole sun over the yardarm piece. Trafalgar Square has several fountains, so the photographer in tow with us offered to get a picture of Cheri and I. She also made sure to get some of the fountain in the picture to show that we are actually in the square.

The square is also home to the National Gallery so we took the opportunity to tour through there for a couple of hours as well. We plan to go back tomorrow and join a tour group so we get the full effect of the Gallery.

Next it was on to the Tube and over to the South Side of the Thames. This is an area that was once famous for bars, brothels, theaters, and, of course, sailors. Our trip was taking us to the area of the original Globe Theater. The original theater was taken down in Puritan times but a very close facsimile has been constructed within 300 feet of the original and there are now performances between April and October. They have a great tour that Cheri and I took (Sarah is fighting a cold and headed back home early to get some rest), and I think we will try to make it to a performance when we come back in September.

We then headed down towards Waterloo Station to find a yarn shop that Cheri had heard about on-line. Along the way we stopped at the Millennium Bridge and took some picture of St. Paul’s Cathedral, the riverfront and ourselves.

It was then back onto the Tube and off to Harrow. We need to rest up for another day of walking and adventures tomorrow.