When we arrived, it was rainy, foggy and cold -- NOT!!!!!! After what seemed like we would never see one of our bags (it was Michael’s, not mine – whew) we finally made our way to the central bus terminal for the ride into London. What a beautiful day we had, warm and sunny. We are staying in a very nice hotel in the West End, home of all the theaters and Victoria Station, and is very conveniently located. After a quick meal and a short walk about Victoria Station, we returned to the hotel where Michael fell asleep reading the tour maps at 6 pm; I followed shortly at 8 pm. I can’t tell you the last time I went to bed while the sun was still shinning. Michael slept 12 hours and me – oh well.
The morning brought us more good weather and we even got to wear shorts. We headed out to spend the day using the hop-on-hop-off bus to tour the city. We travelled on four different routes and saw all the usual sights and took a riverboat cruise on the Thames.
The special activity of the morning was the London Eye and 4D experience. 
The London Eye is the second largest Ferris wheel in the world that rises 432 feet high, takes 30 minutes to do one circuit, and gives you a breathtaking and spectacular view of London. We then had a really gourmet lunch – at McDonald’s!
One of the interesting facts I learned was about the phrases: “on the wagon,” and “one for the road.” The English loved to hang people and it was a festive time anytime someone was to be hanged. Each hangee was given the right to make a speech and was allowed one last drink. The one’s that declined the drink were “on the wagon” because that is how they were transported to the hanging site. The one’s that wanted a drink first, had “one for the road” before they were put on the wagon. Terrorists were hung, then beheaded and the head was stuck on a stake and adorned the railings of the London Bridge as a warning to others that your bad behavior will be punished. Since we have gotten so concerned with criminal’s rights, maybe the English had a good idea to begin with and so we should bring it back? Food for thought, anyway.
Since most people are familiar with London’s historic sites, I thought I would just make some general comments about my observations. I absolutely LOVE the pubs. Not the inside, but the outside. They are old and beautifully preserved with lots and lots of flowers.
Almost everywhere you go, you see these marvelous works of architecture nestled among the old brick townhomes and the industrial glass towers. London has a severe traffic problem (maybe because it was Saturday). The red double decker buses and little black taxis are the most common vehicles you see. One thing that seemed to be absent was the lack of horns blaring and beeping every 3 seconds. The red lights lasted forever and there seemed to be one at every intersection. Driving is petal to the metal and then slam on the brakes. The bus stops were crowded with approximately 50 people at one bus stop. The shopping streets and squares were so crowded, it was hard to walk in a straight line. 
We covered a lot of territory today and I only saw one grocery store; there was a plethora of smaller markets (like Fresh and Easy type) and at Trafalgar Square, there was at least three that I saw, all the same company (Marks & Spenser). It looks like people shop daily on their way home from work, and there are a lot of places with prepared foods to go.One final piece of trivia: the clock tower at Westminster is not Big Ben – Big Ben are the bells in the Westminster Clock Tower. I heard so many different languages and accents as well. Now English is my native tongue, and English is spoken here in England. However, for the life of me, I had the hardest time understanding them!!
The final leg of our bus tour in the afternoon was interrupted by a demonstration that virtually shut down one main artery, Park Lane. We inched along Hyde Park and went nowhere fast.
After a lengthy amount of time, the driver informed us that we would not continue with the tour as scheduled and anyone that wanted to go to Victoria Station (our final destination) should get off the bus and walk back. Now you all know that when someone says it’s only a 15 minute walk you can be sure it will take 45 minutes and be at least four miles. Also, we had no idea how to get back there as we could not find a place to cross the street! We finally hailed a taxi, and boy am I glad we did because I was not happy about the whole experience and I am trying to keep the walking down to a minimum so I can enjoy the rest of the trip without pain.
The highlight of the day, though, was seeing Billy Elliott. This was a fabulous play and I was amazed at the child who played Billy (singing, dancing and ballet). If you have a chance to see this play, please but it on your bucket list as you will not be disappointed (and bring a hanky).
The morning brought us more good weather and we even got to wear shorts. We headed out to spend the day using the hop-on-hop-off bus to tour the city. We travelled on four different routes and saw all the usual sights and took a riverboat cruise on the Thames.
The special activity of the morning was the London Eye and 4D experience. 
The London Eye is the second largest Ferris wheel in the world that rises 432 feet high, takes 30 minutes to do one circuit, and gives you a breathtaking and spectacular view of London. We then had a really gourmet lunch – at McDonald’s!One of the interesting facts I learned was about the phrases: “on the wagon,” and “one for the road.” The English loved to hang people and it was a festive time anytime someone was to be hanged. Each hangee was given the right to make a speech and was allowed one last drink. The one’s that declined the drink were “on the wagon” because that is how they were transported to the hanging site. The one’s that wanted a drink first, had “one for the road” before they were put on the wagon. Terrorists were hung, then beheaded and the head was stuck on a stake and adorned the railings of the London Bridge as a warning to others that your bad behavior will be punished. Since we have gotten so concerned with criminal’s rights, maybe the English had a good idea to begin with and so we should bring it back? Food for thought, anyway.
Since most people are familiar with London’s historic sites, I thought I would just make some general comments about my observations. I absolutely LOVE the pubs. Not the inside, but the outside. They are old and beautifully preserved with lots and lots of flowers.
Almost everywhere you go, you see these marvelous works of architecture nestled among the old brick townhomes and the industrial glass towers. London has a severe traffic problem (maybe because it was Saturday). The red double decker buses and little black taxis are the most common vehicles you see. One thing that seemed to be absent was the lack of horns blaring and beeping every 3 seconds. The red lights lasted forever and there seemed to be one at every intersection. Driving is petal to the metal and then slam on the brakes. The bus stops were crowded with approximately 50 people at one bus stop. The shopping streets and squares were so crowded, it was hard to walk in a straight line. 
We covered a lot of territory today and I only saw one grocery store; there was a plethora of smaller markets (like Fresh and Easy type) and at Trafalgar Square, there was at least three that I saw, all the same company (Marks & Spenser). It looks like people shop daily on their way home from work, and there are a lot of places with prepared foods to go.One final piece of trivia: the clock tower at Westminster is not Big Ben – Big Ben are the bells in the Westminster Clock Tower. I heard so many different languages and accents as well. Now English is my native tongue, and English is spoken here in England. However, for the life of me, I had the hardest time understanding them!! The final leg of our bus tour in the afternoon was interrupted by a demonstration that virtually shut down one main artery, Park Lane. We inched along Hyde Park and went nowhere fast.
After a lengthy amount of time, the driver informed us that we would not continue with the tour as scheduled and anyone that wanted to go to Victoria Station (our final destination) should get off the bus and walk back. Now you all know that when someone says it’s only a 15 minute walk you can be sure it will take 45 minutes and be at least four miles. Also, we had no idea how to get back there as we could not find a place to cross the street! We finally hailed a taxi, and boy am I glad we did because I was not happy about the whole experience and I am trying to keep the walking down to a minimum so I can enjoy the rest of the trip without pain.The highlight of the day, though, was seeing Billy Elliott. This was a fabulous play and I was amazed at the child who played Billy (singing, dancing and ballet). If you have a chance to see this play, please but it on your bucket list as you will not be disappointed (and bring a hanky).
Hi:
ReplyDeleteSounds like your on your way to another great trip. Enjoy and watch out for the hurricane weather when you cross the Atlantic. Love
IF you went on the Ferris wheel then you a LOT braver then me! Sounds like you are already enjoying all the sites and you have not even boarded the ship!!
ReplyDeleteLooking foward to the next Blog!
Marilyn