..... London, England

London Eye, 1999
We did go up in the tallest
 ferris wheel in the world!
I am eating a McDonald's McFury!

July 21, 2001….We rode the Eurostar to London!  The Eurostar is a high speed train that takes travelers through the ‘Chunnel’ from Brussels or Paris to the heart of London.  The train reaches speeds of 186mph, as it travels under waters of the English Channel and travel time is less than two hours!  The ticket from Brussels to London (one way) was 74.37 euros.  We arrived in London early in the day, and stayed for two nights!  We booked our hotel (Forum London) through hotels.com and got a very fair price, comparable to moderate hotels in the US.  We were close to a train station and many ‘fast food’ American restaurants, including Starbucks!   

Tower of London

Our first stop of the day was the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge.  As we entered the Tower of London, we were greeted by Yeoman Warders (Beefeaters) – ceremonial guardians to the Tower of London.  This historic castle lies on the north bank of the River Thames in Central London.   It has played a prominent role in British History.  The Tower of London has served as a castle, palace, prison, arsenal, jewel house, and sight of executions (including Henry VIII wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard).  The oldest part of the tower being the ‘White Tower’ was built in 1078 by William the Conqueror. 

The Tower Bridge is the only draw
bridge - built between 1886-1894
and it crosses the Thames River

 Next stop was the Tower Bridge. We had bought a two day London Pass at the train station to save us money.  I can’t remember how much we paid for it, but it got us in to all the attractions for the next two days and saved us money overall.  The Tower Bridge is London’s only drawbridge, and it was built between 1886 and 1894.  It crosses the Thames River.  We walked across the bridge for amazing views and toured the Victorian engine rooms. 

To top off the day, we stopped at The Monument and climbed the 311 steps to the top.  The Monument was built between 1671 and 1677 to commemorate the Great Fire of London.   The fire, in the early part of September 1666, destroyed a large part of the city. 

No, We did not bo up into Big Ben!

A trip to London is not complete without a visit to Buckingham Palace.  The Palace is home to the Queen and was built between 1820 and 1837.  It has 600 rooms!  Within walking distance of Buckingham Palace is Harrods; the famous shopping outlet in London owned by Mohamed Al-Fayed.  Also nearby is Hyde Park.  Hyde Park was once the hunting ground for Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.  It is the largest of London’s open spaces.

The bronze statue of William III in front of Kensington Palace

Sunken Garden at Kensington 1909

Kensington Palace was once residence to Princess Diana.  It has been a royal residence since 1689.  Princess Victoria was born at Kensington on May 24^th 1819.  The Princess was awakened shortly after the age of 18 with news of her accession to the throne.  The queen would later bare a son, King Edward VII.  His offspring would include King George V.  We toured Kensington Palace and the sunken garden (1909).  There was an amazing exhibit of dresses belonging to Princess Diana.  Our visit to the palace also included a visit to the state apartments.  There are several statues around the palace grounds.  William III stands in the south front of the palace.  It was presented to King Edward VII in 1907.  A large statue of Queen Victoria sits at the east front of the grounds.  It was sculpted by her fourth daughter, Princess Louise (1887). 

Wimbledon

On our last day in London, we traveled to Wimbledon.  We took the train to the last stop and thought it was just a short walk…..not so short!  The Wimbledon Tennis championship had just finished in early July.  The tennis courts were still worn from play.  It is pretty cool to say we have been to Wimbledon! 

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey was founded in 1050by Edward the Confessor (first king to be buried there).  William the Conqueror was crowned king in the abbey in 1066, as well as Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.  On Sept. 6, 1997, Princess Diana’s coffin was carried through the doors of the Abbey for her funeral.  Ironically, the Princess and Prince Charles were wed in Westminster Abbey on July 29, 1981.  When the royal family visits the church, they enter the church from the east side and exit the doors through the south.  Along with the grave of the unknown warrior and the shrine of St. Edward, there are cloisters behind the abbey that contain memorials and graves. 

Peter Pan at Kensington

London was an amazing place to visit and one I hope to traveled to again someday!