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(Photos are forthcoming within the next few days, I think)
We did not go on a touristy bus tour, because they were very expensive. Instead, we took a nap, and then departed on the London Ghost Walk (http://www.london-ghost-walk.co.uk/), which was very good and has made me completely revise the places I'd intended to go to at the end of my trip. Minus one Transportation Museum, plus one Guild Hall with Roman amphitheatre ruins from Londinium in the basement. The Jack Whyte fan in me goes "whee" at the thought. Along with the ghoulies and ghosts, he pointed out the alley that was Diagon Alley. (Again: "whee".) Excellent tour, departing from Bank Underground Station, exit One, in front of the Royal Exchange, 7:30 PM. Highly recommend - it's every bit as good as Dale Jarvis's ghost tour of St. John's.
The intention for today was to go to the Natural History Museum, which did not happen. Instead, we made haste for the Tower of London! Too much haste, as it turned out, as we arrived an hour before it opened. We took a tour with Yeoman Warder Bob, who was very charismatic, knew his stuff (as well he should, given the stringent requirements for the job!), and was appropriately gleeful in his descriptions of the gory executions. There was a very interesting exhibit of armor inside the White Tower, all contemporary with the reign of Henry VIII, including several suits which actually belonged to him throughout his life. They were stunning. No photography was allowed, though, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
Overpriced Tourist Chow was for lunch (quite nice, but to protect my sanity I have blanked out the cost), and then it was decided we might purchase tickets for a play. Alas, this being Sunday, it was not to be, and so we meandered around a market in Covent Garden for a bit, and watched a street magician.
From there, we departed for Hyde Park, and then St. James's park, where we watched waterfowl, walked along the lake, and then ate ice cream while sitting on the lawn and listening to a brass band. En route from Hyde Park to St. James's Park, we passed Buckingham Palace, which was a nice bonus. I don't know if I'd want to live there - the thought of thousands of people stopping to look at and take photographs of my house is a trifle unsettling - but it's certainly impressive. I was more impressed architecturally with the sight that greeted us at the end of our walk through St. James's Park, though: Horse Guards! (Sharpe fan time: "whee!"). It was lovely - all lit up in dapples by the sun, with a grand court in front of it. I took several pictures, and I hope at least one of them does it justice. We walked back to Piccadilly Circus from there, past several statues, including one of Sir Robert Scott, the polar explorer.
Tomorrow, we're taking the train from King's Cross Station to Harrogate, via Leeds; I'm really looking forward to it. The trip promises to be much nicer than the last time I made the journey, which was on a bus up the motorway. I remember lacking leg room on the bus, which is not a good sign - I'm five-foot-four-and-a-bit, which, while reasonably average for a woman, is certainly not average for human beings.
Having a wonderful time!
We did not go on a touristy bus tour, because they were very expensive. Instead, we took a nap, and then departed on the London Ghost Walk (http://www.london-ghost-walk.co.uk/), which was very good and has made me completely revise the places I'd intended to go to at the end of my trip. Minus one Transportation Museum, plus one Guild Hall with Roman amphitheatre ruins from Londinium in the basement. The Jack Whyte fan in me goes "whee" at the thought. Along with the ghoulies and ghosts, he pointed out the alley that was Diagon Alley. (Again: "whee".) Excellent tour, departing from Bank Underground Station, exit One, in front of the Royal Exchange, 7:30 PM. Highly recommend - it's every bit as good as Dale Jarvis's ghost tour of St. John's.
The intention for today was to go to the Natural History Museum, which did not happen. Instead, we made haste for the Tower of London! Too much haste, as it turned out, as we arrived an hour before it opened. We took a tour with Yeoman Warder Bob, who was very charismatic, knew his stuff (as well he should, given the stringent requirements for the job!), and was appropriately gleeful in his descriptions of the gory executions. There was a very interesting exhibit of armor inside the White Tower, all contemporary with the reign of Henry VIII, including several suits which actually belonged to him throughout his life. They were stunning. No photography was allowed, though, so you'll just have to take my word for it.
Overpriced Tourist Chow was for lunch (quite nice, but to protect my sanity I have blanked out the cost), and then it was decided we might purchase tickets for a play. Alas, this being Sunday, it was not to be, and so we meandered around a market in Covent Garden for a bit, and watched a street magician.
From there, we departed for Hyde Park, and then St. James's park, where we watched waterfowl, walked along the lake, and then ate ice cream while sitting on the lawn and listening to a brass band. En route from Hyde Park to St. James's Park, we passed Buckingham Palace, which was a nice bonus. I don't know if I'd want to live there - the thought of thousands of people stopping to look at and take photographs of my house is a trifle unsettling - but it's certainly impressive. I was more impressed architecturally with the sight that greeted us at the end of our walk through St. James's Park, though: Horse Guards! (Sharpe fan time: "whee!"). It was lovely - all lit up in dapples by the sun, with a grand court in front of it. I took several pictures, and I hope at least one of them does it justice. We walked back to Piccadilly Circus from there, past several statues, including one of Sir Robert Scott, the polar explorer.
Tomorrow, we're taking the train from King's Cross Station to Harrogate, via Leeds; I'm really looking forward to it. The trip promises to be much nicer than the last time I made the journey, which was on a bus up the motorway. I remember lacking leg room on the bus, which is not a good sign - I'm five-foot-four-and-a-bit, which, while reasonably average for a woman, is certainly not average for human beings.
Having a wonderful time!
