An Eye On London

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An Eye on London…

Tuesday, July 22, was our day to explore London. First, we went on the city tour, our third and final of the trip… Madrid, Paris and London. This bus picked us up at the hotel where we met our guide for the morning, Jane--a very British name for a very British lady. She was the essence of a tour guide, with that quick wit and bit of irreverence toward the city she loves.

Our tour took us to all of the familiar sights and neighborhoods of Westminster and London. We saw Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben and the River Thames. We drove through the old Roman city, Hyde Park and Piccadilly Circus. Traffic in London is horrendous, and at times our coach inched along at a snail’s pace. For a while, driving through Piccadilly, Jane was reduced to giving us a store-by-store guided tour. It took several light changes for us to pass by Harrod's, a few more to pass by Harvey Nichols, and a few more to pass by Marks and Spencer.

Our first stop was at St. Paul’s Cathedral, the oldest in London. They are just completing a three-year cleaning project, and the building looks fabulous. The stonework looks brand new. We spent time walking through the vast space, admiring the marble, gold and stained glass. Down in the crypt, we saw the final resting places of Lord Cromwell and Admiral Nelson. Along with Sir Winston Churchill, these two war heroes are the only individuals granted a full state funeral, normally reserved only for royalty.

After the requisite group photo on the steps of St. Paul’s, we climbed back on the bus for a ride to Buckingham Palace. The Queen’s flag was billowing in the breeze, which means she is actually in residence today. This is a rare event, as she is usually off to her preferred residence at Windsor. Also, did I mention the weather? It doesn’t get any grander in London. We have blue skies, with a few big wispy white clouds; also, a rare event. Jane knew exactly when to get us to Buckingham Palace to witness the changing of the guard. She led us to a prime location to see the event unfold with so much pageantry.

With her duties complete, Jane bid us adieu after the ceremony. We walked a short distance to Trafalgar Square, home of the National Gallery, a marvelous fountain and lots of pigeons. After the photo op stop, we headed around the corner to Leicester Square for some lunch and shopping. This is the famous area in the West End where over 40 plays are currently in production.

For the afternoon, the group split 60/40 for either a boat ride (40%) on the Thames or a flight (60%) on the London Eye. The London Eye, owned by British Airways, is the 400 foot ferris wheel on the edge of the Thames that was built to celebrate the millennium. Although we bought our “flight” tickets at the hotel, we still needed to queue up for about 35 minutes before we could board our pod. Each pod holds about 25 people and rotates as the wheel turns, allowing us always to be level with the ground. We got one complete rotation on the Eye, which lasted close to 30 minutes. The views at the top are awesome and, on a day like today, simply amazing. (The two adjectives--awesome and amazing-- were used to entertain my daughter, Caitlin. She uses these two words interchangeably whenever she describes something good. She also knows they drive me crazy, because they are the two most overused words by her generation. Enough said.)

The group that rode the boat on the Thames reported that they enjoyed the trip down to the London Tower and back. To quote one of the kids, “it was awesome and totally amazing!”

After our time at the river’s edge, we all hopped aboard the London Underground, or “Tube,” for a quick ride over to Harrod’s. It was time for some serious shopping before dinner. Harrod’s is so huge and also very awesome and amazing. There are four floors of everything imaginable, including high fashion, jewelry, perfumes, and a food court that has no rival. It is also tres expensive, even during its annual once-a-year sales event, currently in progress. I’ve always been told to go experience Harrod’s, but to spend my money somewhere else. Well, we dropped a few pounds at Harrod's, and I am not referring to my weight… but that’s the fun of it.

Today was also a monumental day for all of us, because we finally got to the bottom of the great potato caper. Every day of this wonderful adventure, we have been fed potatoes. Most of the time they have been in the form of french fries. We are sick and tired of potatoes. We have come to the conclusion that there was some sinister force working with the tour company, secretly feeding us these things. Well, we finally caught the suspect and we caught him red-handed at Harrod’s.

After our discovery, we headed off to dinner. Guess what, no potatoes. We ate at a Japanese noodle house called Wagamamas. It’s a crazy name, but the foods was delicious… it specializes in noodle and ramen dishes using some great oriental spices. Believe it or not, it’s a chain.

Let’s hope we have seen the last of those darn potatoes.

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Photos

Inching Along Piccadilly
The bus driver next to us takes time to read as we inch along the central city.

Group Photo on the Steps of St. Paul
The ones not pictured here were still in the cathedral confessing their sins.

Trafalgar Square
The sun was shining all day.

The Queen's Standard
It is quite a treat to have Queen Lizzie in residence at Buckingham.

St. James Park
Funny looking pelicans in London.

The Millennium Bridge
It was completed six months late. The bridge officially opened in July 2000. It’s a pedestrian only bridge over the Thames and affectionately called the Wibbly-Wobbly.

Finally Caught
Michael O’Shaughnessy, the ACIS guide, was apprehended while buying potatoes at Harrod's. He confessed to purchasing potatoes along our route and supplying all of the restaurants. Why didn’t we figure it out earlier? He IS from Ireland!

Wagamamas
No potatoes here. PS: The indicted potato perpetrator is out on bail.

Comments

[Caitlin Robb]

Dad, that's AWESOME!!!!