USA-Cruise-Europe-Day 32

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Day 32

We woke up early as we were taking an early Eurostar train from Paris to London. Our taxis arrived on time (even though they were too small), but because of a dispute with the IBIS Hotel (they claimed that one of our party had ordered a meal via room service, which was not true) we were delayed in arrival at the Gare du Nord Railway station.

As soon as we arrived at Gare du Nord railway station we went inside & found that we had to cart all our bags to a 2nd level to go to the check-in. At the check-in we had to fill in customs forms & once through French Customs you walk a few steps & then you go though the English Customs (even though you are still in France). Once through the English Customs we had to cart all our bags again back down to ground level to board the train. Our carriage was near the start of the train, so we had to hurry as it was almost time for the train to depart. We hopped on board & stowed our luggage in the compartments provided (these are located at end of the carriage).

The train departed at 8:07 am. We were intending to eat breakfast at the station, but there was no time, so we had to buy some food on the train (which was expensive). The French countryside is quite nice, all the farms seems to be very well planned. In some places the grass was deep green & other parts there were fields of gold.







The train stopped only once while still in France, at Calais around 9:35. After Calais you basically go staright in to the Channel Tunnel.
You are in the tunnel for about 20 minutes. It seems that the tunnel does not have any lights. Once we came out of the tunnel in England it was raining. We had to adjust our watches 1 hour back.

The train stopped at Ebbsfleet at 9:18 GMT for a few minutes - I don't remember too many people getting on or off at the station. The train pulled into St. Pancras station just after 9:30 am. We disembarked & made our way off the platform. Since we had already been through Customs while still in France, we exited quite easily. As we were going to a take a surburban train to get to our Hotel, we enquired at an information booth for best ticket to buy that could be used for the whole day. They advised that the Group Day ticket would be the best & cheapest for a group of 10 or more.







We took the train to Paddington station. Unfortunately, at the Paddington Circle station, there were no lifts & we had a hard time getting all our bags up to street level. Once out on the street we only had a short walk to the Olympic House Hotel (Sussex Gardens)where we staying. When we checked-in, the owners were concerned we had too many bags to fit in the room (we paid no attention to their suggestion to store the bags elsewhere). From the outset the owners did not seem to be friendly. They were worried that their rooms (which had been recently refurbished) would be damaged by us having too many bags.







After leaving our bags in the room, we headed back towards Paddington Station. We stopped for lunch at Burger King & then took the train to Westminster Station. We arrived at Westminster around 1:30 pm. As soon as we were out to street level, we could see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the Thames River & the London Eye.







We walked over Westminster Bridge, then walked past the London Aquarium & the London Eye. Further along in Jubilee Gardens there were some street performers. We then headed for the Hungerford Footbridge to cross the Thames river.













On the Hungerford Bridge it was very windy & we felt very cold. Once over the bridge we went past an entrance to Charing Cross station.







A few minutes later on our way to Trafalgar square, we passed Citadines Hotel & then the Sherlock Holmes Lounge Bar & Restaurant on Nothumberland Street. The foundation stone for the Citadines was laid by Edward Prince of Wales in 1935.







Trafalgar Square's 200-year history has been one of constant change, as the original layout has been modified and updated. In 1812 the architect John Nash set about developing a new concept for the space as part of his improvement plans for London. He wanted the space to be a cultural space, open to the public. In 1830, it was officially named Trafalgar Square. In 1832 work began on the National Gallery & it was completed in 1838. In 1843 Nelson’s Column, designed by William Railton, was erected, and in 1845, the fountains were built based on designs thought to be by Sir Charles Barry. Sir Edwin Landseer designed the bronze lions that were placed on guard at the base of Nelson’s Column in 1867.

We reached Trafalgar Square around 2:15 pm. We stayed there for a while while some of our party sought out ATM machines nearby.













There were many people sitting on the steps of the National Gallery, unfortunately we did not have time to go inside. Over the road from Trafalgar Square is Admiralty Arch, a large office building in London which incorporates an archway providing road and pedestrian access. It was completed in 1912. The building was commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of his mother Queen Victoria, although he did not live to see its completion.







There are also a number of Statues around Trafalgar Square. The 1st Statue is of Major-General Sir Henry Havelock, KCB (5 April 1795 - 29 November 1857) a British general who is particularly associated with India. He was noted for his recapture of Cawnpore from rebels during Indian Rebellion of 1857. The 2nd statue is of General Sir Charles James Napier GCB (10 August 1782 - 29 August 1853) a British general and Commander-in-Chief in India, famous for conquering Sindh province in present-day Pakistan. The 3rs statue is King George IV. George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 - 26 June 1830) was the king of Hanover and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later.









We left Trafalgar Square bound for Buckingham Palace. A few minutes later we were on the other side of Admiralty Arch. We saw a statue of Captain James Cook.







We continued along the Mall & saw the The Royal Marines Memorial & then saw the Duke of York Column. This column is a monument to Prince Frederick, Duke of York, the second eldest son of King George III. The column was chiseled from pink granite, and the bronze statue, 14 feet high, created by Sir Richard Westmacott in 1834.







Next we saw statues of Queen Elizabeth I (1900-2002) & King George VI (1895-1952). The statue of the Queen Mother was unveiled on February 24, 2009. The statue of her husband was erected in 1955. Below the statues were some plaques depicting scenes with the Royals.







While walking along The Mall the wind was very strong & there was a lot of pollen in the air, which was getting in our eyes & in our throats making walking unpleasant. When we were almost at the Palace, some guards came out of St. James Palace & marched past us going over to the Palace.







Just before we went over to the Palace, we saw the Canada Gates (entrance to The Green Park). Outside the gates there are some colourful gardens.







Originally known as Buckingham House, the building which forms the core of today's Palace was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703. Buckingham Palace became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.

We were outside the Palace just before 3 pm. The wind was still strong, although now that we away from the park, the pollen was not as bad.







Oustide the Palace is the Queen Victoria Memorial Statue & Fountain. The statue commemorates the death of England’s longest-reigning monarch - Queen Victoria - and was unveiled by George V in 1911. There is an Australia Statue nearby featuring a Child & a Kangaroo.







We then walked along one side of St. James Park & saw small tank parked outside a museum. Just past the tank was a statue of Field Marshal Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis. He was a British military commander and field marshal of Anglo-Irish descent who served with distinction in both world wars, and between 1946 and 1952 served as the Governor General of Canada.







Around 3:30 pm we were in the vicinity of Westminster Abbey. The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs. The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of an Anglo-Saxon saint still at its heart.







We were not able to go inside Westminster Abbey, so we moved on & saw St. Margaret's church nearby. St. Margaret's is the parish church of the British Houses of Parliament in London. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch. We saw a different view of Big Ben & then headed towards Downing Street.







Just after 4 pm we were in Downing Street. We could not go inside the compound to get up close & personal with No. 10-the gates were closed. We could see in the distance a group of people talking which probably included the Prime Minister.







Next went back to the Houses of Parliament, the seat of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Outside saw a statue of Oliver Cromwell & then a bronze equestrian statue of Richard I brandishing his sword. Needing a rest by this time we found an entertainment complex & had afternoon tea.











After our rest it was back to the Railway Station for the trip back to our Hotel. We ate our dinner at a Pub in Paddington which had an upstairs eating area. If was very busy & we were lucky to get a table.

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