Jay’s Comments on First London Visit,

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Our first weekend in England was spent taking the train to London for touristy stuff. We took the train to Victoria Station and boarded the "Original Tour Bus" to see the sights. Much to our surprise we were there for the start of the Tour de France bicycle race so many streets and sights were blocked off. We were able to walk across Westminster Bridge and around Parliament to Westminster Abbey dodging biking enthusiasts among the tourists. a truly eclectic crowd. We boarded a boat at the bottom of the London Eye (the Ferris wheel) and had a very enjoyable trip up the Thames, or was it down. This was the first day without rain since our arrival so we were really enjoying the nice weather. The boat trip went by many famous and not so famous sights and ended at the Tower of London. The crowds there were especially bad so we had an ice cream and boarded another Original Tour bus and went as far as the Tate Modern and jumped off for a quick tour of modern art.

Afterwards we sat outside in the cafe and had a drink before getting on another bus and moving on. This one was an unguided tour with headphones and the driver was dodging thru traffic and slamming on the brakes (I think he learned to drive in Lagos) so we got off at Victoria again and boarded a different bus which had the most wonderful tour guide by the name of Malcolm. He was very conversant in the history of the sights and had a great sense of humor without the usual cornball jokes. This part of the tour took us thru some areas we had been in previously and he added so much to our knowledge about the area and sights that we were both really impressed with his extensive knowledge. We then had to switch to another bus and reluctantly left Malcolm. This was into another bus hell due to the Tour de France as traffic was backed up as we went thru St James and on thru Belgravia. Nice high rent districts. We then hit the theater district and I saw a theater I had been to in 1969 to see Hair for those of you old enough to remember that. We plan on hitting a couple shows before we leave.

At the end of the tour were starved and had Cornish pasties at Victoria Station. They were wonderful! Kind of like a stuffed croissants. Leisa started to fall asleep on the train ride home and we got back tried, sunburned and thirsty.

On Sunday we had a leisurely morning followed by a nice drive an hour west to the Salisbury Plain, west of Basingstoke (yes, I am getting better at this wrong side of the road business). It is beautiful countryside much like northern Illinois with rolling hills, fields and trees. Our destination Sunday was Stonehenge, a place I have always dreamed of seeing. It is much smaller than one would think but extremely interesting from a historical point of view. Because no one knows really the purpose of the place it makes it the speculation so much more interesting. The tour is self guided with a headset and is very well done. They not only focus on the stones but on the surrounding countryside and how it ties into the history of Stonehenge.

We then set out south to Salisbury which is a Medieval town on the Avon river south of Stonehenge. The cathedral is famous and dates back to the 1200's. We were able to look at one of four copies of the Magna Carta there. Sorry no pics allowed. It was incredible for me to be able to look at the actual document that has so influenced so many governments including our own to this day. The cathedral is very beautiful but in need of some repairs. Leisa took some incredible pictures which I am sure she may share with future art history students.

I took the opportunity there to light a votive and say a prayer for my mother who passed away this year because it was a place she really would have appreciated being the good Episcopalian that she was. I think she would have liked that.

We drove back to have a nice dinner in our small flat in Basingstoke. Actually we went up the road to a small pub before dinner and I had a long pull which is an ale or stout that is kept in the basement and is pumped up to the bar by the barman pulling the draft handle. It was "Old Speckled Hen" and had a lot of flavor. We were pretty tuckered after such a full weekend and Leisa is in charge of finding a couple of venues for next weekend.

Meanwhile, I am back at work and preparing to implement this new program beginning tomorrow. Bye for now.

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Photos

Jay at Rummer Pub, Bath
I took this photo weeks after Jay wrote the entry.