Last Day in London - May 10, 2013

Our last day in London was interesting.  We woke up after only a few hours of sleep as our new roommates (in our 8-bed dorm) came in drunk at 2 am and proceeded to remain up and party for the next 3 hours - I guess this is all part of our Great Adventure.

We stopped at Borough Market for some fresh bread, cheese and sausage for our lunch.  We took the Tube to Westminster Abbey.  What an amazing and historic place which is 1000 years old!  The self-guided tour moves you through the Abbey with ease and although there were a lot of people it was never super congested - it did feel a little bit like a museum than a church (more so than St. Paul's Cathedral which still had a church feel to it.  Nonetheless, the place oozes history with Kings and Queens and many other notables buried here.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey

In was a bit cold out so we settled in at a tour office and ate our bread, cheese and sausage for lunch.  One of the best lunches we have had.  We had decided to take a tour to Harry Potter Studios in Leavesden.  I actually had a nap on the bench waiting for our tour to start (remember we had very little sleep).  Harry Potter studios was great - we are big Harry Potter fans and it did not disappoint.  This is where the movies were actually filmed.

Hagrid and Dobby (you decide who is who)

Great Hall

We saw the Great Hall, numerous props, Diagon Alley, Gryffindor common room and bedroom and many other very cool places and things.  We also learned some interesting facts - one example, is that many of the scenes with Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) actually had a double in them where the double wore an animatronic head which looked exactly the same. They also had a complete model of Hogwarts built with amazing detail.  This was used for numerous outside sweeping shots of Hogwarts in the movies.

Model of Set

 We arrived back in London about 9 pm.  We had dinner at the Slug and Lettuce (they have the best names for things) and then went back to the hostel to pack.  We had a pint at the pub and then went to bed.  Tomorrow we are off to the Cotswolds ...

Blustery Day in London - May 9, 2013

Tower of London

It was a blustery day in London today.  We got up early and arrived at the Tower of London around opening time.  We headed straight for Waterloo Block where the Crown Jewels are kept.  We breezed through the very interesting exhibit which culminated in a viewing of the Queen's Best Hat (thanks to Rick Steves for suggesting to head straight there as about an hour later the line was about 2 hours long) - visitors yesterday would have arrived at the end of the exhibit to see a sign where her Crown usually sits saying simply "In Use".  We then toured White Tower which was the main complex inside the double walled fortress.  We took a free tour by the Beefeaters (real names are Yeoman Warders) which was very interesting.  While the Monarchy lived here at times, it was also very well used as a prison and execution staging area.  Anne Boleyn was beheaded here and rests in the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula on the grounds.  The Tower Bridge (which many refer to wrongly as London Bridge) is right next to the Tower of London.  We had some soup at the cafe and then took the Tube to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Bob with Tower Bridge Behind

St. Paul's Cathedral is majestic.  As you walk in and see the Nave it is awe inspiring.  It was designed by Christopher Wren who designed numerous post fire buildings in London.  You could sit under the dome and look at the paintings 53 metres high forever.  Interesting that paintings were used in the dome instead of mosaics which adorn numerous other areas of the Church because it was too expensive - for a building which cost about $50 Million Dollars (in today's dollars) to build.  We walked up to the Whispering Gallery of the dome up 257 steps about 30 metres up - in this area of the dome you can whisper and be heard 100 feet across the other side of the dome.  We started up the steps to the Stone Gallery (119 steps and 23 metros higher, but I chickened out and came down - that darn heights thing.  We then went down to the Crypt where numerous notable people have tombs and are buried like Lord Nelson and The Duke of Wellington.

St. Paul's Cathedral from the Millenium Bridge

We walked back to the hostel through Borough Market - amazing fresh and different foods.  We had to change rooms to an 8 bed dorm for the next 2 nights.  We had dinner at Thameside Restaurant on the South Bank and returned back to the hostel for an early evening.  Tomorrow is a tour of Westminster Abbey and the Harry Potter Studios Tour.  Ciao for now...

Jan in London ...

Forgot to mention that Jan is extremely surprised that most of the people here have good teeth - she was expecting something else ...

Historic Day in London

It was a historic day in London today (even by the centuries old standard which is London).  It was the  opening of the State Parliament today.  The Queen is taken from Buckingham Palace by coach to the Parliament in all the pageantry which you would expect including horses, guards and bobbies.  We decided to take a walking tour this morning which had mentioned something about the Queen.  Wow.  We ended up behind the scenes in the Horses Guard Parade (not an actual parade but a parade ground) which was not open to the public - our guide had some pull!  There were three coach processions.  The first procession was for the Crown jewels ("her best hat" as coined by the Queen) in a coach.  The second coach procession was Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla) - this was the historic part - Prince Charles has not attended the opening of Parliament since 1998 and all of Britain is aflutter as to one of the first signs that Prince Charles will become King.  The coach procession was Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip in the "Irish" coach purchased by Queen Victoria.  We were within 30 yards of the coaches.  We then hightailed it to Buckinham Palace and again got preferential viewing space for their return - we were within 10 yards of the coaches this time on the Mall.  Not too many people get to see the Queen and we got to see her twice.  Our Guide, Tom Hooper was amazing.

Jan at Buckingham Palace

We then walked through St. James Park to Trafalgar Square and had lunch in the Crypt at St. Martins in the Field Church.  This is literally an old crypt beneath the church where the markers were on the floor:

A Marker on the Floor in the Crypt in St. Martins in the Field Cafe

The Crypt at St. Martins in the Field

We spent the rest of the day wandering around Covent Garden.  Had dinner at St. Christpher's Inn (the bar at the hostel) - great food for a great price.  Went to Picadilly Circus to wander around in the evening and returned home for a well deserved night's sleep.

Our First Day ...

We left Edmonton at 10:30 pm on May 6 and arrived in London at 2 pm on May 7.  We took a lift to a platform and then got on the Tube on the Brown (Bakerloo) line but had to switch at Waterloo to the Grey (Jubilee) line and got off at London Bridge Station.  Seamless.  We walked to St. Christopher's Hostel and checked into our 4-bed room.  Nice and clean and small!  Went for a short 3 hour walk on the South Bank and then crossed the Thames River at Westminster and walked along Whitehall, Fleet, Strand and Ludgate Hill past many landmarks to St. Paul's Cathedral.  We crossed backed over the Millenium Bridge to the South Bank and back to the hostel.  Had fish and chips and a few beers for dinner.  Apparently the Queen is opening up Parliament tomorrow, we are going to try and catch a glimpse ...

Here we are at home with our backpacks before leaving for the airport

Jan in Trafalgar Square

Leaving today ...

Last minute preparations ... we are leaving tonight.  We can't believe that this day is finally here!  Our adventure of a lifetime starts tonight as we fly to London on the red eye.  Tomorrow we are booked into St. Christopher's Hostel on the South Bank ... Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral. several pubs, Harry Potter studios, all on the agenda.  Wow!

Europe: Look out! The Zechels are about to arrive ...

We are getting are backpacks ready and researching destinations like mad ... we are starting in London for a few days, then off to the Cotswolds in rural England and then flying to Portugal.  Our travel method then changes and the trains will be our mode of transportation for the remainder of our 3-4 months in Europe.  Our route will evolve as we go, but as we land in Portugal, our route will likely take  us from Lisbon to the Algarve (still Portugal) to Africa (Tangiers, Morocco), Spain (Sevilla, Ronda, Granada, Tarifa, Madrid, Toledo, San Sebastian, Barcelona) to France (Carcassone, Provence area, Nice, Monaco, Paris) to Belgium (Bruges) to Germany (Rhine valley, Rothenberg, Munich) to Austria to Prague to Switzerland to Italy (Venice - we have a cruise booked for 7 days from Venice which takes us to Croatia, Greece and Turkey), Florence, Tuscany, Cinque Terre, Rome, Amalfi coast) to Greece (Athens and a small less touristy greek island to end our trip).  We should be back in August ...