May 29 was Ascension Day, so Allan had
the day off.
It is interesting that for a not very religious country
all of
their holidays are religious.
Ascension Day is 40 days after Christ's
resurrection
and is the day he ascended to Heaven after teaching the Apostles
for 40 days.
Allan also took Friday the 30th off.
So bucckel up we are going to London.
Hop
on the bus and enjoy the whirlwind tour.
We
were hardy souls and walked most of the way.
Allan showed me around the city and
places he'd visited
as a missionary and on other trips here.
Friday morning we
had breakfast with Karen and David Israel and their granddaughter Iona. Karen
(then Narborough) was a stake missionary in
Rochester, Allan's second area.
Allan was the first missionary that was younger than
Karen, so she's never
forgotten him and they've stayed in touch over the years. It was fun to meet
someone that knew Allan as a missionary. They are a nice couple and
Iona is
cute and was very good.
We hit the main tourist sites, but
something was going
on at Buckingham Palace, so we couldn't get close.
Allan
also took me to Chamber Street, which is about two blocks from the Tower of
London, and is where one
of Allan's great, great grandfathers was born.
We
walked up the 500+ steps to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral and the 2000 steps
down.
Someone was hit by the train going to
the airport, so three trains were cancelled. We had to run through the airport
and barely caught our flight home.
I'm too old to run through airports.
Remains of Old Roman Wall
next to the Tower of London
The Tower of London
Tower Bridge
These pictures are in random order from
different cameras. We home you enjoy your trip as much as we did.
And as always "Mind the Gap"
"Mind the Gap" is said on the PA system on written
on all the tube stops, so you don't fall down the crack between the car and the
platform.
Our shower didn't work very well in our hotel.
Being the good little girl scout that I am,
I used this teapot to wash my hair.
Allan just took a cold shower.
What a guy.
Typical English street, near our hotel.
This kid takes after Allan's heart.
He was reading a chess book while riding
on the tube.
This is Covent Garden where Eliza Doolittle sales
flowers in "My Fair Lady"
Wellington Arch
The next several pictures are of Hyde Park
The Albert Memorial
Allan kept singing " now we know how many holes it
takes to fill the Albert Hall" He finally played me "A Day in the
Life" by the Beatles, but I still don't get it.
(Allan says probably no one does.)
Hyde Park Chapel
You can't blow this picture up big enough to appreciate how
long some of these escalators are and how far underground the tube is in some
places.
The Central Bank of England
The Monument
Designed by Sir Christopher Wren to commemorate
the fire of 1666 that started hear and burned down
much of London.
Remains of Old Roman Wall
next to the Tower of London
The Tower of London
A Yeoman Warder
(often referred to as a Beefeater)
Tower Bridge
The White Tower
St. Paul's Cathedral
Piccadilly Circus
This phone booth looks nice,
but it should be called the loo.
It stank.
Ripley's Believe It or Not
M&M store
This is a traditional British breakfast.
The red thing is a warm tomato.
Yes, those are beans and on the top is a banger.
Do you know what a banger is?
Um hum, some kind of mystery meat.
It tasted more like cardboard.
It is supposed to be a sausage and
Allan actually likes them.
Buckingham Palace Gates
Queen Victoria Memorial
This is a mailbox.
The Eye from St. James Park
Westminster
Abbey
Big Ben
The Eye
The Houses of Parliament
Westminster Bridge.
You are never supposed to stop on Westminster Bridge.
However, when Allan first arrived on his mission the AP's
stopped the car on the bridge and they all got out and looked
around. When they went to leave the car wouldn't start.
They were afraid the cops would bust them and they'd
get in lots of trouble. However, the car finally started and
they got away.
Bagpipe player on Westminster Bridge.
Nelson's Column at Trafalgar Square
St. Paul's Cathedral
The Gherkin
Thanks for tagging along.
