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Today was my first experience with Tube congestion.  It’s Monday so people are off to work.  Plus we got a little late start in getting out of the flat.  We needed to catch two lines to reach our destination: the Jubilee line and then the Circle / District line.  Unfortunately, when we got to our second Tube destination the line was seriously delayed.  We had to find an alternate route that took us north,  then back around to get to Tower Hill where we needed to be.

Tower of London

We arrived at the Tower of London in the pouring rain.  The forecast for today, as with many of the previous days, was for continued rain.  It was steadily pouring when we purchased tickets and entered the Tower.  We planned to go alone through the Tower, but a tour was just beginning so we decided to follow the tour guide for as long as he went.

He talked about the history of the Tower of London and the many queens and royalty who were held there before their execution.    Our tour guide spoke mainly in the chapel and talked about who was buried there.

After his talk, Farrah and I headed to see the Crown Jewels.  The line to see the jewels is long, but when you see the actual Crown Jewels you pass by while on a conveyor belt.  There will be no lingering near the jewels!

If you wonder why there are no photos of the Crown Jewels it is because no photos are allowed.  In general, I hate taking photos at museums because the lighting is low and I don’t have the proper lens.  Plus most of the time photo taking isn’t allowed in the museum.

After the Crown Jewels, we went into the White Tower and the Bloody Tower, both fun places full of history.  We also stopped by Traitor’s Gate before heading out the side entrance which faces Tower Bridge.

This was a lot of history to soak up by noon.

Tower Bridge

We exited the side of the Tower of London which faces the River Thames.  There we look out at Tower Bridge which still looked impressive in the light mist.  We tried to take a few photos on the crowded walkway filled with french speaking students and other tourists.  We then made our way up in search of lunch, stopping by a local Wagamama to give it another go.

Big Ben

After refueling, we headed back into the Tube to head to Westminster Abbey.  When you head out of the Tube station to head Westminster Abbey you are greeted with - BAM! - Big Ben!  It is an impressive sight.

We stood around in awe for a good 10 minutes just snapping photos and admiring its sheer size.  We looked out across the river from Big Ben and were able to see the London Eye as well.  We didn’t stop by the London Eye though as we are saving that for later in the week.

Westminster Abbey

After milling around Big Ben, we made our way to Westminster Abbey, another large impressive structure. a place where monarchs are crowned and buried.  Our feet were getting tired at this point, but we needed to go into the abbey.  We walked around looking at each burial or commemorative marker.

After our exhausting tourist filled day, we headed back to the flat for dinner.

This weekend we went to the two big markets that happen on the weekend: Notting Hill and Camden Town.  Both markets are very popular, very crowded, but also very different.  Rain was in the forecast for a majority of the weekend, but we wouldn’t let that stop us from going out.

Saturday - Notting Hill

The market opens around 7:00 am, but we started out late in the morning hoping some of the clouds would break.  The walk down Portobello Road was crowded and dangerous at times, as cross traffic is still open.  You just need to remember to look right-left-right instead of left-right-left.  Oi!

The shops and stalls seemed to line the road at least a mile long.  The stalls were part antiques, part flea market, and part farmers' market.  We walked the whole thing, with the rain pouring in and out through times.  The sun managed to peak out for about 10 minutes at one point.  But as we were heading back to the Tube station, the rain had started to come down in a steady downpour.

Camden Town

We awoke to steady rain Sunday morning, but this wouldn’t stop us from heading to Camden Town. For some reason I really enjoyed taking the Tube today.  I was impressed that we were able to transfer to a couple of trains quickly. I can imagine living in London without car.

Camden Town has a more youth and fashion oriented appeal.  The majority of the crowds there remind me of my record store days.  You can see several goth clothing stores and music shops along the streets.  Most of stalls in the market areas deal with clothing, jewelry, and accessories.  The food court area in one portion of the market offers a variety of tasty looking dishes easily served in an aluminum tin for your takeaway pleasure.

We stayed in Camden Town for several hours before heading off to a more touristy endeavor - The Victoria & Albert Museum (aka V&A).

V&A

The Tube station stops near the bottom section of The V&A.  A long walk down a tunnel takes you to an underground entrance.

The V&A has both a mixture of old and modern art.  Heck, they even had an exhibition for Kylie Minogue!  We didn’t go see that exhibit or the surreal exhibit as they cost extra.  But the rest of the museum, like most of the British museums, was free.  We were able to view the amazing Raphael Cartoons - for which I was chastised for taking the photo below.  Luckily I was able to say it wasn’t of the cartoon themselves but of the archway.  Otherwise I probably would have been chided even further.

The museum was impressive.  I will need to post other photos once we get home.  The internet connection here isn’t bad but it isn’t that great either.  Plus some of the photos really need work.  I hate taking photos in museums, as they normally have low lighting due to the nature of the work being displayed.  I was able to take a few photos, like the one of the idiot leaning on an exhibit below while trying to admire other art before him.  More will follow once we are back in the states.

Harrods

The last stop of the day was at the world famous Harrods.  We walked around a while looking at many things.  This is one large department store that has many brands available.  But it isn’t really my cup of tea.  On the lower floor you can find a small memorial to Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed, the son of the store owner Mohammad Al-Fayed.

We didn’t much after Harrods as our feet were dead tired after walking all day.

Stonehenge!

We are in our rented London flat now.  It is an excellent one-bedroom flat in St. Christopher’s Place, which is of one of busiest shopping streets in the world - Oxford Street.  Luckily, we are on a quiet branch of the busy hustle and bustle of the main shopping lane.

We arrived in London early Thursday afternoon by coach (bus) from our time in Bath.  I meant to blog more often than I have and about our last two days in Bath, as well as our past two days here, but the jet lag is still hitting me.  Farrah and I find ourselves up at 5:00 am, then knackered by 1:00 pm in the afternoon.  We get our second wind after a quick afternoon nap.  Hopefully, we’ll be on full London time by tomorrow.

Stonehenge and Avebury via Mad Max

On Tuesday we took the Mad Max tour of Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles.  Mad Max Tours received a very good review in the trip planning references we used.  I thought the tour was going to be rough when we first got on the small tour bus of about 12 people.  Our tour guide Nick seemed a little flustered in the beginning, but his demeanor and the tour picked up as we moved through the day.

I suppose stone circles can look like large rocks placed in unusual but possibly significant positions, but the mysticism that surrounds these formations is hard to ignore.  We arrived at Stonehenge after an hour’s ride from Bath.  The drive was uneventful.  We were the first tour group to arrive at Stonehenge.  This afforded us the opportunity to view Stonehenge without the many people coming in ten minutes after our arrival.

The photo above represents the first time I saw Stonehenge. I know it’s not the best photo, but it is an honest representation of what I first saw.  I can honestly tell you my heart skipped a beat upon seeing Stonehenge on the horizon.  To see Stonehenge in person is amazing.  We were able to walk around the whole structure.  I know we took too many photos, but I wasn’t sure what photos were going to turn out with the cloudy slash sunny weather we were having.

After Stonehenge, we headed to Avebury, another stone formation.  Avebury is not as famous as Stonehenge, but the rock formations are just as impressive.  The rocks at Avebury are more natural whereas the stones at Stonehenge were beaten smooth.

We then took a short ride to Lacock where we ate lunch at a small pub there, the George Inn.  We had the fish and chips there with a pint of Guinness for me and a half pint of the local bitter for Farrah.  We chatted it up with some of the other people on tour with us, finding out that two of the other single passengers were from California - one from San Diego and the other from Mountain View!  Small world.

Lacock has been used as a filming location from time to time since it can represent old England and it is a tiny town.  It has been employed in such productions as “Pride and Prejudice” (BBC version), Harry Potter, and a new Dame Judi Dench BBC mini-series.

Family in Bath

Wednesday morning we went to a hairdresser in Bath.  Not just any ordinary hairdresser but Farrah’s host mom’s business in Bath.  At first, Lin (Linda) wasn’t sure who she was seeing peering through her door, but after a quick smile and a “Do you recognize me?” from Farrah, memories of Farrah’s stay in Bath nine years ago came rushing back.

Farrah and Lin talked for about half an hour, which consisted of introducing me,  and quickly catching up on time spent apart.  Lin invited us to dinner that night, an opportunity to catch up with Brian and Louise.  We spent the rest of the daylight going to the Costume Museum and other sites we wanted to see before we were to leave on Thursday morning.

At about 4:30 pm, we started the slightly long uphill walk to Lin’s home.  Farrah said she remembered how to get there, questioned her recollection about halfway through our walk, then assuredly guided us to the right place.  The rain was steadily coming down that night.

We arrived at Lin, Brian, Louise, and Barnaby’s lovely home with smiles and hugs.  We spent the next four hours drinking wine, eating dinner, and talking about everything under the sun.  It was a lovely evening spent with warm, genuine people who I know Farrah can honestly call her family across the pond.

Our time spent in Bath was enjoyed to the fullest.  I wish we could devote more time there, but we needed to head off to the second part of our journey.

Travel Day

Thursday found us partaking in one last early morning walk around Bath, then a quick breakfast before catching the coach to London.  The three-and-a-half-hour drive to London wore us out.  Once we got off the coach, we headed to the crowded Tube station.  We bought an Oyster card which seemed more economical for our 10 stays in London.  Loading the card took a considerable amount of time as the blasted machine did not want to read my credit card.  Imagine the frustration after the tiring coach trip!

We boarded one Tube train and then another to our destination.  I must stay the Tube platform looked like a movie set.  Nice, clean, and unreal.  I’ll need to take photos of the station sometime later.  I couldn’t at that time as our hands were full with the luggage.

When we got out of the Bond Street Tube station to locate the rental office, it was pouring rain.  Oxford Street was crowded with shoppers even though it was raining cats and dogs.  We managed to quickly find the rental office, only about a three-minute walk from our location.  We received the keys from Lizzie - our representative at Globe - then found our flat.

The flat is beautiful and roomy, having a nice small kitchen, bedroom, bath, etc.  We’ve settled in pretty well, having bought the necessary groceries at the local Tesco Express.  I am happy we rented a flat, allowing us to live the local experience, unlike a hotel room.  Plus it almost cost the same as a decent hotel room here in pricey London!

Anyway, as I finish this up, it is coming up at 1:00 AM.  I better get some rest.  Farrah is already asleep.

I’ll blog more when I can.