"London Bridge Is Falling Down..." 6/15/09

Tower Bridge seen from The Tower of London

Pam, you were right. I had buy a new memory card this morning. A measly 2GB memory card just couldn't cut it. I got to the Tower of London an hour early and started taking pictures right aways. The Tower of London was originally a castle fortress built to protect the city of London. It is right next to Tower Bridge. A section of the original Roman wall is just outside the Tower and couple of OOOOOld and beautiful churches are nearby. The yeoman warders were walking around too, so it was photo op, galore! I asked a couple of the Beefeaters if I could take their picture. Here it is below.

"Am I the first one to take your picture? I asked. "Not by a long shot, Luv." he deadpanned.

Even though it was a Monday, and there were a gazillion tourists there, the Tower still felt authentic and very historical. I got a truly funny yeoman warder for my tour guide. He really added to the experience. Did you know that they have to serve in the military for 24 years before they are eligible to apply to work at the Tower as a yeoman warder? If they get the job, they actually get to live at the Tower of London!

I think the thing that surprised me the most were the tragic stories of the women in the Tower. Anne Boleyn was beheaded and buried there. The warder told us that her fancy executioner surprised her and cut off her head just after she took her hat off. He did it so fast that when he held up her head, her lips and eyes were still moving! Just imagine, royal prisoners had the option of hiring and paying for their own executioner. That's really rubbing salt in the wounds. She sent for a famous one from France.

Lady Jane Grey was only 16 and a puppet for her power hungry uncle. She was taken to the Tower with her husband after being the queen for only 9 days. She saw her husband's execution from her window in the Bloody Tower and then had to follow him to the scaffold.

And of course Queen Elizabeth was imprisoned while she was a teenager by her own sister, Queen Mary. That old nursery rhyme is not about the Tower at all, but about Elizabeth's imprisonment and possible execution. "Take the keys and lock her up, my fair lady!" Elizabeth didn't return to the Tower for 27 years after she was released. Who can blame her!

This afternoon I took the tube (I even managed a transfer between two stations!) to the Tate Britain museum. Once again my eyes teared up when I saw the famous portraits of Queen Elizabeth. It just humbles me to see, in the flesh, paintings that I have only seen in books and on the internet. I also saw that fabulously weird painting of the two women who were born, married, and gave birth on the same day. The painting shows them in full Elizabethan dress, holding their babies, sitting up in the same bed! The experts are not sure if they were fraternal twins or cousins. Very strange and memorable!

The Cholmondeley Ladies

A strange thing has been happening. Lots of people have been asking ME for directions! At first is was confused Japanese or Dutch tourists. But today, three British people asked me for directions or how to manage the tube! Fortunately, I've been able to help them the last few days. I don't know why they are asking me. Hey, maybe I look British!

My feet hurt. The sun keeps waking me up at 5:30. I miss you all. But, I'm not ready to come home. Not by a long shot, Luv!

Sherrie

Royal Guards even at The Tower of London!



This is the entrance to The Tower. I was one of the first ones in,
but not for long!


The White Tower, better known as The Bloody Tower



These lovely Tudor houses were build inside the castle as a
wedding gift from King Henry the Eighth to Anne Boleyn.
They were completed just before her execution. She had a
clear view of them from her prison cell. What bitter irony!

Sunday, June 14, 2009 Kensington Palace

How's everybody doing? How are the four legged family members? I miss you all, two and four legged.

Today, I thought I would take things a little slower, so I decided to go to Kensington Palace. When I studied the map to figure out how to get there I noticed that the Palace is actually in Kensington Gardens, one of the Royal Gardens. Just to the east is Hyde Park. Looking a little closer I saw that Grosvenor Square, a very posh neighborhood and the home of the American Embassy, were just a few blocks east of Hyde Park, close to Speaker's Corner. "Great!" I thought. "I'll take the tube, walk a three or four blocks to the embassy, walk a few more blocks to Hyde Park, then stroll on through to Kensington Gardens and the Palace.
I learned two important things today. First, London's bathrooms and stairways may be tiny, but their royal gardens are HUGE! I swear it didn't look that far on the map. The second lesson I learned is to always wear sturdy, comfortable shoes even if the teal sandals look better with your outfit!

Somewhere about half way through Hyde Park, and something like a billion miles, my feet started to throb. But the plants and planting combinations were amazing. Mother, the Bridal Wreath privet is blooming all over town, and it smells heavenly. I saw tons of English roses, poppies in color I have never seen, and gorgeous, bright blue larkspurs.

Oh yeah, and the Palace was nice, too. I especially liked to historic section of the Palace. In one of the exhibits, they had about 15 of Diana's dresses on display, including that gorgeous black velvet evening gown she wore to the White House. The Palace had its own private gardens adjoining Kensington Gardens.

I got lost over and over walking though the gardens, and I tried but I could not find the Peter Pan statue, Pam. I want to go back...when I'm wearing comfortable shoes!

After the gardens, I tried to find my tube stop and got lost again. So, I stopped at a pub called The Swan and had some fish and chips. The fish was good, the chips were so so. Some things Americans just do better, and that's one of them.

I can't believe how many French tourists there are! I didn't know they were so interested in England. I haven't heard many Americans. So far the Ugly American epithet seems overdone. We are louder than the British, but then who isn't?

Tomorrow I am going to the Tower of London. I'm really looking forward to that!

Sherrie



Look at that gorgeous blue!!!






Kensington Gardens. It was about 75 degrees.
Only the English would bust out the shorts and tank tops!






The entrance to Kensington Palace.







These are the beautiful, private gardens at Kensington
Palace. Although it looks very traditional, there were some
very unique and modern plant combinations.

Unbelievable! June 13, 2009

O.K. After the Queen left, more people started to pack in. It turns out what I saw was only the first part of the event. The Queen and her family went to Westminster for a Celebration and Blessing Service.

An hour later, the Queen and the ENTIRE Royal Family came back! Everyone except the Queen disappeared into the Palace. The Queen stayed outside by the gates to review the troops. She's quite a trooper! She about 83 years old, I believe. Next, she went into the Palace and then they all started coming out onto that famous balcony. It's the same balcony where Diana and Charles shared that awkward kiss after their wedding. We all, the Queen and William and I, stood there and watched an incredible military flyby. The beautiful horses came back, the band played, more soldiers in even more outrageous uniforms marched around, and the reserved, understated English whooped and hollered! I took 172 pictures!!! Thank goodness for digital cameras.

Next, I took a tour of Apsley House which was given to the Duke of Wellington by a grateful nation. It is right next door to the entrance to Hyde Park. I wasn't sure if it would be worth it, but I paid extra to go up into the Wellington Arch. While I was up their innocently taking some pictures, a NAKED bike race came by!!! I'm not kidding! There must have been 500 people in various levels of nakedness riding through Hyde Park and down Constitution Hill. This would never happen in Fort Worth! I'm not sure it would happen in New York. I took a few pictures of that, too.

What a day!

Sherrie

P.S. This day reminded me of that famous quote, "When one is tired of London, one is tired of life."

The entire Royal Family

The bobby who offered to buy me a pint!

Everyone had a good time.

The entrance to Hyde Park.

 

The Naked Bike Race!!!!!

You'll never guess where I am! 6/13/09

At Buckingham Palace!
I just saw the Queen!

And, Prince William!
And, Prince Harry!

I joked around this morning at breakfast that I was going to see the Queen, but I never thought it would really happen!!!

There's the Queen, in the blue hat!

When I got to the Palace, there were all these people, all very quiet of course, lined up along the walkway. I asked one of the 100's of bobbies standing guard with submachine guns what was going on. "It's the Queen's birthday, madame." He told me that they were about to begin the "Trooping of the Colors" which is the annual celebration of the Queen's birthday. "Well," I thought, "I might as well stick around for a while." Just then hundreds of soldiers in dress reds came riding up on these gorgeous horses. Some of them dismounted and started marching around in some sort of formation. Then, the band, on horse back no less, started playing. Next, a line of Jaguars and Bentleys started driving up the gravel road and in through the Palace gates. Finally the fancy cars all started parading out, and there came the Royal Family riding out in open carriages! Wow! I had a great spot as close to the Palace gates as I could get. I took a ton of pictures, and I think I got a good one of the Queen. A very nice man standing next to me let me ask him about a million questions.

Wow! I never thought I would ever get to see the Queen!!! What a day. And, it's not even noon.

Sherrie


The troops marching around in their fantastic, bearskin hats.




Here's the band playing as they process ON HORSEBACK! Bet that
took a little practice.



Nobody does Pomp and Circumstance better than the British!



A minor Royal with his Bobby escort.




It was hard to get pictures because EVERYONE was taller than me.

June 12, 2009 The Globe!

Well, yesterday I got to go to The Globe Theater to see Romeo and Juliet. It was an amazing experience! I walked the same streets as ol' Shakey and stood in the same church he attended. I must admit that I teared up as the play started, but I've been doing that several times a day since I got here. It was a beautiful day, too, in spite of the tube strike!

Here's a list of "wows" I've noticed.

1. Heathrow Arrivals Hall - YUCK! OLD! Smoking everywhere!
2. The architecture! Just incredible!
3. Bathrooms - teeeniny!!! There must be a contest for Britain's smallest bathroom.
4. Traffic!!!!! You couldn't pay me to drive in London. It make Dallas traffic look like a drive
through the country. Unbelievable!
5. People walk soooo fast on the streets. I don't know how they do it, but no one runs into
anyone else!
6. English weather is nice. People keep apologizing, but it seems great to me. How can a
Texan not like overcast days in the seventies IN JUNE!
7. Sycamore trees everywhere!
8. No ice! It's not a myth, it's true.
9. So much cigarette smoke on the streets. They recently banned smoking inside buildings, so
maybe in a few years people will begin giving it up because it is so inconvenient.
10. People have been very friendly and talkative. They seem to like Texas and be very curious
about it. Isn't it strange. To others, we live in an exotic place!
11. The British are so quiet. You could have heard a pin drop during Romeo and Juliet. Even
the teenagers were relatively quiet. All it took was a withering glance from an adult and
they settled right down. That's a strong cultural norm!

I'm headed to the British Museum today. I hope everyone is doing great! I miss you all, but I don't want to come home!

Much love,

Sherrie

The outside of The Globe. Notice the ice cream truck. They're everywhere!

The stage is very elaborately painted. It makes up for the absence of props in Elizabethan theater.

These are the "Gentlemen's Stalls." They were very close to the stage and curtained off so that the rest of the audience didn't have to see the men's decidedly ungentleman-like behavior!

London, Day 1, June 10, 2009

The lions of Trafalgar Square AND Big Ben!  This is really London!

I'm here! I started crying as soon as I got out of the airport. Everything is just so British! I would not have been surprised to see Inspector Morse walk up to me at Heathrow. Then as I rode on the tube into London, I saw houses just like the one that Harry Potter's Uncle Vernon lived in. And, growing wild along the embankment were poppies and daisies--the kind we have to baby to get them to grow.

A very nice lady, who was returning to London after spending a month in Fort Worth, befriended me on the plane. It made the time pass much quicker. But, let me tell you, they don't call it the red eye for nothing! That flight is no fun! Scott is right; we are all cattle to the airlines. My "dinner" made those old Banquet t.v. dinners look like a feast!

Well, I spent the first day getting lost. I thought I was pretty prepared, but there are all these little streets that aren't on any of the maps I studied, and the traffic is sooooooo fast. It's amazing that jet lagged tourists aren't killed right and left. But, the cars stop fast, too. It took me a while to get my bearings, but now I know where my hotel is in relation to The British Museum, so I'm set.

Today, I'm taking the Big Bus Tour. That should help me figure out where the big landmarks are. And, I am keeping an eye out for a store. I sure miss Walmart! Isn't that sad!!!

Mother, will you forward this on to Scott and Pam and also send me their email address? I forgot to put it in my I-Pod. Oh, by the way, my phone is not working at all. I think I will buy a temporary cell phone today. They are quite cheap compared to ours.

Well, I'm having a great time! Today, I need to find out how to use the buses because there is a tube strike going on for the next two days. Ah, travel is always an adventure!

Sherrie

Driads (water nymphs) in the fountain at Trafalgar Square.




No. 10 Downing Street. I couldn't believe we could get this close!

Rush hour traffic on Pall Mall between

Buckingham Palace and The Admiralty Arch.

The Admiralty Arch on Pall Mall