London/Paris 2011 trip report–part 10

From the beginning we’ve planned to make Tuesday a laundry-and-not-much-else-planned day and that’s what it’s been.  We slept in and then got started on laundry using the washer/dryer in our studio flat.  For lunch, though, we ventured out to explore more of the huge shopping center a few minutes walk way in Canary Wharf.

One thing Jackie wanted to do was (I know this will amaze you) find the local library, called the “Idea Store.”  She looked it over and then we wandered through the mall before deciding to have some Thai food for lunch.  We had a nice rice/chicken/spices meal along with a couple of pots of tea.  It was quite good and filling.

After lunch we walked over the a community park that is situated right on the Thames.  There’s a very nice walkway along the river and we strolled there for awhile before returning to the flat to finish up laundry.

I did considerable research in finding a place to stay in London.  It would be easy to spend a small fortune just on a hotel here.  Basically, the closer one stays to the main tourist areas around Buckingham, Hyde Park, etc. the more money it will cost.  However, if you are staying for a week or more, it’s worth the effort to find a flat to rent.  Generally speaking the flat will cost a bit more but will give you a lot more room and cooking capability which is nice for breakfast and maybe an occasional meal.  If you are willing to stay farther out, though, you can save some money.  I spent a lot of time on Tripadvisor looking at reviews and found this place; outside the tourist area in, instead, the “Wall Street” of London.  The cost was about the same as a tiny room in a “city” hotel but the accommodations are much better.  One of the main things to think about when planning a London trip is that the tube gives you great access to everything.  If you are close to a tube station you’re never far from the rest of London.  By staying at Canary Wharf we’ve had easy access to a great shopping center with plenty of shops and restaurants plus easy access to the tube, the light rail, the river commuter services – all with Greenwich 10 minutes away one direction and the Tower of London 10 minutes away the other.

We’ve found the people of London to be always in a hurry, always polite, and always willing to help if you ask them.  We think they smoke too much and don’t like having to walk through a cloud of smoke around the doors of nearly every building.  Sometimes we’ve struggled to understand what they say and they’ve struggled to understand us.  We were surprised, though, at how many people there are speaking other languages.  It’s as common to hear people speaking other languages as it is to hear English.  We’ve seen many men in beards and turbans and women wearing veiled outfits.  Those people, by the way, have never made us feel uncomfortable in any way.

We’ve seen less tattoos, more women wearing short skirts, and more men wearing dark suits with white shirts and black ties than we’ve seen at home.  Some of that may be due to being out here with all the business types.

We’ve been especially blessed by the weather.  It has been just terrific with lots of beautiful sunshine and unseasonably warm temperatures.  We came prepared for London’s fall weather and ended up enjoying the best of London’s summer weather instead.  The jackets have been left on the hangers and the umbrellas haven’t been carried.   If anyone asks us about late September/early October London weather we’ll tell them it’s some of the best in the world — of course Londoners will laugh us out of the room when we say it!

Thanks for reading.

 

London/Paris 2011 trip report–part 8

For Sunday our intention was to take a breather from sightseeing and make it a day of worship and rest.  We started our day at Westminster Abbey at their 10:00 worship service.  We got there just after they closed entry to the part of the church where the main service was taking place and ended up sitting in the “Nave” with 20 or so other people.  We could see through into the service well enough to see the men and boy’s choir as well as see the clergyman as he delivered a Sunday sermon.  Also, the organ was beautiful.  Every inch of the church has statues, etc. but we were able to focus on worship.  There’s something powerful about stating the Apostle’s Creed in the place where it has been said for over 1000 years.  Also, the singing of the Lord’s Prayer was deeply moving.  The sermon was quite good and we came away feeling we had genuinely worshiped.  To keep tourists from coming to church just to keep from paying a tour fee they have a strict “no pictures” policy on Sundays.  It’s quite understandable but we wish we had been able to take at least a couple of photos to help us remember the meaningful worship service.

For lunch we headed over to Greenwich market.  However, the crowds were so large that we walked though just to see what the food and other venders had and then, out on the street we spotted a real English Fish and Chips restaurant.  We split a meal and had food left over!  We walked over the the Maritime Museum that we visited the day we arrived.  At that time we were sleep deprived that we only saw a small part of it.  Today we saw a bit more before making the short jump back to Canary Wharf.

This area of London is considered to be the “Wall Street” of London with skyscrapers and lots of people in suits hurrying around.  The tube and the DLR or “light rail” intersect here as well as public transport via the river Thames.  Our 7 or 8 minute walk to public transportation takes us across a nifty bridge and into a large shopping mall surrounded by office buildings.  We’re taking it easy through the afternoon here at the half way mark of our trip.

 

London/Paris 2011 trip report–part 4

 

Tuesday night’s sleep wasn’t as good as we hoped for.  We’re experiencing the “other” part of jet lag.  The first is just being worn out from the trip and trying to hit the ground running.  The other is that our bodies are struggling to adjust to getting up at what feels like 2:00am and going to bed at 5:00pm in the afternoon.  Still, the only way to beat it is to press on, and press on we did!

The only biggie on the agenda for the day is a visit to Tower of London.  The construction began there  before 1100 when William the Conqueror built a tower on the river Thames as a defense against invaders.  Now, it draws millions of visitors each year.

It’s famous for, I think, three things.

First, of course, is it’s history.  The Beefeaters lead tours and serve, in general, as congenial hosts.  These are all retired military men who take their jobs as historians and protectors of this place quite seriously.  Their tours are fun and informative.  When some ladies ignored the warnings to not take photos in one building, the gentleman stopped them and then made them erase the photos to his satisfaction before they could go on.
We enjoyed several floors of displays in the armory.  There’s armor worn by kings, weapons, and lots of other really neat things to see.

The second big deal is that the British Crown jewels are on display here.  I’ve never seen so much gold and diamonds and other precious stones in my life.  Of course, that’s one of the “no pictures” parts of the place.  In fact, to view the crown jewels, you stand on an escalator sort of deal that moves you along.  You can go back and ride as many times as you wish, but you can’t stop in front of any of the main displays.   However, there are other amazing things you can stand and see – almost beyond description.

The third reason the Tower of London is famous is because of the many prisoners who were held and tortured and executed there including a couple the wives of King Henry VIII.

In the face of how some were mistreated at the Tower I shouldn’t complain too much about how leg weary Jackie and I became during our hours there.  Up and down stairs, standing, walking – by mid-afternoon our legs were starting to call the shots!  It was time to head “home” for a break.  We found our way to the light rail and made our way back to nearby Canary Wharf.  Maybe by early evening we’ll have enough energy to go to a nearby restaurant for a nice supper!

 

London/Paris 2011 trip report–part 3

Monday night came early and we were glad for it.  We went to bed about 8:00 local and 2:00 “home time.”  After going pretty much without sleep overnight Sunday and then hitting the ground running for a day of sightseeing, we struggled to stay awake that late.  Jackie pretty much slept all night.  I conked out for about 4 hours and then woke up.  I’m no fan of sleeping pills, but I took one and then slept the rest of the night.  We both woke around 8:00am feeling refreshed and ready for the day.

We walked a few blocks to the Canary Wharf pier and to the Thames Clipper into the heart of London, passing under Tower Bridge and seeing many of the famous sights of London from the water.

After taking some photos of Big Ben and Parliament we walked over to the Churchill War Rooms and Museum.  It was here that Winston Churchill lead England through WWII.  It’s quite an interesting place and we surprised ourselves by staying about 2 hours.

We grabbed some sandwiches from a shop that is part of a chain, Tesco Express.  Prepackaged sandwiches, chips and drinks.  We ate, sitting on a wall with many other locals and tourists, right across the street from Big Ben.

From there we hopped on the tube headed for our next destination.  It’s easy to see why Londoners have a love/hate relationship with the tube.  You can go about anywhere on the tube and trains are quite frequent, generally less than 5 minutes apart.  However, the trains are very crowded and not air conditioned.  On one journey we made people were packed in, standing room only.  Hardly anyone speaks and everyone reads the paper or a book – I guess it’s a way to isolate oneself in such an uninsolated situation.

Our other big stop of the day was the British Library.  One room, in particular is worth visiting.  It is full of rare books, etc.  including 400 year old Bibles, original Shakespearen manuscripts, and one of the earliest handwritten copies of Handel’s Messiah.

We found our way back to Canary Wharf, the Wall Street of London.  It also has a huge shopping mall.  At one end we found a big grocery store and bought some supper to take back to the flat.