London Day 2
One especially great surprise was that Christian took two days off work to spend some time with us around London. Vicki had some work to finish and the twins were with Stella, so once we were breakfasted and showered, the four of us tagged along with Christian as he took Gus and Charlie (the friendly boy from next door who is in Gus's class) to Alleyn's Junior School. Here's Gus, more or less ready for action:
He was not that excited to go to school while the rest of us played, but he is such a good kid he took it all in stride. The school is wonderful. We popped in to see the classroom, and it seemed clear that our children is learning, as W would say. While Christian went to the loo I was alone in the hallway for a moment, at which point a school administrator passed by and was very interested to find out what a stranger was doing hanging out in the school. She approached me in the most courteous English way, saying "Can I help you?" when what she meant was "What the eff are you doing here?"
And off we went. This next photo reminds me that there's a bus called the176 that takes you from near Christian and Vicki's to popular downtown sights. Vicki recommended it for our return from the Lion King--so add riding a double decker bus to our first day's activities--and we used it a number of times afterwards.
We also used the under/overground services and the southern rail. This next picture is of an overground station on the way into Westminster Abbey (our day's first stop). The trains were running late, so we stopped at a bakery and the kids passed the time playing the public piano in the station. We learned our train had been delayed even more, but finally we entered and went up to the platform. A few minutes later our train approached. Failing to slow down it then also failed to stop, and instead continued on its way. The station attendant came on the loudspeaker, saying "That train was supposed to have stopped, but obviously it didn't. I don't know why it didn't stop. But it didn't. I apologize." We caught the next one.
I don't have photos from inside Westminster Abbey, but if you've been there you'll know how impressive it is as a combination of art and history. I was glad to see that John Stuart Mill's co-author, the Greek historian George Grote, merited a plaque. Mill himself is buried in Avignon, and was an atheist (though I thought Grote was as well).
Vicki from back in HQ recommended a pub near the Abbey and we walked there for lunch.
Next we wanted to walk toward Buckingham Palace, just to glimpse it from the outside, and then turn back toward the London Eye, which Charlotte very much wanted to ride.
Our walk took us past Whitehall. See the London Eye in the distance.
As we approached the London Eye, Charlotte started to wonder what she'd gotten herself into, and physically slowed down. But the sun had come out and it seemed like a great opportunity to do it, if we were ever going to do it. As we approached I was impressed by how small its footprint is by and over the Thames as it rakes in barrel-fulls of tourist dollars. This was a good financial investment.
We hopped on. It is a 30 minute ride in spacious, sturdy egg-shaped pod. You are entirely enclosed. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it, but I loved getting above the city to see the layout. I am not sure how many photos I took in those 30 minutes but it's probably a higher number than you're imagining. We lucked out with the sun beginning to set behind the parliament buildings (note: Big Ben is surrounded by scaffolding for repairs).
Afterward we walked to a playground and then around a Christmas market. Here Christian and Obi Wan are having a very animated conversation.
This plastic igloo was next to a food stand/restaurant and offered warmth to diners around a table. I'd never seen something like this before.
The skaters were out along this stretch of the south bank.
And off we went. This next photo reminds me that there's a bus called the176 that takes you from near Christian and Vicki's to popular downtown sights. Vicki recommended it for our return from the Lion King--so add riding a double decker bus to our first day's activities--and we used it a number of times afterwards.
We also used the under/overground services and the southern rail. This next picture is of an overground station on the way into Westminster Abbey (our day's first stop). The trains were running late, so we stopped at a bakery and the kids passed the time playing the public piano in the station. We learned our train had been delayed even more, but finally we entered and went up to the platform. A few minutes later our train approached. Failing to slow down it then also failed to stop, and instead continued on its way. The station attendant came on the loudspeaker, saying "That train was supposed to have stopped, but obviously it didn't. I don't know why it didn't stop. But it didn't. I apologize." We caught the next one.
I don't have photos from inside Westminster Abbey, but if you've been there you'll know how impressive it is as a combination of art and history. I was glad to see that John Stuart Mill's co-author, the Greek historian George Grote, merited a plaque. Mill himself is buried in Avignon, and was an atheist (though I thought Grote was as well).
Vicki from back in HQ recommended a pub near the Abbey and we walked there for lunch.
Our walk took us past Whitehall. See the London Eye in the distance.
As we approached the London Eye, Charlotte started to wonder what she'd gotten herself into, and physically slowed down. But the sun had come out and it seemed like a great opportunity to do it, if we were ever going to do it. As we approached I was impressed by how small its footprint is by and over the Thames as it rakes in barrel-fulls of tourist dollars. This was a good financial investment.
We hopped on. It is a 30 minute ride in spacious, sturdy egg-shaped pod. You are entirely enclosed. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it, but I loved getting above the city to see the layout. I am not sure how many photos I took in those 30 minutes but it's probably a higher number than you're imagining. We lucked out with the sun beginning to set behind the parliament buildings (note: Big Ben is surrounded by scaffolding for repairs).
Afterward we walked to a playground and then around a Christmas market. Here Christian and Obi Wan are having a very animated conversation.
This plastic igloo was next to a food stand/restaurant and offered warmth to diners around a table. I'd never seen something like this before.
The skaters were out along this stretch of the south bank.
Testing anonymous comment function.
ReplyDeleteToday's subtitle: Abby at the Abbey.
ReplyDeleteAnother Good joke! The London Eye was beautiful even though there were repairs in some of the places. I could never find Buckingham Palace on my own because it was surrounded by trees 🌳 🌲 but Charlotte always pointed to where it was. Also, as a pro to the London Eye, it has heaters and air conditioning if needed.
ReplyDelete