Woke up with the hopes of seeing the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace. However, this only takes place on certain days in Winter, so we weren't among the lucky few. But on our way to Buckingham Palace, the sun came out and shined brilliantly throughout the city- very rare for this time of the year in London! After seeing the Palace amidst a tremendous crowd of tourists and tour groups, we took a leisurely stroll through the royal Green Park, home of Charles II's royal deer herd (now just a park). We also took a long walk through St. Jame's Park, stopping to admire the brilliantly white swans (which were actually quite vicious- saw one nearly kill a tiny lap dog!) The royal area of London is spectacularly beautiful, especially when the sun is out!
(sorry if there are 2 of each image- the interweb is a strange, strange world)
Following our brush with royalty, we headed down the river bank, towards Tower Bridge and the Borough Market. We stopped on the way for various landmarks- like Shakespeare's Globe, the HMS Belfast (a WWII destroyer that provided cover for the D-Day invasion), and the numerous pieces of post-modernist architecture that dot the river bank (quite tastefully, I might add).
When we arrived in Southwic we explored around the Cathedral and the Borough Market, home to an extensive selection of fresh food and sweets. Not having visited an ATM yet, my options were limited- but I did enjoy a "Hot Bap with Bacon and Bubble," which I found out was a type of hot breakfast sandwhich with fried potatoes and cabbage, topped with BBQ sauce (or as they call it, "the brown"). Whoever gave British food a bad rep- shame on you!
After the market, headed to the Tower of London. With an entry price of some 20 pounds, we decided it would be best to see the tower from the outside- and it was just as beautiful, especially with the weather we were having.
At this point, I decided to split off from the pack and take a personal pilgrim to my now favorite museum in all of Europe- the Winston Churchill Museum/Cabinet War Rooms. The rooms have been preserved as if they were still in use by Churchill's cabinet, often complete with new wax models. I especially loved the wax model of Churchill drinking a glass of whiskey and telephoning FDR, with the transcript from their conversation playing in the background. The entire museum had this sort of interactive, high tech feel, creating a far more interesting and immersing experience than your standard museum. It really showed how charismatic Churchill was- and how he was able to boost morale in a country so decimated by war. A couple of interesting facts about Churchill:
-He was an avid painter, especially of impressionist landscapes.
-He was once offered several thousand pounds to spend a year abstaining from drink- he obviously refused, calling drinking one of the great pleasures in life.
-Churchill and his wife were the only ones who ate well in the bunker- eating several multi-course meals throughout the day. The rest of his staff ate gruel and bread.
-Unlike politicians of today, Churchill insisted on writing his own speeches- which blended a realistic approach to the dangers of the war and an optimism about a possible allied victory.
-His favorite food was beef wellington.
LONDON
Following the museum, I returned home for a brief nap before going back out on the town. Hoping to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe, we walked 5 miles to the restaurant to find a 2 hour wait. So we ended up eating at some side road burger place- but I can't complain about a 16 ounce cheeseburger! Unfourtunatley, we were supposed to go to a comedy club that night that we never found. Microsoft Word changed what was supposed to be Oxendon Street to Oxford Street, leading us all the way out of the city on a wild goose chase for a comedy club that we never reached. Eventually, we did make it home, battered and exhausted, probably unable to take another step. 30 miles of walking through London. 30 miles. A new personal record.
The next day, we took the subway.
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