LONDON ENGLAND TAKE 2
After seeing Edinburgh Scotland, we were able to come back to London for 3 days. This was the first time we have returned to a city. All of our other locations have been a onetime deal, arrive one day and leave a handful of days later and on to the next. It was nice to see London, leave and think about London and then return and catch the things we were thinking we wish we would have done. We have never left an area where we felt we got everything done on our list of sights to see. For our 3 days back we were able to go to the Sky Garden, Tower of London, Aspley House (Duke of Wellington Museum), Houses of Parliament and Wicked the musical.
The Sky Garden is on the 35th, 36th, 37th floor of the London Walkie Talkie building. It is London’s highest public garden. It is free to go into however you do need to reserve a ticket ahead of time so that the garden does not become over crowded. We were easily able to do this online and we only did it one day in advance. The 3 story garden has a 360degree view of London. We decided not to spend the money on the London Eye and do this instead. This is definitely something to be added to the list of London’s must do’s. There is also a nice French restaurant, 2 coffee shops to help enjoy your visit.
The Tower of London was our next stop. We took 4 hours to wander at our own pace through Crown Jewels exhibit, witness the marching guards, 900 years of English history, toured the armory and mint, viewed the evolution of English weaponry, viewed the Line of Kings and gazed at the architecture of 1066. We even learned of the reason for the ½ dozen ravens that live on the grounds full time.
The Aspley House is a little confusing and less visited probably because of the name confusion. The Aspley House was the home of the Duke of Wellington. The Dukes name is Arthur Wellesley. The Duke of Wellington/Arthur Wellesley is the British hero who led the troops in the battle of Waterloo when Napoleon was defeated in 1815. The battle defeated the French and ended the Napoleonic wars. The Duke lived in the elaborately remodeled mansion from the time of his retirement from military service until his death in 1852. He was a larger than life figure that was celebrated as Britons most brilliant military general.
The Two Houses of Parliament was the most interesting for me. The Westminster Hall is the oldest of the building dating back to 1097. Viewing that and hearing the stories of the gatherings over the last 900 years is just amazing. http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/building/palace/westminsterhall/architecture/early-history/ Then on to viewing both the House of Lords and the House of Commons and hearing of their procedures was just amazing. For me, as we travel, it has become more and more interesting to hear how other governments operate. So to see where the government body actually meets and hear of the stories from the past hundreds of years is just an inspiration to learn more and more. The buildings are all done in beautiful archicture that just had me wishing so bad that I could take more photos. No photos are allowed so I have attached a link, if you would like to see. https://www.google.be/search?q=inside+photos+of+House+of+Parliament+london&espv=2&biw=1280&bih=595&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj52f-HqPHOAhWBjSwKHSE6ADQQsAQIGw#imgrc=-C89au-M8OfbLM%3A
Last but not least, we were able to catch the musical Wicked. Wow, what a fabulous show. I had heard great reviews but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Funny, witty, great story and talented dancers and actors had us at the edge of our seats and laughing, crying and thinking about how much talent there is in this world. I caught the underlying message of good, evil, racism and standing up for what you believe in. In the back of my head I kept thinking of Trump and his idea of rounding up people and shipping them off. With all that said, wow what an amazing production.
So that is it, we are now out of London and on our way to Brussels Belgium. Following are a few photos from London. Beth
