No, no it is not……the tower we all call Big Ben is just the bell tower…..the BELL is Big Ben. This is one of the many things the narrator on our Thames cruise shared with us as we were seeing the sites of London from the top of a very touristy Thames boat cruise.
Coming into London on Wednesday it was, of course, raining. We procured our Oyster cards and proceeded down the stairs to the Tube. The front door to our Airbnb was 4 blocks from our stop on what seemed like a very dark “lane” but was easy to find once we understood the numbering system. Where was #3? Right across the alley from #33 ~ duh. Where was apartment #21? On the 6th floor, naturally.
London is one of those cities you have to take in small chunks. Even spending 6 nights here we only managed to tour 3 museums, take a Thames River cruise, attend 3 different artistic performances and only browse through two “major” historic sites. ALL OF THAT was a small chunk!
The museums we toured were worthy of two full days of exploration each, but the reality is that your brain can only absorb so much and you can only stand up so long….…….so 2 to 3 hours at a time was all we managed. The British Museum houses THE Rosetta Stone (gasp!), artifacts (mummies, etc) from ancient Egypt, famous sculptures from Mesopotamia and Syria, crazy Roman relics from a nearby London suburb, line drawings by Michelangelo and an exhibition on Japanese culture….among other things. The Churchill War Rooms and the Churchill Museum were in THE actual bunker where the British government/Churchill guided the British war effort. The Churchill museum was in depth on Churchill’s life and times. Many of the war rooms were set up just like they were during the war. Dark and stuffy but not as far below ground as I assumed this vital set of rooms would be truthfully. The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) had beautiful things and came with the best beautiful people people watching ever.
Our favorite of the three museums by far was the V&A. The building is beautiful and full of light, the exhibits were many and varied, and the food from the cafe was worth the price. A definite plus is that the V&A is FREE. We didn’t even have to make a timed entry reservation ~ a minor miracle.
A quick comment about British Museums: there is a lot of stuff looted from countries around the world as a result of British Colonial rule. There was a time when the sun literally never set on the Empire because the Brits controlled that much of the earth’s landmass. Walking through the British Museum particularly reminds you of this era; when folks believed that if they wanted something they could just take it. To paraphrase my friend Susan, “History includes today”, and it will be interesting to see what happens with all that loot as history marches forward.
When you want a solid meal in London you think Lebanese or Indian curry right? Our friends Caroline and Lincoln happened to be coming to London this last week so we met up with them. Yay for friends from home, and yay for their willingness to explore different foods. Lebanese food may be my new favorite food! Indian food is not always my thing, but everyone at the table agreed that the food was superb and worth traveling a couple of Tube stops for.
St. Paul’s Cathedral is a must do while you’re in London. There is an admission fee to get in, but we figured they are paying all those amazing musicians to do awesome work, so we’re happy to contribute. There has been some form of Christian worship on the site since the 604 AD, and you can feel it in the sacred space. One portion of the nave was destroyed during World War 2. When they repaired the church they installed stained glass windows behind the altar thanking American service men and women who died helping to defeat fascism in Europe. There is a roll of honor behind the main altar to those people, and a moving inlay of gratitude on the floor. This is the church where Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married ~ for those of you wondering…….
The Tower of London was a little disappointing……maybe because it was at the end of our week here or because it really was “meh” is hard to say. We saw the Crown Jewels, the site of Anne Bolyn’s beheading and eventual resting place, THE chopping block and ax that was used to behead her and dozens of other people, Beefeater Tower Guards, the prison rooms of Sir Walter Raleigh, a portion of the Medieval Royal Rooms from King Henry the 3rd, and ravens. (Legend has it that as long as there are Ravens in the Tower of London, Britain and the Crown will survive, hence, the ravens.) Educational and interesting, but again, smaller chunks are better so we were ready for French onion soup, cheese soufflé and glass of Rosé for lunch.
The great thing about big cities like London is there is always something artistic happening. We were able to attend a concert at St. Martin in the Fields, an Evensong service at St. Paul’s Cathedral and a musical called “The Little Big Things” in the West End theatre district. Each one as different from the other as it could be, but wow ~ each one beautifully performed with superb artistry and skill.
The absolute best part of the week was seeing friends from home. We have enjoyed our time in English speaking countries, but seeing Lincoln and Caroline made the city feel a little more like home. I’m so glad we got to meet up with them and spend time exploring together.
London is a crazy cool place to visit. We loved the accessibility of getting anywhere and everywhere on the Tube. Clearly marked destinations, clean stations, up to date maps, customer service folks everywhere ~ you can tell this is a city that prides itself on moving lots of people efficiently. You can fly almost anywhere directly from London and see almost anything while you are in London. There is even a route under the English Channel for people who want to get to the continent by train! (Which we’re doing this week, btw~!)
Would we live here? No, definitely not. (Too big, too crowded, too expensive). Would we visit again? Yes, definitely yes.
Next week ~ Paris and Normandy! Bring on French wine & food!
PS ~ some of you may have heard about the State Department travel advisory notification regarding anti-American sentiment, protests and unrest in Western Europe around US involvement in Middle East politics. While we were in London the news reported on a couple of LARGE rallies in support of the Palestinians, and at one small demonstration by Jewish mothers pushing empty strollers. The strollers carried pictures with the names of children currently being held hostage. The most moving part of that demonstration was strollers turned on their side. These empty strollers represented children killed during this current conflict.
We were in the same areas of those protests, but not at the same times ever. We didn’t see any protest signs and only knew about the protests because we watched the news.
France, Paris particularly, is on the State Department’s list of places where anti-American sentiment is highest. We will, of course, stay alert to our surroundings and what is happening around us. Having said that, we’re not going to let “maybe” keep us in our hotel room. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts as we go forward. Thanks.
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