More London Delights

Journal for Wednesday, Feb 3, London, 3rd day of the Big Snow (The only reason I've still included the "big snow" reference is because they were STILL carrying on about the snow that fell on Monday. The headlines read "Day 3: Garbage in London piles up." (!?) If it was piling up, it was "invisible garbage" and it was only because they were using this as an excuse to take days off from work.)

We got to do some really wonderful things today! First, we headed back to the Portrait Museum just to see some of the exhibits we'd missed two days earlier. Then we used the Original Bus Tour as our way to make if from the central part of London to the Kensington area to be picked up for our London Music and Rock Legends Tour. Good plan; bad execution.

It was beginning to look like we'd miss our Music Tour unless we hailed a cab. So we did, and Dianna and Emily hopped in, Brian said, "Look, there's our bus!" and the girls hopped right back out again. (We're such dorks!) We were late for the tour, but apparently were the only ones who'd scheduled and our guide had circled the block a few times to wait/look for us. He was NOT pleased, but warmed up as the tour went on.






Because I have absolutely no brain neurons dedicated to music knowledge, I can't even tell you what it was we saw. I just took the pretty pictures.

And this one I know to be Abbey Road, and of course Brian, Dianna & Emily sweetly accommodated me for the obligatory Imitation-Beatles-Stroll-Across-the-Road. It must drive area motorists nuts with all the people crossing back and forth for photos.

We head back to the little white van waiting for us.

We ended the tour at Hard Rock Cafe. Dianna made fun of me for being the only one "toasting" with the drink.



See? Aren't I sounding like a more normal tourist now? Tomorrow I'll show you a few shots from our "Ghosts, Gaslight & Guiness" walk through central London.

Oh! And thanks to Nancy Devine (a follower on my blog), I have 2 new sidebar widgets. You can see the date through a human calendar, and you can translate my blog into a bunch of other languages. (I'm hoping the translations are real, and don't say things like "Twinkies are the Devil's Spawn".) Nancy, on her blog, is very creative in her writing and is a techno-wizard!

ETA: I wanted to add this info from the mini-bus Rock Legends tour website to list some of the places we were taken:

On this small group tour by minivan you'll visit London's famous clubs, rock hotels, record labels, management offices and studios. You'll see the house where Jimi Hendrix lived and died, where Freddie Mercury and Queen hung out, and Led Zeppelin's London HQ. You will also see sites connected with the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Cream, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, the Clash, Coldplay, Oasis, Mama Cass, Georgie Fame, Elton John, Jimmy Page and the Yardbirds, Cliff Richards, the Sex Pistols, Bowie, the Faces, Bee Gees, the Who and many, many more! Plus, there's a visit to Sticky Fingers restaurant, owned by Bill Wyman, former Stones bass player.

The rock legends tour also focuses on the most important Beatles sites, including homes belonging to Paul and Ringo, Apple HQ, EMI Studios and Abbey Road, where you can have your photograph taken on the famed zebra crossing.

More of London

More of Journal for Tuesday, Feb 3, London, 2nd day of the Big Snow


To be fair, I really, really loved being in London (even though its citizens were all in the grip of Severe Snow Neurosis while I was there. Fortunately, it's not contagious.) What is dangerous, though, are the clutzy things a person can do in a hotel room. Which is why I'm sacrificing a body part to my trip to London. Our room had about a 5" curb-type thing at the entry to the bathroom. I don't know why; but it was quite effective in destroying my toe as I made my way to the bathroom in the dark in the middle of the night. I'm expecting my toenail to fall off any day now. But I've got 9 others, so it's no big deal. Having watched Monty Python movies which provides 90% of my knowledge of England, I expected some body part to fall off anyway on this trip.

These are some of my favorite photos from the top of the double decker bus. Don't they make you want to go to London?









Here's another bit of travel advice I can offer: try not to spill the wine you buy at the grocery store on the carpet. Someone, (whose name I won't mention but whose initial are "Brian", knocked over his glass. We used up all that minimal ration of toilet paper given in a European hotel in blotting this up. But, that's where it comes in handy having another bathroom down the hall; you can abscond with another roll of toilet paper during dire wine emergencies!

The London Eye, along the Thames River.

OK, this tip is real. If you travel to London, their electrical current is 240; ours is 110. Transformers, which are suppose to reduce the electrical current from 240 to 110, don't tend to work. For things like hair dryers, you're better off trying to use one provided by the hotel. For other appliances, in addition to a transformer, you would need an adapter. An adapter makes it so you can actually plug in our US plug thingy, into the other configuration of holes-in-the-wall that another country might have. Now, here's the good part. Lots of our appliances (like ipod chargers and shavers for the boy-types!) are dual voltage. Go ahead and look at one. If you look closely at the writing on it (which I hardly ever, ever look at), you'll see something like 110/240. This means you can plug it into an adapter and right into the UK wall! This didn't work, however, for my Nikon battery charger, and believe me, I was guarding that precious battery power very carefully! Maybe next time I travel hither and yon, I'll make sure I have a spare battery.

The London Tower Bridge, photo shot from the top of the double decker bus as we drove under this. It was completed in 1894, during Victorian times. The London bridge was actually begun in 1209, out of stone! As in Medieval times! How cool is that? It lasted about 600 years. The current version of the London bridge was built in 1972.



This is a shot of the London Eye framing Big Ben.

I don't have pictures for it, but this evening, we went to a comedy club, and it was thoroughly enjoyable! I want you to know that I am now educated on the finer points of tickling chickens, and saw a documentary on the horrific effects of Bells Gone Berserk.

If I ever go back to London, I'd love to go to the Tower of London, Shakespeare's Globe, the Photographers Museum, and do more of the London Walks. I'd go in warmer weather, although if my weather curse caused snow again, the Brits would probably cry. And ban me from their city.

Valentine Treats!

Valentine's Day is such a sweet day, that I thought I'd post these today, and pick up on London again tomorrow. I hope you all had a wonderful day, appreciating your loved ones, and being appreciated!













Scott, Brian, Dianna. . . don't you wish you were home, munching on these?

London: Tuesday & View from the Top of a Double Decker

Journal for Tuesday, Feb 3, London

I hope all of you understand that I actually am very appreciative of getting to do something like go to London, and that I really did enjoy much of the trip, (even though I have now discovered a new fondness of mocking the British reaction to snow.)

On this second day of our trip, we found that the city was still acting like Drama Queens about their "adverse weather conditions." We were able to have a full English breakfast at our hotel this morning, and we got to order eggs the way we wanted, and have sausage or bacon, toast, jams, mushrooms(!), muesli, coffee and tea.

But when we set out to try and catch the Big Bus, we waited and waited and it never came. This is one of those hop-on, hop-off kind of buses that brings you from attraction to attraction, and provides an audio-tour of what you are seeing. We saw other, classic English red double-decker buses running, but not the Big Bus. Finally, we crossed the street and talked to the operator of The Original London Tour Bus. they told us that the Big Bus company had chosen not to run on this day, because of the weather. We purchased tickets with the Original Tour.





First, we traveled to the South Kensington and Knightsbridge area, along the Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. This is the Albert memorial, built to commemorate Queen Victoria's consort.
We walked through the Royal Albert Hall, and then headed to the Science Museum. Because I'm obsessed with my Dyson vacuum cleaner, I was mesmerized by this Dyson hand drier in the women's bathroom. This very nice young woman agreed to model the drier so I could photograph it, since I couldn't dry my hands and shoot it at the same time by myself. I still can't believe I asked her to do this, and she giggled hysterically, while fleeing from me, the crazy American, shortly afterwards. But I got my shot!


Again, note the horror nature wreaked on the city with the mountains of snow.







Once we caught the bus again,I discovered that other than Brian, pictured here all the way in the front of this bus, I could have the open top of the double-decker bus all to myself! It was cold, but not THAT cold, mainly only a bit windy, and a great view! Later, I thought it might have been prudent of me to listen to the warning about not standing up on the top of a double-decker bus, because there really could be low-hanging branches. But I was fortunate, although foolish, and was spared any "adverse events" from this, as I raced about the top to my heart's content, photographing everything in sight.






Again, see all the snow hindering our travels? I think the British are basically confused about snow. Monday, when there actually was more snow, I didn't see any children playing in it, just adults. Where I come from, first sign of snow, you bundle up the little ones till they look like brightly colored Pillsbury Dough Boys and throw them out in the snow. British parents must have thought snow was toxic. (Could it be that the British reaction to snow played a role in what happened to the British during the American Revolution?)

But then there was the question in the London paper about whether snow is safe to eat. An "authority" weighed in, seriously speculating that as the snow falls through the air, it could pick up viruses and bacteria. But this was followed by a recipe involving snow and sugar. (?)

OK, raise your hand if you want to be the one to inform the Brits about yellow snow.

Tomorrow: more photos from the top of the double-decker part, and the body part I sacrificed to my trip to London

London: More of Monday and the Big (snicker) Snow

Subtitle: The Brits Aren't What They Used to Be.

More of Journal for Monday, Feb 2, London

Important travel tip: Really be very, very careful to check the menu in a foreign country before ordering food to see if credit cards are accepted. I didn't.

We went into a cafe after Westminster Abbey, and were eager to get warm, and eat. I ordered the infamous fish and chips. And then had this terrible realization that I hadn't checked whether credit is accepted. . . and it wasn't. And I hadn't gotten any British pounds yet. (A British pound, by the way, is worth about 1 1/2 US dollar.)

The proprietor was NOT amused. He told me there was an ATM just across the street, kiddie corner. I told Dianna, Brian and Emily I'd be right back (and they, knowing my wretched sense of direction, probably had about the same thoughts that I did.)

I headed across the street, and there was certainly not any ATM machine across the street.

I circled around the block, feeling increasingly anxious about this, and then approached a guard by the Parliament building. (Not this fancy-dressed one, one of the few, by the way, who was willing to brave the snow, but a regular, police officer-looking guard.)

And the guard yelled at me, telling me I was not allowed to stand in the driveway and talk to him. So I stood on the curb, and asked about an ATM machine. He pointed me to go about 3 blocks down the road. I know me, and I know if I headed 3 blocks away, I'd never find my way back, and explained the person in the restaurant said there was one right near here.

He then sent me in the opposite direction, into the Tube station, which was accessible even though the trains still weren't running. So off I went, and then was barraged with snowballs! Apparently, Londoners, being new to snowballs, have not perfected their aim, and although the rascals were apologetic, I was not feeling amused. Because, truthfully, I knew I still had to manage the ATM machine.

And here, I admit something truly pathetic. I've only used an ATM machine once in the last 10 years. . . once, as in last week, and that involved a phone call to the bank to be walked through the process. And yes, I needed to ask a Tube agent what the blinking light meant on the ATM machine, and had to rotate my card in all possible directions, try to push it in all possible machine crevices, before the magic of money (strange looking British pound money) gave me hope that I could bail out my kids from the fish-and-chips guy.



My kids may be grown-ups (sort of), but they were looking greatly relieved that I finally showed up. I like to think it was because they were worried about me, but they might have been more worried that they were going to have to do dishes, or would end up in a British gallows.


And then! Oh, joy of joy, wonder of wonders! The portrait museum had opened, for a few hours, and only a few galleries, but it was wonderful. At first I was disappointed that the photos didn't have f stops, shutter speeds, and other details posted, but then began to appreciate that it was a museum of portraits, with the emphasis on how a person was represented and portrayed, with much attention to their personality and life stories. It was wonderful! This was one of my favorite parts of London!





Once the portrait museum closed, we tried the British Museum again, and although they had opened for a few hours, were closing early. And one staff person rather enthusiastically told us that they were probably not going to be opened the next day, either, because of the "blizzard." Look at the picture above. Does that look like a blizzard to you? It was already melting!


Next, we tried our luck at the Dicken's museum, but this was also closed. So Brian and I headed off the grocery store, and I have to tell you, that boy just doesn't believe in chocolate and junk food enough! The more I put in my cart, the more he took out! I raised him wrong. . . .


. . .ecause we needed chocolate and wine. . . And headed back to the hotel room to share our goodies with Dianna and Emily.


Here's Brian trying to have a heated discussion with the BBC announcers about how this weenie amount of snow did not constitute a weather disaster, did they really think it was necessary to be talking about using helicopters to rescue people, and above all, why, oh why, did they cancel the soccer game the next night?

I don't play soccer (duh!), but aren't you suppose to be kind of rugged to play? They cancelled the game for which Brian had tickets because of the snow. Do soccer games usually get cancelled if it's rained the day before? Some of you who know about soccer may sway me from my mockery here. And the only way Brian could get his nearly $100 back was to write them a physical letter.

They also cancelled all the theatre plays. This was still Monday, and we were getting really worried about the Rock Legends Music Tour we had scheduled for Wednesday, and getting to see Wicked at the Apollo on Thursday.


I still think my personal favorite were the "tutorials" run on the BBC showing people how to scrape snow from their windshields.

London: Monday and the So-Called "Tsnow-nami"

subtitle: Where's the Stiff Upper Lip?

Journal for Monday, Feb. 2, London

(My apologies to any British or Londoners out there who might be reading this journaling over the next couple of days. But, come on! You really set yourself up for this, and one totally fun part of this trip was laughing at your reaction to snow!)

On Monday morning, we woke up to a transformed world, with a nice, sparkly cosmetic white dusting over everything. I thought it was much prettier than the gray of London I'd seen on my way in by train.

And then we headed down the stairs to our English breakfast, only to be told that the staff hadn't been able to make it in because of the snow, but we could have tea, coffee and toast. In fact, all over the hotel were signs telling us that all transportation in London was shut down! The airports were closed, all schools closed, no buses, no Tube, no trains. (No tube???? It's underground! Something about the 3rd rail getting wet. . . but it DOES rain in London, doesn't it?)



We decided to don our cuddle duds (remember my post about them?) and head on out, using our standard "penguin shuffle" on about 2" of snow and ice. It tends to be quite effective: a wide stance (no Minneapolis airport jokes here), shuffling on the super slick, fast speed on dry patches to pick up the pace. Every where we looked, people were taking photographs and my kids thought that for once, there mother blended in a little better.



Just behind these phone booths is Russel Park. We had planned to walk through it to head to the center of the City, but they even closed the parks, locking the gates, because of the snow! Don't ask me why!



On this first day of the "tsnownami", the Londoners were quite cheerful and chatty on the street, although the general friendliness didn't last, and I suspect it was unusual rather than standard. Before I took this photo of the snowman, a Londoner informed me I had to get permission from the snowman first, and he carried on a little conversation with the snowman and got permission for me.

Our first stop was the British Museum, but we were told it was closed due to the "adverse weather conditions." So we headed to Covent Gardens.



Ummm. . . not much happening or open in Covent Gardens. Usually it's filled with street performers, vendors and tourists. London has such an interesting history, much of it involving bloodshed, plague, fire, and gallows. On this day, the big threat were the flying snowballs.



By the time we got to the Portrait Gallery, the "closed" signs were getting a bit old and disappointing. I particularly did not like the tone of "if at all."



We decided to head to the London Eye. Originally, I hadn't planned on spending money on the London Eye as it seemed quite expensive for what struck me to be like a glass elevator that would rotate like a ferris wheel and give you a view of the city. But we had only 4 days in London, and we were getting desperate to get to do SOME of the things of London.



Here, just beyond these protesters ("Stop the Killing in Tibet) and police, you can see the London Eye. It wasn't moving.




This was one of my favorite parts of our London trip. . . Westminster Abbey. And it was open! And no lines! Isn't it pretty, covered in snow? They provide an audioguide and you tour it at your own pace. It was beautiful and fascinating (and open! Did I mention "open?"), and the tour provided more of a glimpse of the history of London and its monarchy. It's also the burial or memorial spot of many writers and poets of England. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside.




Here's an entrance to the Westminster Tube station. Dianna, (in the foreground) was quite cold by now. She actually wasn't wearing a winter jacket, because hers had gotten stolen in Amsterdam. We went in search of a cafe or pub. . .



Some, . . . .ummmm. . . . "enterprising". . . .store owners decided to try removing some of the ice and snow from the walks in front of their shops BY THROWING BUCKETS OF WATER ON IT! You see why I'm shocked by London's reactions to snow? I can understand that given how rare it is to have snow that they wouldn't invest in snow shovels or plows, etc., but there's this basic science thing about water and temperature that seems like common sense.

But who am I to talk about "common sense" as you'll see tomorrow when I tell you about my mistake at the cafe for lunch. involving my searching for an ATM, getting yelled at by the guards at Parliament, being hit by a snowball, and being on the verge of tears.

London Bound!

Journal for Sunday, Feb 1, London

I'm going to skip right over the very long (and winter terrifying) drive to Minneapolis, the flight to Charlotte, VA, 10 hour layover in Charlotte, and 7 1/2 hour plane ride to Gatwick airport, and get right to London.

At the Gatwick airport, Brian (my son) and I miraculously met right up with Dianna (my daughter) and her friend Emily. Dianna and Emily had flown to London from their study abroad program, via 3 days in Amsterdam. (Just let THAT scary thought settle in your brain for a minute or two, two young, naive, 20 year olds enjoying Amsterdam).

And we headed off to the trains that lead right out of the airport. It would have been smooth. . . had it not been Sunday. Apparently, on Sunday the train doesn't lead directly to the station (St. Pancras) that we wanted. The train stops considerably short of St. Pancras, and we had to transfer to the Tube (London's metro.) Except on Sundays, much of the Tube is also shut down for construction, so we took a bizarre, winding, labyrinthian path from Tube line to Tube line, up and down stairs, hither and yon, dragging our luggage, just following orders, and taking it on faith that eventually we get there.

In the states, we tend to say, "Watch your step," especially when there's a big drop from the train to the platform. In London, they say, "Mind the gap, mind the gap, mind the gap. .. " which I think echoed in my brain all night long.

And eventually we got there, to this really rather delightful bed and breakfast hotel, the Crescent Hotel, and trudged on up the stairs to room 26. It really did remind me of the London hotel in National Lampoon's European Vacation, except without the creepy people.

The moment we stepped onto our hotel street, however, it started to snow. No big deal to me! Would you think that I would be rattled by a little light snow in 30 degree ABOVE ZERO weather? Nah! It was positively spring-like!


Brian checking out the computer while it begins to snow outside.


Just outside the hotel as the snow picks up the pace a bit.

More of our hotel "block" as the snow comes down in the night light.

Because I was so exhausted by all the traveling, I went to sleep early, but kept hearing these screams. Lots of screams. More and more screams. Like, endless, all night screams that literally kept up till 3am! At one point, I wandered down the stairs and asked the hotel proprietor what was going on, and she told me it was snowing. ????

Apparently, the hotel is across from part of a college residence, and the entire park area was filled with students probably 18-25 years old, most of whom have never seen snow before, and certainly not anything that would be thick enough to make snowballs. So all night long, they had snowball fights! I wish I'd had a wide-angled lens to show you how many more people were in this park. There must have been 70 or 80 students out there at some points, pelting each other with snow and screaming in glee!

The next day we'd learned that London has not had this much snow in 18 years!