London calling

We had a great trip to London. We arrived via Paris on the Eurostar train. We took the Underground (subway) to Waterloo, just blocks south of the Thames river. Our hotel was nearby. We were thrilled to be in a country where English was the primary language. We have enjoyed the Irish, Spanish and French cultures, but hearing good ol' English was comforting.

Up0n arrival, we dropped our luggage and jumped on the Underground, popping out at Piccadilly Circus, at night. This area reminds me of Time Square, with the myriad noises and attractions there. The Christmas decorations were still up, adding a festiveness to the scene. There was evidence in the shops and in the newspapers, about the Royal wedding coming up this spring. Some civil pride there. The kids immediately spotted the iconoclastic red phone booths, which are becoming less functional, but still loved. The kids loved the big city, finding stores everywhere to their liking. Justine and the girls got some tickets to the musical Grease, which they loved, and Stephen and I toured the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum, as he is a big fan.

The second day, we had good pastries at a bakery next to the hotel. We toured the city on a double decker tour bus. We saw: Trafalgar Square, London Eye, St. Paul's Cathedral. London Tower, Thames River, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Downing St,Westminster Abby, Big Ben and the House of Parliament. I braved the elements on the second level of the bus, literally standing for 2 hours, snapping photos, as the bus careened around the London streets. Every couple of minutes, the earphones would be ripped out of my ears, as I stretched to snap a photo. The next day, I was so sore I could hardly walk. We have found these tour buses to be a great way to see a lot of sights within a few hours.

Trafalgar Square has Nelson's Column centered, commemorating Admiral Nelson, who died during the victorious naval battle against Napoleon, in 1805 at Trafalgar. The Nazis had plans to take Nelson's Column to Berlin, after they invaded England. Victory over the Nazis was celebrated at the Square, as well as various demonstrations over the years. There is a Christmas tree displayed there from Norway each year, donated in gratitude for the British role in World War II. In 2005, there was a vigil there, after the London terrorist bombings.

St. Paul's Cathedral has existed since 600 A.D. Here, there have been famous royal weddings and funerals, most recently involving Princess Diana. In 1940, a time delayed German bomb that struck the cathedral was successfully defused by bomb disposal experts-it would have destroyed the cathedral.

The London Tower is also called Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress. It is a historic castle on the river Thames, built in 1066, by William the Conqueror. The tower has been used as a royal residence and also as a prison, over the centuries. The latter use, led to the phrase "sent to the towers".

London Bridge is dull, but the Tower Bridge across the Thames is quite photogenic, of a more grandeur and classical nature, with suspension cables. The center section was designed to split and raise, allowing for tall sailing ships to pass. Two separate incidences involving planes flying under the bridge have occurred. A Royal Air Force pilot flew a jet under the bridge, costing him his career. Another time, a despondent fianancier charged with fraud, flew his plane under the bridge, crashed, and lost his life.

Westminster Abby is a Gothic style church by the Westminster Palace, on the Thames river. The Abby has annually received gifts of salmon from the Thames fisherman, for centuries. Some of King James Bible Old Testament and some of the New Testament was translated here. Many poets and luminaries are buried here, including: William Blake, Charles Dickens, T.S. Eliot, Issac Newton and Charles Darwin.

The adjacent Westminster Palace is also of Gothic style, built almost one thousand years ago. It took several bombs during WW II, but survived. Adjacent is the iconic Big Ben, which also survived bombing and artillery shells. Ben is considered reliable to within 1 second, since it was created in the 1800's. There is a lantern in the top of the clock tower, which Queen Victoria ordered installed in 1885, to be lit at night when the Parliament was working late, so she could see this signal from Buckingham Palace.

There is a lot of tradition in the Parliament building. Members of the House occupy three benches on three sides of the chamber. The Lords Spiritual (archbishops and bishops of the Church of England) all occupy the Spiritual side. The Lords Temporal (nobles) sit according to party affiliation. Some peers, who have no party affiliation, sit separately and are known as the cross benchers. There are also the Judiciary, the Executive and the Sovereign people present. There are mosaics representing the patron saints of U.K.'s constituent nations: St. George for England, St Andrew for Scotland, St David for Wales and St Patrick for Ireland. The actual Speaker's chair is a present from the Commonwealth of Australia.
There are 2 red lines on the floor of the Parliament, originally placed to keep the 2 parties separated by two swords length, to prevent arguments from escalating into sword duals.

The Underground is the largest subway system in the world, modern, but built over one hundred years ago. It is easy to navigate, efficient, on time, and clean. The train seats are plush, and they have not been vandalized, reflecting the civility in England, where the police don't carry guns. We probably took twenty five trips on the Underground in 3 days. Seattle sure missed the boat on mass transit. London has very little police presence, but it is reported to be the most imaged city in the world, as we saw cameras everywhere. If you ever think about doing something illegal, it will be recorded.

We went to Oxford Street, where the kids saw the plush Harrods store. The son of the owner died with Princess Diana in the car crash. Dr. Hooke, my partner at the Carna Health Centre, worked there as a teen. He actually worked in their basement, which is huge, with many corridors and passageways. There are little convoys that whiz around, taking supplies to various departments.

On the last day, Justine, Summer and Stephen saw the play Wicked, while Paris and I went to the British Museum, and on a river Thames cruise. The British Museum is awesome, as one would expect. The British were a dominant force on this planet for many years, and they brought many artifacts and prizes home. The British Museum was built in 1763. Captain James Cook brought back artifacts from his round the world trips, including the South Pacific. In 1802, the King acquired the Rosetta stone from Egypt, from 196 BC, which we stumbled upon, on our visit. This stone has the same words translated in 3 languages, including ancient Egyptian and Roman languages. It was a key to understanding ancient Egyptian literature and civilization. This is the most valuable possession of the Museum. The Museum has the largest covered area in Europe, which was expanded last decade, when a major granite area was developed (see photos) and dedicated to Queen Elizabeth 2. It is an impressive space, which prominently includes 2 totem poles from British Columbia. We targeted the Egyptian mummies, and the Roman statues. We were not disappointed, as there was good representation in each of these fields. Also, there was a contemporary exhibit, which showed all the pills one adult took during his life, which filled a table one hundred feet long.

We hopped back on the Underground, and got off at the Thames, just in time to catch a sunset cruise. As the large boat left the pier, I imagined what it was like when Handel conducted the Water Music concert on a barge floating down the Thames, in 1717. King George liked it so much he had the musicians play it 3 more times! While on the river cruise, we passed a site where the Mayflower crew reportedly stayed before leaving for America. Another colonial ship, the Swan, left London shortly after, in 1622. I wonder if this ship's crew also stayed in the same location, because John Saunders, a 13th generation Sanders forefather, was on that ship.

He was in one of the original colonies. The connection there is strong, as my father Paul Sanders, found the house that John Saunders (who changed his name to Sanders upon arrival in the New World) son built built in Salisbury, Massachusetts in 1639. He bought it a few years ago, bringing it back into the Sanders family after almost four hundred years.

We passed the magnificent Tower Bridge, glowing in the setting rays of the sun. We crossed the divider (a dragon statue) from old London into new London. We saw many beautiful old buildings framing the shores of the Thames. The London Eye (ferris wheel) looked beautiful across the river. We finished at the Westminster Parliament, and Big Ben, which rang upon our arrival.
The kids wanted to go on the London Dungeon tour, which scared them. They had a Jack the Ripper exhibit, which they enjoyed. Another area showed life in during the Plague, where one third of the cities population died.
Our Paris and London trip was a great adventure. The next trip will be to northern Europe in February, so stay tuned. The Paris part of this trip will be posted shortly.