Statelady & Chezp's London Adventure: COMPLETED!!! About This Page:

[statelady01]

We stood outside Westminster Abbey for some time so Cheryl and I could get our much needed photo and video. Walking to the entrance of Westminster Abbey is an event- the building is so beautiful and massive, that it is almost too much to comprehend!











As we queued to pay our admission fees, I presented my University of Arkansas ID and found I would not be allowed a student rate as there was no date on it- which ticked me off at first at the policy but then at UA. Kevan and I had been doing extremely well on the budget so no big deal and I let it roll off my back.



There is so much to see and admire in Westminster Abbey. The architecture was incredible and at every turn, there was something new to admire and appreciate. In several of the areas that housed the tombs of rulers, there were tight spaces and hosts encouraged people to keep the lines moving which we thought was a good idea. We saw the burial places of many famous people including Mary Queen of Scots and Winston Churchill. It would appear that William Shakespeare also is buried here but in fact, the area devoted to him is a memorial as he is buried in Stratford upon Avon, some miles away in England.



We found our way to the Monastery portion featuring a museum in what used to be a recreation room- warmer than the other parts so that the Monks could seek solace from the cold parts of the Abbey. The focus of the museum was mainly on the history of coronations and there was a fantastic area all about Queen Elizabeth’s in 1953. Included in the display were “practice” scepters and a crown used in the rehearsals. A large display gave a play-by-play of that day in June. It also covered in great depth the coronation of Queen Victoria- turns out her coronation did not go so smoothly- it was not rehearsed and the ring placed on her finger during the ceremony was forced on as it was too small- causing her pain for days afterward!



Our final part of the tour included walking by the tomb of the unknown soldier and Churchill. Along the side, there were candles for anyone to light in remembrance of anything you chose- so I of course made my donation and proceeded to lit one in memory of my parents, particularly my mother, who loved London so much- I hope she was pleased!



We exited by this area and took a browse in the shop where of course, it was postcard buying time once more. I really agreed with Cheryl that they needed to be clear on the photo policy as she had had some trouble with videoing. Before leaving the area, we got several photos- of which this one of Cheryl and I is a favorite!





From Passporters to the best of friends!



“Maureen, close your bag”- was heard again- for some reason, I could not remember to flip the flap back over the bag when I was done getting something from it. At this point, it got to be kind of funny that they were having to get on to me!



Now I must begin to enlighten all on what has come to be known as the “Adapter Incident.” Previous to the trip, I purposely got a hair cut that did not require a curling iron. The hotel had hair dryers in the room so I just thought I was just one smart yank who alleviated the need for the adapter. Until I realized as I was taping the outside of the Abbey and the battery power quickly disappearing- that to charge it- would require our charger to be plugged in to an outlet! DUH! Cheryl and Mark suggested walking a ways to find one as we still had time before our afternoon activities.



We found a department store and as we made our way to the luggage section I could see in my head price tags of 25 GBP and such. You can imagine my shock when I flipped it over and the price tag said 4 GBP! Even with the conversion that comes to about $8 when in Wal Mart at home- they were being sold for $19.97!!! What a deal!



Mark suggested not using the LCD viewfinder to conserve power so I took his advice on that- and left the camera off for a good bit, hoping it would at least give me enough to take some footage on the London Eye and River Cruise.

[ProChristo]

Westminster Abbey sounds just beautiful. You've convinced me to add London to my "places to visit" list.

[Colexis Mom]

Another great installment and pictures Such a beautiful building!! Looking forward to more

[kimdisneynut]

Great Report Thanks Again

[tikibird]

Wonderful, excellent, superb, ladies, and can't wait for more!!!

[chezp]

Saturday 15 November – part three: “keep close to the person in front of you like a member of your family!”

By now, we were all getting hungry so I suggested lunch, as we had to be at the London Eye by 1 p.m. and we wouldn't get another chance to eat until after the river cruise ended at around 3:30 p.m. we kept walking down the street, but every place we came to, either the menu didn’t look that great or it was ridiculously expensive, often the problem in London, if I'm being 100% honest.

Before we knew it, we were at London Victoria Station with a wide range of places to eat, so where did we end up? Well Burger King of course! At least it was reasonably cheap and we all knew what we would be getting, although it did take some time to get our food. Usually as I’m a vegetarian, I’m the last person to be served, so I was amazed at how long Kevan had to wait for their order, which was just chicken. You know I mentioned that you know what you're getting in Burger King? Well one woman got an unpleasant surprise while we were in there. She suddenly started screaming that they have flies in the burgers and telling the manager that he hadn't heard the last of this, so that was our bit of entertainment for lunchtime.

A quick stop to buy more postcards and we were on our way back to the London Eye, getting off at Westminster Tube Station at about 12:45 p.m. Now the Tube station is about a five-minute walk from the London Eye, which is just across Westminster Bridge. Getting across the bridge was our next challenge. It was packed with people. We soon found out why, the pavement (sidewalk) on the other side of the bridge was closed for repair work and the street traders along our side of the bridge didn't help matters at all. Just as we got moving, everyone had to move in to make way for them.

We made it to the London Eye at about 12:55 p.m. and I went straight in to get our tickets. I walked up to the ticket machine and put in my credit card as instructed, having bought them over the Internet a couple of months earlier, but my card wasn't recognised. I went to the prepayment desk and the problem was quickly sorted out. Apparently because it was a combined ticket for the London Eye and the river cruise, I couldn't get the tickets at the machine. Well, if they told me that to begin with, that would have made life a lot easier.

That problem sorted out, it was outside to join the queue for the Eye. I couldn't believe how long the queue was. We’ve been on the Eye twice before, once in the daytime and once at night, but on both occasions it had been a slow time of the year and we had pretty much walked on with maybe a five-minute wait. Well, no wonder they tell you to be there half an hour before your “flight”. The queue went round and round and round, a bit like a good queue for a Disney attraction. When we finally got to the end the queue, I thought we would be there for a lot longer than half an hour, but the queue moved really fast. I guess it would, because every few seconds another 24 people would be getting onto the next capsule.

At one point, you have to cross the public walkway and they need you to move as quickly as possible when you do, as you can’t block it. The staff member there could easily have made it in Disney, he was so full of energy and enthusiasm in making sure the we did move ourselves. He kept telling us to run and keep close to the person in front of us “like a member of your family”!

In total it took us about 40 minutes, so we were a little late boarding, but it wasn't a problem and the time we spent queuing went by really quickly. We were all chatting away and didn't really notice how long we waited. Just as well it wasn't raining though, as most of the queuing area isn't undercover.

When we went to board our capsule we ended up with a group of girl guides. There were about 10 of them with a couple of adults and they were a real pain. They weren’t loud, but they just got in the way. The idea of the Eye is that everyone moves around the capsule, so that you get to see every view that’s on offer, but these girls just didn't move from one end, even when asked. I had to practically barge them out of the way to take some photos. It was the adults who annoyed me the most, why can't they keep control of them and make sure they're not getting in other people's way?

The whole “flight” takes 35 minutes and you get some stunning views. Why no other city or Disney for that matter have not decided to introduce this idea, I do not know. It's certainly a great success here. The London Eye is essentially a huge Ferris wheel overlooking the River Thames with 32 capsules on it and can take 15,000 visitors a day. It was opened in 2000 and its main sponsor is British Airways, which is why you go for a “flight”. From up there (130 feet high) you can see Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, the River Thames, a string of bridges and a host of other London landmarks and you barely feel as if you're moving.

On way back down, they had a new addition since the last time we rode this, an in-flight photo and ours was great, so we picked up two for £10. Now, again why don't Disney do this, offer two ride photos for a reduced rate? It seems to be an excellent idea.

Next: “what do you think of the parsnips then?”

[statelady01]

Keeping our "eye" on London

We were pretty hungry and after finding cafes that were too crowded and expensive, we ended up at Burger King. Kevan and I both ordered chicken sandwiches, which took an insane amount of time to be brought out. As we were eating, some lady started yelling about how there were flies in her food and she wasn’t done with them yet, yadda, yadda. Kevan and I looked at each other and laughed as we found this amusing.

Time for our big afternoon and we had to make our way across Westminster Bridge , which was unbelievably crowded. Cheryl and I made went into the London Eye Ticket Area to collect the tickets they had bought previous. The kiosk directed her to a rep and turns out because the ticket was a combo with the River Cruise- the self service kiosk would not work. It was packed to the brim in that area and it would have been nice for her to be told that and skip all that traffic!

When we got in the queue for the Eye, I was sure that we would not be getting on the Eye in any time soon. It felt like Disney lines, which led to a lot of Disney discussions between the four of us- I think that was nice and Passporter appropriate! We came to a point where we had to cross over to the main queue for the Eye capsules- and cross a general public walkway to do it. A London Eye host was getting the point across- to move and to move quick- rather humorously as well- he was hilarious. It was easier said then done but we made it across.

The London Eye is sponsored by British Airways and originally planned to be a millennium featured attraction but three years past, it is still a big draw. I found it most interesting that British Airways put up a majority of the 7 million GBP cost to build but I am sure now they are making that investment back twofold.


View of London Eye from the Thames River

We had the misfortune of being on a capsule with what seemed to be a girl scout troop and guides. This is a small glass capsule and they were so loud, it began to hurt my ears. The adults in the group were as rude as the girls were. Besides them, it was the four of us, another couple and a mother daughter pair. Trying to get pictures from all vantage points as the capsule ascended high above London was hard but Cheryl and I were the shutterbugs and refused to be denied our turn- we just crammed in and front of these kids. At first, I was a little scared- it is quite high but I began to really enjoy it by the time we reached the topmost part of the journey.


View of Buckingham Palace from the Eye



Chez and Mark on the London Eye (one of my favorites of the two of them!)

On the way down, we posed for our in flight photo- which I thought was so neat- the girl guides group were on the other side of the capsule so all the rest of us were in one photo- I was very glad about that. The cost for the photos was great 2 for 10 GBP.

[ProChristo]

Thanks for another great update. The London Eye sounds like a lot of fun, and your pictures turned out really well.

[kimdisneynut]

Great Update, Thanks

[wdwlovers]

Thanks for the great update! We got to sit in on Evensong service at Westminster Abby and I will say it is one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed/heard. We got to sit where the choir sits right at the front of the church. I remember watching Di's funeral and we were sitting just a few feet from where Harry and William sat. Love all the pics you are adding too! Keep it up!

[goofy4goofy]

The London Eye sounds really neat! And I love the pictures!

Kelly

[elbug10]

You ladies are doing an excellent job of bringing London to us Passporters back home! Keep up the good work!

Just a question. When I visited Westminster Abbey in 1988, there was part of our tour where everyone just stopped where they were and this booming voice from above (I swear it was God himself!) asked everyone to observe a minute of silence to pray for World Peace-very moving. I think it was at 11:30 a.m. or so, and I got the impression that it was a daily occurence. Do they still do that? I also remember even back then thet the guards practically confiscated a video camera from a member of our tour group; they're REALLY strict about the "no photography of any kind" thing. I know in France and Italy it's because they consider Churches to be holy, and also that flash photography fades the frescos, but I'm not sure why they don't allow it in Westminster.

Can't wait to read your next installment!

[tikibird]

Loved hearing about the London Eye - never even knew it existed!

I continue to enjoy this Passporter tour of London, and can't wait to hear more!

[chezp]

[ QUOTE ]
Just a question. When I visited Westminster Abbey in 1988, there was part of our tour where everyone just stopped where they were and this booming voice from above (I swear it was God himself!) asked everyone to observe a minute of silence to pray for World Peace-very moving. I think it was at 11:30 a.m. or so, and I got the impression that it was a daily occurence. Do they still do that?

[/ QUOTE ]

I genuinely don't know. I think we were out of there before 11.30 a.m., but I wasn't aware they did that - there was certainly no information about it while we were there.

[ QUOTE ]
I also remember even back then thet the guards practically confiscated a video camera from a member of our tour group; they're REALLY strict about the "no photography of any kind" thing. I know in France and Italy it's because they consider Churches to be holy, and also that flash photography fades the frescos, but I'm not sure why they don't allow it in Westminster.

[/ QUOTE ]

I too can understand the flash photography rule, but I know I've videoed cathedrals and churches in Belgium, Ireland and Italy, which is why I was so surprised by the attitude I encountered at Westminster.

[chezp]

Saturday 15 November – part four: “what do you think of the parsnips then?”

We went straight over to the river to catch the river cruise. We only had about 10 minutes to wait before we boarded. We were one of the first dozen or so people on board, so we were able to snag a second row sitting outside on the top of the boat. Even though it was only 2:30 p.m., it was starting to darken slightly and the sky was looking menacing. I kept thinking it would rain, even though the forecast had said it wouldn't. It turned out the forecasters were right for once.

Seeing London from the Thames is one of the best ways to travel round the city, but I’m a sucker for riverboat trips in any city of the world. The commentary on this trip was particularly good and I learnt a lot during the 45-minute round-trip. I was amazed to see how much the riverside had changed since I last went on a boat down the Thames about six or seven years ago. A lot of derelict sites have been restored and regenerated and there are signs of new life everywhere, which is extremely good to see and very encouraging.

As we went down the river I was able to take lots of photos and video footage and I was glad I did, as when we turned round to return, the wind was in our faces, which made it very cold. All I wanted to do was wrap up warmly and get down below. The Houses of Parliament were our last sight before the cruise ended and as we passed them, we felt a few drops of rain, so we did retreat downstairs and inside, where it was a lot warmer.

Back on dry land again, we snapped a few last photos with the Houses of Parliament behind us and headed back to the Tube station to catch the Tube up to Oxford Street. Now it was the girls’ turn to have some serious fun shopping in London's largest shopping street. I have fond memories of coming here with my parents what I was a kid, but also a few years ago when I was studying in London. I used to love having the opportunity to shop there and I was looking forward to the experience again.

Unfortunately, the Christmas lights along Oxford Street weren't being turned on until the following week, but some of the stores had made an effort already. Others though didn't seem to have tried at all. Selfridges had barely anything up, whereas Debenhams did looked very festive.

It was here we opted for dinner. Although it was only 5:40 p.m., we were all getting hungry and everyone liked the sound of the traditional Christmas meal, including parsnips which Maureen and Kevan had never had. We were planning on cooking than the next night for dinner, so we were curious to see what they made of them. The result, they loved them! That's good, so we would be serving those up after all then! I had a slice of pizza with half a jacket potato and coleslaw, very nice and very filling. Maureen and Kevan couldn't get over the meal they’d just had for the money. They were explaining to us that department stores in the States just don't have restaurants anymore, which did surprise us. Fuelled up again, we continued our exploration of Oxford Street, but Debenhams did seem to be the best of the department stores, much to my surprise.

The Disney Store had as a superb front window display, but although there was a lot in there, there was nothing new that I hadn't already see in our local Disney Store. I managed to pick up another Eeyore notepad for writing trip reports (having used one up on this trip) but Maureen didn't find anything much in there. The Disney Store here is on two floors, but despite that, it still feels very busy and crowded. They do need more floorspace, as it felt like a scrum in there at times.

When we got to Selfridges, the store did was redeem itself when I saw what was on the fourth floor, a Haagen-Dazs cafe. Maureen’s eyes also lit up and it was decided that we needed to pay it a visit. After all, we never got our ice cream last night (but as Kevan kept saying “we’re not talking about that anymore”!) Once there, we couldn't decide what we wanted, but eventually we chose a chocolate cookies sundae with cookies and cream ice cream and it was lovely, just what we both needed! Mark and Kevin just looked on, not quite realising how much the dessert meant to us!

Dessert done, we walked back down Oxford Street to the Bond Street Tube station to catch the Tube back to the hotel. It was only about 6:30 p.m. by that point, but we all agreed that after eight hours out in central London, we were shattered and could all do with an early night.

When we got back to the hotel, we figured we'd have a bath and enjoy the lovely whirlpool/Jacuzzi again. There’s no better way to relax after a hard day's sightseeing in London and once again my feet really did need it!

The weather today was in the mid-fifties, dry and a lot less windy.
The best thing today was Westminster Abbey.
The worst thing today was was being told off for videoing in Westminster Abbey.
The funniest thing today was the staff member in the queue for the London Eye – “keep close to the person in front of you like a member of your family” !
Today we tried the London Eye followed by the river cruise
And the result was they’re two great ways to see London and offer very different perspectives.
The most magical moment today was seeing the Houses of Parliament – always magical to me.

Next: “you have to moo!”