MARC'S MEMOS
11 - 13 - 2021
TRIP OF A LIFETIME! Part 8
Then we had two days at sea with no stops in a port. It is nice to have a few days to rest before the end of the cruise. Well, we made it back to the main port of Southampton, England. That ended our fourteen-day cruise to the Meditteran and it was a trip of a lifetime. However, we were not done.
We were scheduled to get a ride back to London and spend an entire week there! We drove about two hours with an Uber driver and arrived at our hotel. It is called St. ERMINS. It has been said that Winston Churchill stayed here in the 1940's during WWll, among other famous people in its long history. It was opened in 1899 and has its own honey bees up on the third floor of the building. Also, it has an herb garden on the fourth floor roof.
We checked in and shortly afterwards, decided to do some exploring. It was about 1:30 p.m. so we had the rest of the day to be tourists. We made our way to Victoria Street and as we turned the corner, there stood Westminster Abbey projected against a beautiful big blue sky. The cumulous clouds looked like decorations placed there just for us. We were so excited and began wildly snapping lots of pictures. To come all this way to be so close to an historic place, on such a perfect day, was amazing. We decided to continue exploring and made our way over to the House of Commons and the House of Lords. A form of government our forefathers copied as our Congress. In America, the House and the Senate.
From there it was only a short distance to Big Ben. We found out that the name Big Ben was not actually the clock, but the BIG BELL inside the clock tower! Very interesting! We were getting hungry so we decided to get something to eat right by the hotel. At the OLD STAR PUB, we got fish and chips plus and a good local beer to cap off Day 1 in London.
Oh yeah, I forgot we had a three-hour tour of London that night after dinner. We did plan this tour perfectly because we were not tired yet and it was still early. We hopped aboard the typical double-decker bus you see in photos and postcards. It was a wonderful experience. We chose the upper deck. You get a better look at the sights because it has no roof to limit your view. The weather was perfect too. The tour took us by all the main icons of the city and we listened to a narration of the sights through headphones that were provided. We crossed over the Tower Bridge and while looking straight up at it, took a picture that later that turned out to be one of my favorites. Sometimes buildings or bridges look so amazing at night if they are illuminated with bright lights or even some colored lights to highlight the architecture. A softer light can be effective too.
Anyway, it was a great tour. Part 9 is next of this adventure is next
UNTIL NEXT TIME, TAKE CARE! Marc
TRIP OF A LIFETIME! Part 8
Then we had two days at sea with no stops in a port. It is nice to have a few days to rest before the end of the cruise. Well, we made it back to the main port of Southampton, England. That ended our fourteen-day cruise to the Meditteran and it was a trip of a lifetime. However, we were not done.
We were scheduled to get a ride back to London and spend an entire week there! We drove about two hours with an Uber driver and arrived at our hotel. It is called St. ERMINS. It has been said that Winston Churchill stayed here in the 1940's during WWll, among other famous people in its long history. It was opened in 1899 and has its own honey bees up on the third floor of the building. Also, it has an herb garden on the fourth floor roof.
We checked in and shortly afterwards, decided to do some exploring. It was about 1:30 p.m. so we had the rest of the day to be tourists. We made our way to Victoria Street and as we turned the corner, there stood Westminster Abbey projected against a beautiful big blue sky. The cumulous clouds looked like decorations placed there just for us. We were so excited and began wildly snapping lots of pictures. To come all this way to be so close to an historic place, on such a perfect day, was amazing. We decided to continue exploring and made our way over to the House of Commons and the House of Lords. A form of government our forefathers copied as our Congress. In America, the House and the Senate.
From there it was only a short distance to Big Ben. We found out that the name Big Ben was not actually the clock, but the BIG BELL inside the clock tower! Very interesting! We were getting hungry so we decided to get something to eat right by the hotel. At the OLD STAR PUB, we got fish and chips plus and a good local beer to cap off Day 1 in London.
Oh yeah, I forgot we had a three-hour tour of London that night after dinner. We did plan this tour perfectly because we were not tired yet and it was still early. We hopped aboard the typical double-decker bus you see in photos and postcards. It was a wonderful experience. We chose the upper deck. You get a better look at the sights because it has no roof to limit your view. The weather was perfect too. The tour took us by all the main icons of the city and we listened to a narration of the sights through headphones that were provided. We crossed over the Tower Bridge and while looking straight up at it, took a picture that later that turned out to be one of my favorites. Sometimes buildings or bridges look so amazing at night if they are illuminated with bright lights or even some colored lights to highlight the architecture. A softer light can be effective too.
Anyway, it was a great tour. Part 9 is next of this adventure is next
UNTIL NEXT TIME, TAKE CARE! Marc
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