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I forgot to mention a couple of traffic related items in the previous day postings. The drivers in London are patient. We heard no honking of horns by irritated drivers when things did not go their way.  Another observation occurred while in the cab heading out the other night. We did get stuck in a bit of traffic and I wondered why the delays at a stoplight. What I discovered was the stoplight had only an eight second (I said second) green light for our lane while giving the opposite street a full 60 seconds. As a result only one or two cars made it through the intersection each light cycle. Our driver said that was the way the system operated. Bloody awful if you ask me!

Back to today’s story.

This is a short tour compared to many we have taken-only 12 days and there are many one night stays but it allows us to get an decent overview of the English countryside, parts of Scotland and Wales.

 

Normally you meet the tour director and fellow travelers at a reception the night before the actual tour begins. This tour was unusual in the sense we first meet everyone at 7:30 AM the day the tour leaves London, which is today.

We were asked to have luggage out of room by 6:30 AM and meet in the lobby at 7:30, ready to roll.  There was a bit of chaos in the lobby as there were two separate groups leaving , so the amount of people and luggage was a bit daunting but John Jennings, our English tour director, efficiently sorted out the people and luggage and soon we were off on our “Best of Britain” tour. There are 40 people on this tour, the maximum number Insight allows on their tours. Other tour companies usually have a maximum of 53. Insight Vacations take some rows of seats out of the bus giving people more legroom. Our bus left the hotel right before 8 AM and headed north.

Our first destination of the day was Stratford on Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. I was never a fan of his writings but was eager to see his restored home. I imagined a small little village with thatched roofed homes in the middle of a meadow. Boy, was I wrong. The home is smack dab in the middle of a pedestrian shopping street in a good sized town/city. I guess I am a few centuries too late. The home in which he was born is actually larger than I expected. I believe I heard that his father was mayor of the town. It is a lovely site, complete with young people quoting Shakespeare in the garden to the delight of visitors. Shops along the street provided a lovely opportunity to have a late morning “cream tea” once again before we boarded our bus for our final destination, York. We did our usual comfort stops and had lunch at one of the highway road stops, which featured several fast food options, including McDonalds and Krispi Kreme.

We arrived in York about 4PM and John led us on a local walking tour of the area to acquaint us with the city. York was a pleasant surprise. It was founded by the Romans in 71AD and  was later occupied by the Vikings who named it “Jorvik”. It has a population of about 200,000. We stayed right near the old section of the city where we walked. We learned that the Vikings had played an important role in the history of the area.  The streets in York are called “gate”  e.g. Canongate, as gate means street in the Viking language. And “bar” means gate. Confused now? Guy Fawkes was born and educated here. Walking down the narrow cobble stones streets was a delight. A very popular street is called the “shambles” and is lined with shops and tea rooms. Unfortunately we arrived too late to enter the York Minster (cathedral), the 2nd most important one in the UK.

Our “welcome” dinner was held at the hotel and we had an opportunity to meet some of our travel companions. Most are from the US , but we also have several people from Canada and a couple of people from Australia. Surprisingly there is no one from New Zealand; there is usually a Kiwi along as they are big world travelers.

Day one is done and we head to Edinburgh, Scotland tomorrow.

 

Day two of London sightseeing. We decided we should do the river boat ride on the Thames first, then additional hop on hop off bus routes as time allowed.  It was enough of a cool breezy morning that we decided to sit inside the boat as we traveled the one hour to the city of Greenwich. Boat trips are a great way to get a totally different perspective of a city. We passed the iconic sights of Parliament and Big Ben, both of which are shrouded in scaffolding and undergoing restoration. It turns out that the tower holding Big Ben is sinking and they need to shore it up. It is a pity as they are both popular photo ops. We passed the London Eye, the overgrown Ferris wheel, fancy apartments housed in converted ancient wharfs, and the famous Tate modern art museum, housed in a former power plant. There was a constant narrated commentary as we sailed downriver, pointing out other famous sights like the real London bridge, whiich is not what most people think it is.  Most people think the twin towered bridge is the London bridge. It is not. That is the tower bridge. The real London bridge is a bit upstream and not as visually dramatic. And furthermore, the original London bridge is now on Lake Havasu in Arizona, purchased by an American when the English decided the original bridge had to be replaced.

The boat stopped at the Tower of London to drop off those who wanted to visit the site, before continuing on to our destination, Greenwich. We wanted to go to Greenwich to see the prime meridian, where time is defined (Greenwich mean time).

We passed two areas you often hear a lot about: the Docklands and Canary Wharf. Both areas were heavily involved with shipping in earlier days; today they have become areas of fashionable homes, restaurants and shops.

Greenwich turned out to be a lovely area and worthy of a longer visit then we were able to give it. One of the world’s fastest clipper ship, the Cutty Sark, is in it’s final resting place and  available for exploration. The Royal Naval College( designed by Sir Christopher Wren), the National Maritime Museum and a lovely small town are also there to explore. One should really spend a full day to experience all that Greenwich has to offer.

We had to pass these other attractions as we were on a mission- finding the Prime Meridian (the line that divide the Eastern Hemisphere from the Western Hemisphere)  and taking our picture with one foot on either side of it. We have done that at the equator which divides the Northern Hemisphere from the Southern Hemisphere, so this would complete the set.  The Royal Observatory, where the line is located, was a bit of a hike from the Thames River but we were not deterred.  Twenty minutes and some 5,000 steps later we found the Prime Meridian and got our desired pictorial documentation.

Back to the dock for a very quick lunch and onto the boat for our return to London proper to continue taking a Hop-on, Hop-off route.

We chose the blue route as it took us through areas like Kensington, Knightbridge and Paddington, and past museums like the Victoria and Albert.   Trivia for the day: entrance to the British museums is free.

We had to limit our hop-on hop-off experience to only two as it was late in the afternoon and we had another early dinner reservation and tickets to see Hamilton. Tonight was steak night and they were surprisingly good-tender and tasty!

By chance the theater where Hamilton was playing was across from our hotel so there were no transportation issues to deal with. It was an easy 5 minute walk from the hotel to the restaurant and then to the theater.  Our tickets to Hamilton were paperless and when we got to the theater at 7 PM we found ourselves in a line that stretched at least a block.   My immediate thought was there would be no way we can be in our seats before the performance begins at 7:30. We were suppposed to bring the credit card used and photo ID to get our tickets. That would be very time consuming. What a major screwup this would be. The line started moving, slowly at first but then surprisingly fairly quickly.  We were funneled into multiple lines depending on what our seating location was and reached a lady with a scanner who asked for the credit card I had used to purchase the tickets. She ran it though her reader and our seat tickets were printed by the hand held scanner. Bam, we were checked in and headed to our seats! It took all of 7 minutes. I was astonished the system worked so well. They never did ask for our photo ID however.

 

I did not expect to enjoy Hamilton. I was going because of the publicity and awards it has received. Based on the little I had seen on TV it seems like simply a “hip-hop” musical, a music genre I really do not like. I thought I would have trouble following the story and music. Well, I was VERY wrong. I absolutely loved the production. The costumes, the choreography and the story lines are awesome. It is extremely fast paced and keeps your attention. The first act lasted almost 75 minutes and no one moved and and not a sound was heard in the auditorium. The audience seemed mesmerized with the spectacle. I have not seen anything as absorbing since first seeing Lion King. I would go and  see it again!

Our pre-trip visit to London is over. We leave on our escorted tour of England tomorrow morning.

 

As I mentioned earlier it has been at least 15 years since we last traveled in London. I actually found a city map dated 1999 in my files!  It is the same for Gerry and Sue. So our goal for the day was to rediscover London by taking the hop on-hop off bus tours of the city.  “Big bus” tours actually offers 4 different tours plus a river trip on the Thames River so we selected two of them. The main tour is the red tour which covers the major sights of central London in about 2.5 hours. Even better,  it stops right outside our hotel door. For a nominal extra fee you can get a two-day pass which included the Thames River boat ride so that is what we picked. By 10 AM we were on the road. 

I had forgotten how pretty London is- clean streets, varied architecture (old and new) and plenty of flower boxes in residential areas. We drove through the area of Belgravia where the rich and famous live(d), past luxury hotels favored by the movie crowd and where the homes must all be repainted cream color every 5 years. Next was Hyde Park, Mayfair, Buckingham Palace, Bond Street, Harrods, etc- places we have all heard about. A new feature on this tour was the presence of a live narrator rather than the normal recorded storyline. It added a lot to the experience with anecdotes and funny stories added to the narration.

About half way through the tour we were at the Tower of London and decided to get off and explore it in more depth because of its historical significance. We thought it would be a quick stop but ended up spending almost 3 hours there. I had forgotten how really large the area was and how the cost of admission has increased (23 pounds for a senior) since we were last here. We arrived in time to join a tour lead by one of the famous Yeoman Wardens( who guard the Tower), commonly known as the Beefeaters (dressed in the iconic red/black uniform with the big hat),  who live, patrol and secure the site. We were told that they are former military people who, once selected, remain as part of the Beefeaters for life. We learned there have only been some 400+ Beefeaters since the 15th century when the group was formed. A piece of trivia: more people have been in space than the total number of Beefeaters since its beginnings.

The tour lasted about an hour and we learned about life (and death) in the Tower over the centuries of its existence.  The original tower is called the “white tower” and was the home of the royal family up to the 16th(?) century when the royalty moved to the present palaces. We heard about how executions were carried out and the famous people who lived (and died) in the Tower- like Thomas Cromwell, Sir Thomas More, Ann Boleyn and 16 year old Lady Jane Grey who was queen for only 9 days. It was a fascinating history lesson for all of us. 

While there we were also able to see the Crown Jewels as they are stored here.  Endless to say security was tight and no photographs were allowed. 

The resident ravens were seen. To refresh your history they have always been residents of the complex and history said  that if they ever left the Empire would fall. Some smart person decided to clip their wings and feed them well so they have no reason (or ability) to leave.  They are still here today and the Empire (although diminished) remains!

We grabbed a quick lunch on site and jumped back on the bus to complete the red line tour before returning back to our rooms for some rest and prep for our scheduled evening on the town.

An important London activity is attending the theater, as it is probably the 2 largest theater scene in the world. Tonight we are scheduled to see the musical “Tina”, based on the life of Tina Turner. The musical is new to the world, having only opened earlier this year and it is not even playing in the US.  We like her music and had seen her perform live in Milwaukee years ago.  

The shows always start at 7:30PM and most nearby restaurants offer “pre- theater”,  two or three course, dinner menus. I had made reservations for a 5:30 dinner at a French restaurant a few blocks from the theater. Because the theater was in the Covent Garden area and our hotel was near Buckingham Palace we would have to either take the “tube (underground subway)” or a cab to the district. The tube would require a change of lines and given the cost  for a ticket we decided to simply take a cab as it was no more expensive because there were four of us.  There must be a million (we’ll at least 1,000) of those famous black cabs roaming the city and we found it very easy to flag one down. I did look up Uber and there were a few of them roaming the area, but we decided to simply stick with the local cabs as the cost for a cab and an Uber was not all that much cheaper here. Traffic at 5 PM in London is as bad as any other major city and it took longer than I expected to get to the Covent Garden district. Another piece of trivia: Covent Garden got its name because there were once many “convents” in the area. Those disappeared and the name was simplified.

London theaters are much smaller in size compared to US theaters, making the experience more intimate. You are typically closer to the stage so it is easier to see the actors and more importantly they are easier to hear. In many respects it is a much nicer experience. The only negative is the seats tend to be closer together and leg room can become a problem for tall people. Our seats were about 8 rows from the stage and you felt you were part of the action.

The show is about Tina Turner’s life, starting as a young girl in the south, singing in church, being “discovered” by Ike Turner when she was a teen, her 16 year marriage to Ike and the abuse she received from him during that time, her subsequent divorce and hard times until reinventing herself with the help of a British music producer and subsequent stardom later in life. She really went through some very rough times and was near bankruptcy after her breakup with Ike Turner.

Obviously her songs were an important part of the musical and all those memorable hits were sung by a young lady with a great voice and dance moves, and an excellent back up band.  Supposedly Tina herself approved of the lead actress for the show and was involved in the creation of the musical. The musical ends with a foot stomping, hand clapping mini concert with the audience on their feet.  If it comes to the US it would definitely be worth seeing.

There are many theaters in the area and when the shows exit there are hundreds of people looking for transportation. I was concerned we might have trouble getting a cab but it turned out to not be much of a concern. It must be that the very large number of cabs plying the streets makes the problem less of one.

We called it a night as we had a long, busy day and tomorrow promises more of the same as we have tickets to see “Hamilton”.

We are heading back to London today after a great stay in Corfe Castle. The weather is still excellent with an expected temperature of 75 in London.

We had another proper English breakfast and said our goodbyes to fellow travelers. Our driver arrived on time and we are now on the way to our London hotel, a trip that should take about two hours.  My brother, Gerry, and wife, Sue, are hopefully arriving in London from Chicago this morning to join us for the next phase of our United Kingdom tour. 

Small world experience:  We are scheduled to meet Jim and Diane Grasha, a fellow  A.O. Smith executive, for dinner tonight. It turns out that Jim and Diane are arriving in England today on a transatlantic cruise, on their way to a wedding in Croatia next week. It is ironic we are in the same place at the same time and a pleasant surprise as we last saw them 5 years ago when we all cruised the Croatian coast.

Our trip back to London took almost 3 hours because of weekend traffic. The time went quickly as we both snoozed a little during the trip.  

As we were checking into the hotel I asked if Gerry and Sue had checked in yet (I had anticipated they would arrived in the late morning) and was told they had not yet arrived. Suddenly behind me in walks Gerry and Sue. It turns out their original flight had been cancelled and the alternative flight left 4 hours late because of weather so they had just arrived!  We all had a good laugh about the coincidence of meeting each other at the hotel registration desk. 

We had communication from Jim and Diane Grasha waiting for us when we got into the local internet. Ironically they were staying at a hotel right around the corner from us and we met for drinks and dinner at a local restaurant and spent a good three hours catching up with each others’ lives over a leisurely dinner.

That was it for the day. Tomorrow we plan to explore London as it has been 15-20 years since any of us have been here.

Today is the day that brought us to England in the first place – the wedding of Ashley Porath, the daughter of Nancy, one of the Wisconsin “Pink Ladies”.  The weather was absolutely wonderful-69 degrees for a high and sunny all day. You could not ask for a more lovely day.

Since the wedding was not until 2PM we went out for a brief morning walk to see the few sights we missed the last few days, including the very small local museum housing artifacts from the area and life in Corfe Castle over the centuries.  We also stopped in at the visitor’s center to see a model of what the castle would have looked like in its heyday.

The wedding ceremony took place here at the 21 room Morton’s House Hotel where many people are staying. We were asked to not take any pictures during the ceremony so I had to wait until after it’s completion to record some aspects of the event. The actual ceremony was conducted by the local magistrate and her recording clerk. She did a very nice job, interjecting both humor and seriousness to the proceedings which lasted about 30 minutes. Approximately 45 people were in attendance, most of whom were friends of Steven, the English-born groom, who has lived in the US for many years. I came to find he holds dual citizenship which I did not know was possible. We also learned that the marriage ceremony performed in England is also valid in the US. Vows would not need to be retaken in the US.

After the ceremony we adjourned to the dining room for “high tea”.  There was champagne and tiers of finger sandwiches, pastries and scones along with the featured drink-tea. We had assigned seating and met several lovely couples from England and a couple from California, all friends of Steven.

At 5 PM we convened at the entrance of the hotel for some group photos, after which we boarded a 50+ year old double decker bus (red in color, of course) for a tour of several local landmarks (on or near the beach) for more photo ops. The bride brought her prerequisite Wellington boots (we were told that all proper English people own at least one pair of these iconic boots) and dutifully posed for pictures on the beach at Lulworth Cove wearing them while we toasted the newly weds with prosecco.

Back on the bus we went to another favorite beach location called “Durdle Door”, a large rock arch formation on the shores of the English Channel. It was a pretty good hike from where the bus had to park and locals were entertained watching the wedding party and guests winding their way down the path through the woods to the shore for more picture taking.  Thanks to Ashley we all got in our 10,000 steps for the day.

It was now close to dark as we were taken to a small local pub that is housed in a 16th century building where we had a very tasty buffet and continued the traditional wedding celebrations with toasts by the wedding party,  followed by a cute game called “shoes”.  A game where questions are posed to the couple (sitting back to back, each holding one of the bride’s shoes and one of the groom’s shoes) then they answer  questions by raising up either his or her shoe.  It is a cute game we had not seen before. And by the way, they did quite well on their answers.

By the time the DJ music began for those interested in dancing to the wee hours, it was after 11PM and we decided to call it a night as we had to pack for our trip to London tomorrow morning. The groom had hired a local cab for the evening to take people back to their respective hotels on request, which was a nice touch.

All in all it was a beautiful day and an even more beautiful wedding! We are certainly glad we had been invited and that we came to help celebrate the happy occasion.