Sail Away

Have you ever wondered what being in a 1940's movie would feel like?  To be Loretta Young or Olivia DeHaviland for just a day or an hour.  The sail away from London was just that experience.

The departure was not at Tilbury as we expected, instead we took off from and under the Tower Bridge!!!  The crew decorated the ship with banners, balloons, fruit carvings, and all sorts of other goodies.  Each of us were given an English flag to wave and a glass of champagne.  The captain blew the whistle and we were underway with Rule Britannia playing on the loudspeakers and folk on the shore waving at us as we passed by.  Very emotional and a very beautiful sail away.  There is no way to capture the excitement but here's what we saw....

The pilots came through the Tower Bridge to lead us out to the channel.  We also got to see some police action as one of their boats came roaring past with lights and sirens going.  I swear I didn't do anything - promise!

The smokestacks gave us the first clue we were about to be underway.

With all due respect to Ty Pennington..."move that gangplank!!!!" and they did.

The little boat you see is a wooden speed boat.

Soon we were leaving the HMS Belfast behind.  We were moored next to her and in fact had to get on board our ship by walking across her.  

The HMS Belfast was named for the Northern Irish capital of Belfast.  Construction was begun in 1936 and she was launched on St. Patrick's Day 1938.  Commissioned in August 1939 right before WW-II began, the Belfast was part of a naval blockade against Germany.  In November of the same year she ran into a German mine and spent two years being repaired.  She came back stronger than ever and saw action the rest of the war including the Normandy invasion and was part of the Korean War as well.  In 1967 she was saved from the scrap yard and turned into a museum that opened in 1971.

A beautiful British lady was standing next to me as we sailed away.  Her father had been aboard the Belfast during the war and they had brought him to London  to celebrate a recent birthday.  The museum staff gave him a birthday to remember according to her.  

And we are off...……

Let the party begin!  

Some of what we saw in the next hour.

The Thames Tunnel was built between 1825 and 1843 and was the first tunnel to have been constructed beneath a navigable river.  It measures 35 feet wide by 20 feet  high and is 1,300 feet  long, running at a depth of 75 feet below the river surface measured at high tide. The tunnel was originally designed for horse-drawn carriages, but was never used for that purpose. 

Above in the center is a building affectionately called the "Kim Kardashian" building.  You may draw your own conclusion why they call it that.


To the right is the "Cell Phone" building.  Self evident.

There are thirteen vistas protected by The London View Management Framework including both Westminster Palace and St. Paul's Cathedral from different vantage points around the city.  This could be one reason for oddly shaped buildings - there is also a cheese grater.

The Shard gets its name from the top of the building that looks like a shard of glass.  It is an office building, hotel and has retail establishments, ten residential apartments, restaurants and bars in it as well.  It is 1016 feet tall, 95 stories tall, has 1,307,383 million square feet, and opened in 2014.

I have no idea, but the light hitting it as we sailed by made it stand out.

The Cutty Sark, last of the tea clippers that were no longer needed when the steam propulsion ships and Suez Canal made trade from China faster.  Built in 1869.

The Royal Hospital for Seamen at Greenwich, began life as a palace and was not a hospital as we know it, instead it was a hospitable place for those that needed it.  Queen Mary II was moved by the seamen returning from the Battle of La Hogue in 1692 and ordered the King Charles wing of the palace to be converted to a hospital for seamen as a counterpart to the Chelsea Hospital for soldiers.  The original plans would block the view of the River Thames from the Queen's House so the plans were redesigned to split the buildings and have an avenue coming through the hospital grounds to the house and Greenwich Hill behind the house.

The Millennium Dome was constructed to celebrate the third millennium.  It was opened from 

January 1, 200 to December 31, 2000 and was home to the Millennium Experience.  It was not the success it was thought it would be and cause quite a political stink because of that.  There is symbolism in the design of the building.  The twelve yellow poles represent the months of the year or the hours of a clock and it is circular measuring 365 meters - one for each day of the year.  The roof weighs less than the air inside the dome.  I did hear one reference to "Major's Folly" referring to Prime Minister John Major who was in power when the idea was conceived.

As we slept and throughout the next the captain safely got us to Guernsey.

Lots of whispers were heard in London but what will Guernsey say?  Stay tuned.

The Tower

The Tower of London

Not a place you want to visit unless it is for a short jaunt through a very historic complex.  Anne Boleyn came for a visit and we all know how that turned out.  

The Tower is actually a castle and residence of the royal family.  The official name is Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London.  

This is the "Tower"

 If you try to penetrate this fortress you will be pelted with nasty stuff being catapulted at you, or perhaps one of the kids playing around it will bite you on the ankle.  That takes you inside but you still have that great wall to scale.









If you make it over that wall, how are you going to get through the gate?  Not sure my left arm would make it through there, let alone my body.  I'm thinking that the guide told us that the gate was original to the Tower.

Ahhh, you made it into the grounds proper, but oops, now you have to deal with the guard.  Give it up, no way are you getting to the crown jewels without being tortured or beheaded or imprisoned for life.  

This sentry is a silent guard.  He stands outside a building that has residences and therefore does not do the foot stomping turns other guards do.  Notable "tenants" in this residence hall were Anne Boleyn and William Penn (more of him in a moment).

William Penn was imprisoned after ticking off the Bishop of London with a tract he published, "The Sandy Foundation Shaken".  The tract was a last resort after a dispute with a Friends Society on whether Friends "owned one Godhead subsisting in three distinct and separate persons."  .  The conclusion of the work gave great offense to the Bishop and an order was procured from the government for Penn's imprisonment in the Tower.  

After some time in the prison he was offered the choice of recanting his statements or spending his life in prison.  He refused to recant his beliefs and resolved to die in the Tower.  He wrote a letter to Lord Arlington, the Secretary of State, stating he was illegally imprisoned without trial or conviction and was basically jailed because of a difference of opinion.  

It worked and he was released, but the discharge came from the King, through the intercession of his brother, the Duke of York - later James II.

These are the non-silent guards who slam their feet down on the pavement making a loud noise when they do a three point turn.  The first I saw of the one in back he was standing so perfectly still I thought he was a cardboard statue for kids to take a picture with instead of a live being.

Some miscellaneous shots throughout the complex.

Tower Bridge in the background.

One of the six ravens on duty at the Tower.  The seventh, and backup raven, is kept caged in case he is needed.  There is a superstition that if the ravens leave the Tower of London the Tower AND the kingdom will fall.  King Charles II was the one that believed the warning he received and put the protection order on them.  His astronomer, John Flamsteed, wasn't happy since the ravens messed up his studies in the Observatory in the White Tower - probably literally.

The ravens (in 2017 there was Jubilee, Harris, Gripp, Rocky, Erin, Poppy and Merlina - not sure if these are the same bunch).  They have their primary and secondary flight feathers trimmed but are all able to fly but why should they when they have a comfortable home and dinner served by the Ravenmaster.  If you join them for dinner the menu will include mice, chicks rats and assorted raw meats - if you are lucky you will get a special treat of a biscuit soaked in blood.  Yum!

The ravens have been dismissed because of "conduct unbecoming to Tower residents".  One example is Raven George, dismissed in 1986 to the Welsh Mountain Zoo - conduct unsatisfactory, therefore service no longer required.  His crime?  He wanted to fly but with the clipping of one wing he was basically grounded.  Ravens are known to be intelligent beings, and George was crafty as well.  He learned to climb the fire escape, perch high on a wall and glide down.  In 1981 he went AWOL and was found at a pub and forced to return to duty.  But alas, he didn't conform to the rules and five years later was sent to Raven Siberia after destroying five TV antennas in just one week.

Hugine and Jackie were in love in 1995 and got all riled up during mating season and were never able to settle down.  Again "conduct unbecoming to Tower Residents".  

The only photo I could get of the crown jewels.  Photography is strictly prohibited.  I've never seen Queen Elizabeth in person, but she looks to me like a small woman.  A small woman that wore 18,000 pounds of gold, jewels and whatever for her coronation.  I just don't see how she did it.  The cloak alone had to weigh a couple of hundred pounds easily, the sphere another 50-60, then the crown and the scepter and all the lesser bits and pieces.

So your buddy King Henry III, back in 1235, is getting married.  You don't want to get them a toaster, towels, or a blender for a gift, after all he is a king.   That was the conundrum of Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II who finally settled on 3 lions as the perfect gift.  King Haakon of Norway followed suit in 1251 and sent a polar bear.  The poor bear was chained by his ankle close to the Thames River so he could swim and catch fish.  These were followed by an African Elephant, tigers, kangaroos, camels, alligators and many other exotic, to Londoners at the time, animals.  The first zoo in London closed its doors in 1831 and the animals moved to Regent's Park. 

Kendra Haste fabricated 13 sculptures depicting these animals out of only layers of painted galvanized wire atop steel armatures.  The sculptures will remain on view through 2021.  These are just a sampling - I did not see the elephant or lions which are fabulous from the images online I have seen.

 

and of course that poor Polar Bear that just breaks my heart.

I was going to add the sail away but think we will keep that for another post.  Hint:  Very emotional and moving and fabulous and wonderful and well done.  

Bye!

Hi from London

This trip will be posted a bit differently, instead of picture, explanation, picture, explanation, it will be a letter (or in her case a very large postcard) to a special young lady.

Dear Kristal,

Here we are in London, home of Queen Elizabeth and all the Royals, a beautiful city filled with architecture that makes you drool,  and history that is both fascinating and a bit gruesome.  So put your seat belt on (it is the law in England) and come along with us.  Pardon the reflections and the smudged windows, I am not responsible for washing bus windows!

This is our tour guide, Dionysis.  He was one of the best, always there when we needed him, on top of every situation whether problematic or just needing to get tickets.  I would love to know how many times he counted to 22 along the way (the number in our group) - we left nobody behind!

Everywhere you looked on our tour, not just in England but all over the British Isles were flowers.  Beautiful huge pots and hanging baskets of flowers.  The meadows and roadways were covered, and every home had a small garden or at least window boxes with colorful flowers.  Gorgeous!!!

This church, Christ Church Greyfriars,  was built in the 13th century and has a rather sad but triumphant history.  When it was built it was a Franciscan monastery and was named Greyfriars after the habits the monks wore.  The first church built was small and was soon replaced by a larger church that had (are you ready or this?) ELEVEN altars!  Wouldn't Rev. Roy have fun with 11 altars to preach at - grin.

The church was dissolved during the English Reformation and went through several changes over the next few years but in 1666 the church was destroyed by the great fire of London and was reconstructed by the very famous Christopher Wren who was THE architect of the day.

During WW-II the church was severely damaged by air raid bombings and it was decided not to reconstruct the building.  However, Merrill Lynch built on two sides of the property and did some sprucing up and the church is now a garden and I think the tower is a private residence.

Wikipedia nicely shared the newspaper illustration since the bus window cut off half the tower in my picture.

These are just some random shots I took as we toured London on the bus.  I loved all the details in the architecture and the mounted soldier was a plus. 

Harrods is THE store in London and you could tell by the crowds around it.  We didn't go in but supposedly they have fabulous food courts as well as merchandise.  My husband brought me back a piece of Waterford from there when he was over many many years ago. 

This statue is a "put your thumbs in your ears and waggle your fingers" to the destruction of treasures going on in the middle east by militant groups.  The guide was talking and pointing at the speed of light so I didn't get all the history but it is a temporary statue and will be moved somewhere after a period of time.

Glouchester Tube Station was right around the corner from our hotel and from the looks of the number of people spilling out of there all the time a very popular stop on the tube (subway) route.

Nothing more cool than a horse adorning a building, unless it is red phone booth on the street corner, an emblem carved above a door, or random towers, steeples and row houses (that went as far as the eye could see). 

The London Eye is an observation wheel, they were quick to tell us it was not a Ferris wheel.  It was opened in 2000.  It was built to be easily disassembled and moved to another location after 5 years, but after it became such a popular attraction the lease was extended.  It is the UK's most popular paid for attraction.

Trafalgar Square is a popular gathering place for families and tourists.  A column, again not photographical from the bus window, is dedicated to Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson.  Lord Nelson was killed during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.  The square was opened to the public on May 1, 1844.  Just a icky aside...the sailors didn't want to give Lord Nelson the standard sailor's burial at sea, so they put his body in a barrel of brandy and pickled him to get him home for burial.  ICK

There are four lion statues, the largest, save one, in the UK, surrounding Nelson's Column.  They were designed by Edward Landseer, a noted artist best known for his dog and horse paintings.  Originally, another artist was to do them but his were not impressive enough so they gave the job to Landseer.  Kids love to climb on them and they are a favorite photo spot for tourists.

We had lunch at Lord Raglan's Pub.  Fish and Chips of course with the standard peas (a sweet wonderful fellow tour mate ate my peas - the last night she gave me her avocado in exchange - I won!) and a delicious Apple Crumble for dessert.  I've always loved the hanging signs in the towns we have visited in Europe.  They just seem so neat to me.  The one picture is a mirror hanging above our table. 

When we came out of the pub these two were just walking down the street pretty as you please.

Have no idea what this gate was but I loved it and the sculpture just in the middle of the sidewalk. 

The Admiralty Arch is the ceremonial entrance to the Mall which is the road to Buckingham Palace that you see on TV during weddings and funerals.  The center arch is reserved for use by royalty only.  The arch was commissioned by King Edward II in memory of his mother Queen Victoria.

Pat and I walked over to Kensington Palace the home of William and Kate with their children and it was the home of Princess Diana until her death.  William and Harry were brought up in Kensington Palace.  Prince William's apartment is 4 stories and has 20 rooms.  Prince Harry had a one bedroom apartment at Kensington Palace until he married Meghan Markle.  Princess Eugenie of York lives in the Ivy Cottage at Kensington Palace and will reside there after her marriage. 

The home was bought by King William III and Queen Mary, joint monarchs, as a better location for King William's health - he suffered from asthma.  The air was cleaner and less foggy and he could breathe better.

We weren't able to go in due to time restraints, but looked around at the grounds and the swans and of course paid our respects to Queen Victoria. 

Just a few things that caught my eye as we toured The London Museum.

Roman ruins, a private urinal for Victorian men, a happy face and coffee grinder.

\

These are spectacles!  The illustration shows you how they were used.  I thought they were handcuffs at first. 

There was a placard that read:

Medieval spectacles

Antler frames (missing lenses), Trig Lane waterfront, c. 1435 - 40

These spectacle frames excavated from a medieval rubbish dump in the city, are the earliest and most complete English examples known.  They are riveted to pinch the nose and were worn relatively low so the owner could peer over the top and look down o read.  The design also allowed one lens to slide behind the other so they could be used as a hand held magnifying glass.  Evidence for the use of spectacles lenses in combination occurs in a contemporary poem:

Calle unto you your owne secretary

Maister Grombold, that can handell a pen, 

For on booke he skrapitty like an hen, 

That no man may his letter know nor se,

Allethough he looke thrugh spectacles thre.

Colyn Blowbol's Testament c 1500

The horse and the fountain were outside the museum

Then came the good stuff!!!  Westminster Abbey.  There is no way to describe this place, Kristal, it is just glorious.  I wasn't allowed to take photos inside but took a couple in the Cloisters and the exterior.  Inside is just an overwhelming sense of awe.  Many notables are buried within the abbey and I stood on top of Sir Isaac Newton looking over at the latest gravesite, that of Stephen Hawkins.  Surreal! 

So the outside, I took several shots but no way could I get the whole building from the street level, again thanks to the internet this is what it looks like:

The lantern was over the doorway where we entered the Cloisters

Between the door and the window was this guy checking us out.

This is a drainpipe, even it is decorative - nobody knew what the number/date on the top meant.

Taken from inside the Cloisters of the outside.

Memorials lined the hallway - look at the fine etching on the big one.  Do you see the waves and the bird?  How about the map on the right?  Exquisite!

This reads "Dean Stanley records that beneath this stone are interred twenty six monks of Westminster who died of the Black Death in 1348"   The Black Death was also known as The Bubonic Plague and killed one-half of Europe's population and about 100 million people worldwide.

This one made me smile and wonder a bit:

"Near this place layth the body of M. Elizabeth Jennings, the pious, discreet and loving wife of Thomas Jennings, one of the gentlemen of his majesty's chapel royal and an ancient member of this church.  She departed this life the 12th of July, 1720 in the  57 year of her age, very much lamented by her loving and beloved children who have caufed this monument to be erected in memory of their dear mother. 

Alfo

Lyeth interr'd the body of the above mentioned Mr Thomas Jennings who departed this life the 26th of March 1734  in the 74 year of his age."

Sooooo do you think the children didn't care for their father, ole what's his name, that barely got mentioned?  Or did they run out of room on the monument?

Inside is Britain's oldest door dating back to 1050's!  Amazing

Shots outside waiting for our group to gather so we could head to the hotel.  Being a good little Methodist girl I had to grab a picture of the Methodist Central Hall.  I don't know what the yellow brick building is but has something to do with Westminster Abbey; and the little guy was just cute.

Talk to you later, be sweet.