10/09/2012

A Trip to London: Part II.

Before I show some photos from my latest trip to London, I just want to check whether my blog readers are as shallow as the Homeschool on the Croft Facebook readers. I posted this photo the other day whilst in Inverness, with the caption:

Waiting for an appointment ... Me an' my book



Would you credit the responses? Here are some of them:

It's the lovely rings I noticed!


I noticed the ring too! lol Mine is *very* similar with sapphire in middle and 3 diamonds on either side - just smaller stones! :)


I have a ruby as my engagement stone. I love it and get so many compliments on it.


You can tell where our priorities are! I love you engagement ring too! (but I do know that Thomas J. is the famous "Stonewall" Jackson)



I'm so glad I have a different class of Blog readers. I do, don't I?

~      ~      ~

After our day in Inverness, Katie and I flew to London for a whistle-stop visit. We saw friends, saw Buckingham Palace, went on the London Eye (and so saw all of London from the air). And then we visited the Tower of London.

Having spent 45 years never visiting London, I have now been a London tourist twice within the space of four months. I could seriously get used to this level of frequency. I could also become a Tour Adviser ...

We thought of taking the Boris Bikes around London,



but decided on the Original Bus Tour once again.


Advice #1 - if you're visiting London, the Bus Tour is a definite Must Do. The Yellow Route with this company always has a live guide (rather than the recordings listened to through headphones). You must go for the live guide tour. These guides can be mines of information, and not only are they hugely knowledgeable, but can be very, very funny too. 

Of all the bus guides we had last week, the fellow in this photo was the best. 


Katie and I also went to the Tower of London this time. 



This was our Beefeater guide. He was great! Informative (not with any great historical detail, but good all the same); great fun; and hilariously patriotic! 

He'd served in the Marines for twenty-two years.

Ahem ... in the BRITISH ROYAL Marines. Get it right.



Parts of the Tower of London complex have been there since William the Conqueror's day: this photo is of the White Tower, built in the 11th Century. 

That is a long, long time. So much history. So many lives lived here. So many lives ended here. 

This is where Queen Anne Boleyn lost her head. And Lady Jane Grey.

Sad, sad times.



Tower Bridge is so lovely.




We also went on The Eye.


Thirty-two capsules, representing the thirty-two buroughs of London. Each capsule holds around twenty-five people - the capsules are much larger than I'd expected, and though I didn't count the number of folks in our pod, there were probably between twenty and twenty-five. Even with that, we didn't feel crowded at all.



This was taken when we were fairly near the top. The Palace of Westminster is on the right, with the clock and Big Ben, with Westminster Abbey just behind that.



I'm glad we did this. If I ever get the opportunity to take the trip at night, I probably will. London is lovely at night.

I don't want to bore y'all with too many London photos - again! But I will write at least one other post showing some more photos of our capital.





25 comments:

  1. Just had a chance to visit Gettysburg (incidentally, w/ my Sarah Jayne)and follow a bit of his amazing life! I'd LIKE to get a chance to visit your London...and your island...but, in the mean time, I sure appreciate the pictures and snippets of information! What was occasion for the visit? (My blog reading is sorely behind, and my computer is doing strange things...like deleting my blog altogether!)..at any rate looks like you had a grand time w/ your daughter!

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    1. The 'occasion' was very hurriedly planned - had to be on the mainland anyway, and thought I'd take Katie away for a 'wee treat' :)

      I have loved London - more than I ever, ever expected to. Hope you get your blog sorted soon... :/

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  2. Whoa! This looks like so stinkin' much fun, Anne! I admit to great jealously over your being so {relatively} close to London....I wish I could visit all these fascinating places you are smack-dab in the center of! <3 As it is, thanks so much for posting so many photos and humorous posts about your adventures!
    P.S. It's my turn to use the Harris Tweed bag this Winter! :D <3 I love walking about with a designer purse that is *plaid* no less and given to my sister by a real Scotswoman! ;)

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    1. Enjoy the bag! It was a real bonus to me that I ended up giving the bag to - not one, but *two* - folks who'd really enjoy it.

      It's so strange for me to have visited twice in four months, when I'd gone all my life up until last June never having seen them. (I may make a habit of it!)

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  3. Haha - I saw your first picture on my blogger dashboard and thought, "Oh! There's Stonewall Jackson!" But your ring is beautiful, too. :)
    London is absolutely amazing...thanks for sharing your pictures again!

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    1. Thank you Sarah Jayne.... :)) I knew we'd have some appreciation on the blog ;)

      Yep, London is pretty amazing. I've become rather keen on visiting!

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  4. Thanks for the wonderful pictures, I would love to go anywhere right about now:) Blessings,Roxy

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    1. I love 'virtual vacations' too .... that's the beauty of the internet, isn't it. I feel like I've travelled the world, and haven't left my kitchen! x

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  5. love your pic of london wont ever get there so at least i can see it

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    1. Thank you Barbara. As I was saying to Roxy, it's great to be able to 'have a holiday' without leaving the kitchen!

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  6. Love the pictures. We've recently been on the cable car which is another great way to see the Thames.

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    1. Oh, SJ, that sounds fantastic. Maybe I'll look into that for my *next* trip .... 4 months' time?? !

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  7. Nice photos -- looks like you had a great time. I now wish I had done the London Eye when I was there last year. **darn** Great view! As for your appointment/book post, I was too focused trying to figure out what you were reading to pay attention to your ring (although, it is nice). Says a bit about me, doesn't it?!

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    1. Aye, I knew my blog readers were different class ;)

      Thankfully, the day was lovely for the Eye ... that definitely makes a difference :)

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  8. I got so excited about STONEWALL, one of my heroes, I skipped down to the bottom of the blog and had to leave my comment. Then, I went back to read the blog about London. Did you like the book? Will you blog more about it?

    SO, does the person with the best comment get to go to London with you the next time??????

    Love the pics...I so wanna' go...until then, was wonderful seeing your pics. It makes history come alive for me.

    mommamindy.wordpress.com
    mommamindyprairieprimer.wordpress.com

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    1. Love it! If there's a comment for the best comment, you're in!

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  9. OK, better idea, you can host a blog conference and take us ALL to London, since you seriously could be a tour guide now...

    momma mindy again

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    1. You are seriously a mine of useless, er, begging your pardon, useFUL ideas. This one could very well be a winner!!

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  10. Ahhhhh...my hero--Stonewall! Do tell more about why you admire him! I love him for his faith in God, his manly courage under fire, and, of course, his devotion to the Cause. Ye ken my meaning.

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    1. Fiddlefever, I love him for these things too. I'd add one more: his beautiful love to his wife. I am aware that he'd be horrified to know he was our 'hero', so I like to say that I simply admire the man sooooo much - for the reasons you said :)

      He was truly a man among men.

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  12. Anne, My girls and I have been dreaming of a trip to the UK;Perhaps one of these days... Loved going to London with you. Your pictures are great. Cracked up over the ring/book responses. I think the ring is lovely. I think you are one of the rare breed who delights in histories that many people don't know anything about, but I just cracked up over the responses... theirs and yours.. I say... "read on Lizzy" , haha. One of my heroes is Winston Churchill, and we share that, I think. I have never read in depth about Stonewall Jackson, but I know I must do it one of these days, particularly as you stir up my desire to do so. As far as American History, I am a big George Washington and John and Abigail Adams fan, to name a few, and have enjoyed reading about many others. Thanks for sharing.

    Love and Blessings,
    Pam

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  13. Oh wow! That sounds like a fun trip. About the book, I was looking at the book rather than the wring until I read the other comments, then I noticed the pretty jewelry. *smile* Sorry, just didn't thing about it, you were talking about the book and appointment not a jewelry store. *smile* The big ball farriswheel looks amazing! I know that's not what it's called, but that's what it looked like. *smile* Glad you are home safe and sound. Sincerely, Mommy of two growing blessings & so much more!

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  14. Anne, You are so much fun LOL! Your London pictures are heavenly and I am wishing for more!! You have no idea how delighted I will be to take a trip to your homeland and also London some day Lord willing :)
    Much Love to you and your beautiful family.
    ~ Marie

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  15. Well, said the shallow-minded poster . . . I do like your rings. ;o)
    Howsomeever, I am watching Ken Burns' _Civil War_ and am reminded in America how perilous was our journey in 1861-1865, and all the years leading up to it. And how amazing many were -- At the end, both Lee and Lincoln believed the war was God's judgment on our nation (America) for the institution of slavery.

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