Hampton Court and Abbey Road

Thursday, September 17, 2009

We woke up early today and took the Tube to Waterloo Station where we boarded a train for Hampton Court Palace, Henry VIII’s favorite palace, which is 30 miles outside of London. A lot of major events happened at this palace including, the funeral of his third wife, Jane Seymour, the birth and christening of his son, Edward VI, the arrest of Katherine Howard, Henry’s fifth wife, and the marriage between Henry and his sixth wife, Katherine Parr. The palace is a blend of Tudor and an addition that took place in the early 1700s by William III and Mary II, so it is like two palaces in one. The palace and grounds cover 60 acres of beautifully kept gardens, reflection pools, and a hedge maze. After being at the palace for four hours, we took the train back to London and up to Abbey Road where we got to cross the street at the same crosswalk that the Beatles did for their 1969 album Abbey Road. It was a lot of fun.

“When it’s time to relax, one thing stands clear…”

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

“…beer after beer, if you’ve got the time, we’ve got the beer.” No, we weren’t out drinking all night, that’s just a line from European Vacation. Troy did however wake up this morning with a very bad headache, so we decided to relax and nap for a time in the hotel room. This proved to be a good idea because she started to feel better which enabled us to get out for a nice slow walk through Hyde Park. While walking we decided to have a look at Bill Wyman’s Sticky Fingers restaurant. This ended up being Troy’s favorite food to date. I loved it as well but I’d also enjoyed other places more than her. It was cool being in the booth with Bill’s personal Rolling Stones memorabilia all around us. What we ate was great, but what we saw being served to other people looked amazing, we’re sorry we didn’t have it sooner. Maybe we can have it again tomorrow. One thing we liked was the fact that we got ice in our drinks without having to ask for it. What a concept.

Rain at the Abbey

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Today was the first day we’ve seen rain, so not too bad for the time we’ve spent here. We took the Circle Tube Line around to Parliament and came up right at the foot of Big Ben. Around the corner was our next stop at Westminster Abbey. This is a magnificent Church, and that’s putting in mildly. It holds a massive collection of gravesites and memorials including Queen Elizabeth I, Mary I (known as Bloody Mary), Mary Queen of Scots, King Edward the Confessor, King Richard II, King Henry VII, King Edward VI (Henry VIII only son who died at 16), etc. There were many famous writers and poets such as Dickens, Tennyson, Chaucer, the Bronte Sisters, Jane Austen, as well as scientists Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. It was an amazing site indeed.








After lunch we went up to the British Library because if you know Troy, you know that she loves to visit local libraries in the cities we visit. Only this library was a bit different. We walked in to find a five story steel and glass tower in the middle of the library filled with rows upon rows of books owned by King George III, over 200,000 books and manuscripts. Then into a room where hundreds of historical books and documents were on display. Things like the original Alice In Wonderland penned and illustrated by Lewis Carroll, William Shakespeare writings, Leonardo Da Vinci’s notebook, the Gutenberg Bible, the Magna Carta, Mozart and Beethoven music sheets penned by them, the original lyric sheet by Paul McCartney for “Yesterday”. We had no idea ANY of this stuff was here, so it was a nice little surprise.

The Tower Tour

Monday, September 14, 2009

Well, after we finished our laundry we went back to the hotel to freshen up before off to the Tower of London. The Tower was hosting a King Henry VIII exhibition celebrating his 500 year anniversary. We had a tour with one of the Yeomen (also known as The Beefeaters) who live on the grounds inside the tower walls. In order to be a Yeomen one is required to be a member of the Armed Forces for 22 years along with a bunch of other things. Fantastic tour. Then we explored on our own, first seeing the execution and burial site of Anne Boleyn, which were only a few feet from each other. We also saw the execution and burial sites for many other historical figures. Inside the White Tower was the Henry VIII display where we saw a huge collection of his armor and personal belongings. Then into the Waterloo building to see the Crown Jewels where they have been stored for over 800 years. Next we saw the Bloody Tower where Anne Boleyn along with other famous figures was imprisoned. After leaving the grounds we went out to the River Thames and saw the Tower Bridge draw open to allow a boat to float under right as the sun was setting. Beautiful!

Laundry Day

Monday, September 14, 2009

We are sitting in a laundry facility that has been here since the Romans invaded England. We're on our 4th pound trying to dry the clothes in this ancient dryer. Of nine dryers available, only two are still opperable after all this time.

Thank you everyone for the comments, we've laughed and enjoyed reading them as we move through the days.

Rob & Troy

Happy Birthday, A Journey Through Rural England

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Today is Troy's birthday, and we spent it at Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife. He also visited and spent time here with her as well. The castle is about 30 miles southeast of London, located in Kent. The area is primarily farmland and is very rural. It was great because the grounds were completely open to wander around. The castle had a traditional moat, hedge maze, and beautiful gardens. It required a journey through the London tube, a train, a bus, and then a bit of a trek on foot through rural England. But it was worth it! After spending a few hours and eating lunch at the castle (potato and leek soup for Troy and sausages with carrots and parsnips for Rob, Mmm...), we headed back to London which revealed some miscommunication between us and our bus driver from the morning. We ended up walking 1/2 mile and waiting for 45 minutes at Hever Station which ended up being wrong. We were meant to wait on the corner off the main road rather than what we did. Either way we made it back and got to see some really nice countryside. We then enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner...again.

Fourth Day in Paris, Then Back in London

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Our last day in Paris. We ate breakfast at a French bakery this morning just down the street from our hotel. Best croissants so far. We went to the Musee de Cluny (Museum of the Modern Age) which is a museum of medieval art that is actually in a medieval building. We saw the famous set of The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries among other medieval works. They were made in the late 1400s and are in great condition. Other treasures included coins from 50 A.D. and statutes of Aphrodite from the first century, plus lots of stained glass from the 1100s. After lunch we boarded the Eurostar back to London, this time second class, which was just fine. It's nice to hear English again on a regular basis. We're here again at McDonald's, our free wi-fi connection, both in Paris and London. So far we're having a great time and are in awe of all that we've seen.