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.

Third Day in Paris, Can I Get Some Ice With That?

Friday, September 11, 2009

Apparently, Paris has an aversion to putting ice in drinks, even when it is specifically requested (thanks for the heads up, Jen). Today we had a nice little breakfast of oj, coffee, tea, and bread at the hotel. Then we took the Metro to Pere La Chaise cemetery which is several hundred years old. Our main reason for going was to visit the grave of Jim Morrison from The Doors. It was a very somber experience. We had hoped that the bust of Jim would be on the gravestone, but it had been removed because of vandalism, so it didn't look like the image we had grown up with. We went on to visit the grave of Oscar Wilde to find that it has been kissed hundreds of times by women wearing red lipstick. We then decided to try a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch which is not the same as a ham and cheese back home. Notre Dame Cathedral was next. It is probably the biggest and most impressive church we have ever been in. It made you feel very small, which is the intention. We lit candles and sat and enjoyed the silence. We got to see two different parts of Paris today- the theatre district and the Latin Quarter, both which we really liked. After Notre Dame, we stopped by the Shakespeare and Co. Bookstore, which is the Paris extension of City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco. Tons of famous writers hung out there. We ended the day at a cafe where Troy tasted her first cappuccino.

Second Day in Paris, Musee de Louvre

Thursday, September 10, 2009

We woke up feeling great for the hike through the Louvre. Which is a good thing because we spent six hours there and saw 3/4 of the museum. The biggest surprise was turning a corner and seeing Venus de Milo down a long, empty marble hall. Empty because we were among the first to arrive. As you can imagine, walking through the Louvre is like walking through an art history book. At every turn are master works of art where you find yourself saying, "Oh, my God, that's..." Napoleon III's state rooms were the gaudiest (but spectacular) we've seen to date. After the Louvre, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower in the daytime so we could take the trip up to the top. It was very windy and very cold, but what a view! After another Italian dinner (thanks for the tip, Robin), we relaxed back at the hotel, exhausted.

First Day in Paris, Cigarettes and Gypsies

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Anyone want a gold ring? It's so funny, the gypsies walk up to you clearly with a gold ring in their hand, bend down in front of you as if they're picking it up off the ground, and hand it to you asking if it is yours. Twenty-five feet later it happens again. This happened a total of three times on one bridge crossing the Seine. Ah, Paris. We were also approached several times at the Eurostar station, but they had a different approach there, no gold ring. By the way, the Eurostar train ride was fantastic sitting in first class. Musee de Louvre- fail. We entered under the glass pyramid to wait in line for tickets but decided we were too tired, so we left to take a nap. We ate dinner at a cafe- roasted chicken, salad, and French fries, then took the Metro to the Eiffel Tower. Wow. Beautiful at night. Had a crepe from a street vendor, delicious. Headed back to the hotel to watch the BBC Worldwide news loop (every 20 minutes). It's nice to hear talk about American politics not skewed in any direction. Oh, yes, the cigarettes. Pretty much everywhere you go it smells of the Mason Jar on a Friday night. Everyone smokes. Ah, Paris.

Note to future Paris travelers, avoid Quick at any cost.

London Day 3, Our 12 Hour Tour

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

We started off the day with Starbucks, completely ignoring our free hotel breakfast then boarded a tour bus to Windsor Castle, 20 miles west of London. This so far has been the most impressive thing we've seen. The sheer size of Windsor is awe-inspiring, not to mention more works of art- by Da Vinci, Ruebens, Holbein, Bruegel, etc. with beautifully painted ceilings and much more tasteful decoration than Buckingham Palace. On the same grounds of Windsor, inside St. George's Cathedral, we stood over the grave of Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour. We ate lunch at an authentic English pub sitting out in the countryside. The bangers and mash weren't as good as we hoped they'd be. On to Stonehenge- an incredible feeling to be standing next to a 5,000 year-old structure. The last part of the day was spent visiting the ancient Roman baths in the city of Bath. We'd love to go back and visit here for days. Every building in the city is built with honey-gold colored local stone, giving it a majestic feel. The city was a vision right out of a painting.