Trip to Scotland - Day 10

#JungDeVaultGreatAdventure

This was a little slower paced day.  We left our flat around 10 AM.  We took the tube to Westminster Abbey first.  We toured the abbey.  It was so beautiful.  The intricate details on the walls, ceilings, and even the floors made for one of the most beautiful places we have ever seen.  We felt like we had seen some of the inside of the Abbey before due to watching the wedding of Kate and William.  But to add to that beauty the history behind the tombs, the stones, the plaques, etc. made for a very illuminating experience.  Next, we took the tube up to the Tower of London.  We ate lunch at the Pizza Express, where we all had a really good lunch.  After lunch, we walked down to the Tower of London.  The tower is a huge area that used to house prisons, torture chambers, public beheadings, as well as a chapel and living places for dignitaries.  We also got to see the Crown Jewels that were used in coronation ceremonies for the Queen and previous monarchs.  The elaborate designs of the head pieces, swords, robes, and poles that the royals used in these ceremonies were remarkable, especially when you think of the time when they were made.

After we left the Tower of London, we walked down to the tube and went to Green Park.  Once here, we walked down to see St. James Palace.  Unfortunately, the location of the palace on the map didn’t jive with what we saw on the ground.  So we continued walking down to Piccadilly Circus.  This place resembled Times Square in New York City.  It is loud, bright, and lots of people are there.  We walked through the area, walking through the theatre district, and came out around China Town.  We ate dinner at Loch Fyne, which is a seafood restaurant.  The food was pretty good, and was better than the service.  After dinner, we were all tired and we needed to get home to pack to get ready to come back home.

Here are some pictures from the day:

First stop of the day was at Westminster Abbey.

The couples posing with Big Ben.

The outside of the Tower of London.

Inside the Tower of London.

I can tell you I wouldn't want to ever have to go there.

Was Wakefield High School named for this tower?

It looks very pretty nowadays.

Inside the tower, we could see the crown jewels.  However, no pics could be taken.

From the outside of the tower, it exudes the past of London.

Piccadilly Circus.

This British guy is probably not thinking of Brexit.

Another look of the Piccadilly Circus.

The next evening, we got home and look who was waiting for us.

Trip to Scotland - Day 9

#JungDeVaultGreatAdventure

Today was one of our first days as a true tourist.  Our plan was to attack London as a typical tourist.  So we started the day by taking the tube up to Central London.  First stop was Traflagar Square.  It was very impressive.  In the distance, you can see Big Ben.  Next, we walked into the National Gallery of Art.  It was very interesting seeing such great works of art.  The most famous painting in the gallery is Sunflowers which was painted by Vincent Van Gogh.  After we left the National Gallery, we walked down the main road.  We strolled past the British Guard of horses as they were changing out the men who were taking up station guards.  We walked by 10 Downing Street, which is the home of the British Prime Minister.  Now, with David Cameron out due the Brexit vote outcome, we just kept walking.  We walked down to see Big Ben and Parliament.  Next, we wanted to go take a tour of Westminster Abbey, but of course it was closed today due for a special movie being made.  After we realized we would need to go back tomorrow to the abbey, we took the tube to Hyde Park.

We had lunch after we got to Hyde Park and then went over to Kensington Park.  In touring the home, we saw a lot of dresses and gowns that the Queen, Princess Diana, and Princess Margaret wore on special occasions.  From Kensington Park, we decided to take a boat ride on the Thames River.  To get there, we had to walk through Hyde Park.  In walking through the relaxing and serene park, we saw the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain, the Albert Memorial, and it finished up at the Wellington Arch.  In the Arch, you could go up onto the balcony and see footage regarding the battle that ended Napoleon’s reign as French emperor when he was defeated by the forces led by General Wellington.
Once we left the arch, we walked back down to the Queen Victoria Memorial and Buckingham Palace which is on the way to the river.  When we were at the palace, Heather was very excited as it was where the public saw William and Kate kiss on the balcony for the very first time.  We walked down to the river and got on a boat to go see the rest of the city.   Due to the time of day, we only could take the boat down to the Tower of London.  We got off and had a nice dinner that overlooked the river.  Then, we took the tube back to the flat where we will rest up for our last day of touring.

Here are some pictures from the day:

We are ready for the day at Traflagar Square.

Outside of the National Gallery of Art.

The most famous painting here...Van Gogh's Sunflowers.

One of the water fountains at Traflagar Square.

Changing of the Guard.

One of the mounted riders.

You won't even believe what I heard in the phone. 

Look kids.  Big Ben, Parliament!

Parliament showing the UK flag.

Selfie with Big Ben.

Westminster Abbey from the outside.

The entrance to the beautiful Abbey.

The side entrance to Kensington Palace.

One of Diana's dresses that Heather would like to have.

The Wellington Arch.

The entrance to Buckingham Palace.

The Queen Victoria fountain.

A wide view of Buckingham Palace by standing near the Queen Victoria fountain.

The Royal Albert Memorial Hall.  Lots of great bands have played here.

Heather posing at the Princess Diana fountain.

Andy is relaxing at  the Princess Diana fountain.

The Princess Diana fountain.

The dreaded double selfie.

The entrance to our flat in London.  

Trip to Scotland - Day 8

#JungDeVaultGreatAdventure

We left our cottage at 5:30 AM.  Heather had gotten up around 4 to take a shower.  Whew, early morning.  We got on the train and it left at 7:30 AM.  We unfortunately had to say good bye to Hamish, who was becoming more than a tour guide to us.  We appreciated everything he did for us.  Once we got to London, we left the train station and went to the Tube and took the Black Line down to Clapham North.  From there, we took a 3 minute walk from the Tube to our house.  It is a nice private flat with a common courtyard.  After getting adjusted, we took Uber to Wimbledon.  It was a drizzly, cool, and overcast day at the Championships.  With all of the rain, we didn’t have to wait in the queue at all.  We walked right up to the entrance, paid only 25 pounds each and got on the grounds.  This was especially awesome.  Unfortunately, the only tennis being played was on Centre Court, which has a retractable roof.  So first one our list was to go find some food as we were all starting to get uncomfortably hungry.  After we ate, we walked around the grounds some and found ourselves at the top of Henman Hill.  Next, we sat down in some stands and watched Novak Djokovic for awhile.  When the rained eased up, we headed up to Court 3 where we watched the end of the Djokovic match on TV while the grounds crew took the tarp off.  We watched a couple of sets between the 8th seed Dominic Thiem and Florian Mayer.  Almost as good as the tennis was watching the ball boys and girls.  It was a little slippery so you had some spills.  They were very talented though in their jobs.

Next we walked to between a smorgasbord of courts and saw Michael Youzney, Sloane Stephens, and Donald Young all playing at the same time.  Really cool.  About then, the rain started coming down again.   So we quickly walked into the gift shop before they suspended play.  We got a couple of small items before we left.  After we left the gift shop, we decided to just get into the tube and go home.  We all stopped off at the restroom, which for everyone was under centre court.  I decided to walk the long way back.  I stopped by a section that had a line of people in it.  I asked the steward if during the next changeover if I could run up the steps and take a quick picture and come right back down.   He said that I could go watch a couple of games if I want to.  So I told him that I would be right back.  I went back and got the rest of us and brought everyone to the same section.  He told us to hang tight and he would tell us when to go in.  So that is what we did.  We all walked up and Centre Court was there in front of us.  It was amazing.  It was half full for a 2nd round women’s match between Bencic and Pironkova.  We watched 5 games.  It was so awesome.  We just sat there and just sucked up the entire atmosphere.  The roof was closed but we in the sacred cathedral of Centre Court at Wimbledon.   I had no real thoughts of ever watching a match from Centre Court.  I just wanted a picture.  But then out of the blue, he offers to let us watch a match.  I didn’t get the name of the gentleman but we are indebted to him for that thrilling experience.    Needless to say, that made everyone’s day a complete success.

Here are some pictures from the day at Wimbledon:

Welcome to Wimbledon.

Heather by the big tennis ball.

Craig and Heather by the big tennis ball.

Craig and Heather at Henman Hill.

All four of us at Henman Hill.

Cool to watch a match on Henman Hill.  It would be crazy if Murray was playing.

Court 3.  The ball boys and girls were as good or better than the match.

First round matchup of  #8 seed Thiem vs. Mayer

Waiting for the match to start on Court 3.

Panoramic of how close Court 4 and 5 were.  

Sloane Stephens of the USA getting ready to serve.

What is Wimbledon without a little strawberries and cream.

Yes, that is at Centre Court.  Holy moly!

The roof was on for the last match of the evening.

That shocked look on our face.  From the cathedral of golf to the cathedral of tennis in 48 hours.  Not too shabby.

We just left Centre Court.  Love Wimbledon!