A Day In London, 22 June 2015

With hat and umbrella in hand we braved the cold rainy weather and took off for a day in London.  From Lingfield, we rode the train to Victoria Station and then caught the tube from one place to the next.    There were loads of people at each station and on each train.  They were from all walks of life, dressed in all different styles, and speaking all sorts of languages.  It was definitely a smorgasboard of humanity.

Sandwiched in the train.

The steep escalators were fun to ride.  It is amazing how long they are.

 We went to Kensington Gardens and walked to the Peter Pan bronze statue.  It is the very one we have seen in the movie, “Hook.”  On the other side of the path from the statue is the Long Pond and it was filled with beautiful white swans, leisurely swimming and some hoping for a treat from the people on the shore.

Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up.  The bronze was a gift of Sir James Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan, and was placed here 1st May 1912.  The sculptor was Sir George Frampton R.A. 1860-1937.

Swans on Long Pond.

       Our trip to Kensington Gardens was rather interesting as we got off at a station and walked about a mile to the gardens, passing the palace, a monument to Prince Albert, and the Royal Albert Hall.  Last summer I watched the Proms with British saints here at the temple.  It was held in the Royal Albert Hall.  I saw the inside on TV, but not the outside.  The gardens are very extensive and Peter Pan was clear across from where we entered.  It rained the whole time so hat and umbrella came in very handy.  There were other people in the park riding bikes, taking dogs for walks, strolling along, and enjoying the beautiful plants, trees, wildlife, etc.  At one particular tree there were friendly squirrels that scurried in and out of their hole as people offered them treats.  There were also green orangey birds that actually ate treats out of a tourist’s hand and  dove were all around.  It was quite the event to watch.

 Royal Albert Hall

Monument to Prince Albert Consort

 We headed on up the walk from Peter Pan and found an exit from the gardens a short distance away.  The best part was seeing an underground station right across the street!  We could have gotten off there and not be so tired or have taken so much time getting to the statue but we would have missed these sights.  Good thing this was our first stop of the day as we had energy to do it.

Our next stop was Bond Street and the Selfridge & Co. department store.   The store itself is amazingly enormous with four levels including the ground floor.  It sells high end merchandise.  I was hoping to walk away with a yellow Selfridges bag in hand, but the prices were a little steep.

The rain continued to come down on our walk to Selfridges, the building with flags on the roof.

 Harry Gordon Selfridge is an American who came to London and opened the store in the early 1900's.  He was known for his sharp business dealings and care of the customer in making shopping a delight with products out where they could be seen and handled.

We were enjoying cherries we had purchased at a street vender, but our tummies were calling for something more substantial.  We got back on the tube going to Five Guys for lunch.  We had to walk a distance after getting onto the street, only to discover a closer stop by the restaurant.  The food was delicious and we had a nice break from all the walking.

 By now the sun was peeking out here and there and the rain had stopped.  We took the tube to Tower Hill station, just across the street from The Tower of London.  We had found a coupon for two entries for the price of one, which was a money saver.  We enjoyed our time there with walking up and down towers, across the top of the castle walls, and seeing the crown jewels.  The crowns were amazing with their sparkling diamonds, precious stones, and gems.  The fur around the base looked so pure and soft.  I asked what it was and was told it is ermine; white ermine with specks of black in it.  The black is from the tail of a male ermine.  We saw the traveling cases for these royal objects and learned of some of their creations and history.  It was an amazing tour.

The Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat.

The Tower of London is Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress.  It sits on the north bank of the Thames River in central London.

It was begun in 1066 and was used as a prison from 1100 to 1952.

Dad posing with royalty, and Adellae's lizard.

Tower Bridge over the Thames.

It is home to the crown jewels in this building.

Entry to the Crown Jewels.

          We caught the sub to Baker Street where we went to the Sherlock Holmes museum.  

The Baker Street Subway Station is one of the original stations of the Metropolitan line, the world's first underground railway, opened in 1863.  The inside of the station was different from the other stations we have been in.  These benches lined the platforms for travelers to sit while waiting for the train.  The new stations do not have benches; you do a lot of standing.

The museum was closed but the gift shop was open for a few more minutes and we went it.  Oh may, what an assortment of trinkets and all things Sherlock.  

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional character created by Scottish author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  He made 221b Baker Street a famous address from 1881 to 1904 as this was the residence of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson in his books.

Our day was coming to an end so we headed back to Victoria Station where we had dinner then caught the train to Lingfield and drove home.  We got home just before 9 p.m.       

Week #55 and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, 15-21 June 2015

Saturday, when we went out to dinner, we had to wait for a table and while waiting, a couple of men, also waiting for a table, sat down beside us.  One took up a conversation with us, asking where we were from, why we were here, and what have we seen.  We enjoyed talking with him about the church and us being missionaries.  He picked up on that quickly and asked:  "Is he your companion?  The one you take every where with you?"  He knew some about Mormons and we freely conversed back and forth.  He suggested we see the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.  So, Dad started researching and a trip was planned!  We invited the Tooley's to join us and off we went Monday morning.

The Portsmouth Dockyard has its beginnings in 1690 when it was first developed to harbor, repair, and build ships.  Today, we toured the HMS Warrior, built in 1860 for Queen Victoria.  It is the world's first iron-hulled, armored warship, which never fired a shot in anger, yet changed naval warfare forever.

HMS Warrior.  If, in 1860, you were to raise one of her heaviest anchors, each of which weigh 5.6 tons, it would take 4 to 5 hours and could involve 176 men on the capstan.  These anchors were the heaviest in maritime history to be raised manually.

 From the crosswalk out into the harbor.

 There were miles and miles of rope.

 Officer's dining hall when anchored.

 The walls were lined with case after case of rifles and bayonets.

 Funny Dad.

 Cannon ball ready for action.  (Looks like a bowling ball to me.)

 The HMS Victory is the oldest commissioned warship with a full-time Royal Navy crew.  She was laid down 1759 and launched 1765.  After 157 years of service was placed 1922, in her present berth, the oldest dock in the world and restored to her condition AS AT TRAFALGAR.  Nelson and his crew sailed on her into battle and it was on her deck he was mortally wounded and died.

It is from the deck at the battle of Trafalgar that Lieutenant Pasco hoisted Nelson's famous signal "England expects that every man will do his duty."

 Each deck was lined with rows of guns on each side.  Below is one of the original guns on the ship at the battle of Trafalgar.

Nelson's hammock. 

 Crate after crate of rifles and bayonets

 The Poop Deck is above the Captain's quarters and other cabins fitted at the after end of the quarter deck.  It takes its name from the Latin word puppis, meaning the highest and aftermost deck of the ship.  As the highest deck it served the same purpose as the bridge of a modern warship.

What is a ship without rope!

 Ship's bell and drum.

 Cannon ball were in rows everywhere possible on every deck.

Captain's quarters and meeting room with his staff.  Here is where war strategies were planned and carried out.  The ship reminded me of the movie Peter Pan.  This looks like where Captain Hook planned his strategy to out wit Pan and I can see the ship flying through the sky.  It was a fun adventure to be on board.

 We caught the water bus and headed across the harbor to Gosport to tour the Alliance submarine.

 The Spinnaker Tower.

HMS Alliance is the only remaining WW2-era submarine.  We were able to peer through periscopes, walk her very very narrow passageway and see and smell how life was lived under the sea.  I knew immediately this was not the life for me.  I could handle the close quarters for maybe a day and then I would need space- - - -and fresh air!

Back at the dockyard, we took a walk through of the National Museum Of The Royal Navy.  We watched videos of wartime events, saw displays of navy equipment, uniforms, and artifacts, and saw a display of letters written from soldiers home to their sweethearts. 

We were on the early shift at the temple and attendance was low.  We kept busy with what we could do.  We are assigned to home teach the Allen's and they are assigned to teach us and both of us are assigned to teach Sister Smith.  We came up with the idea to have a meal once a month and discuss the lesson.  Tuesday was our first time to do this and we had a great time.  We all put food together with great flavors and enjoyed the lesson.

We also attended family home evening for our shift with a video on Wilford Woodruff and the Walter's putting on another skit.  I worked with Brother Orton on learning a song for a fireside, we met Natalie for hot chocolate, got haircuts, and remembered Elizabeth's birthday. 

We attended a meal for Primary teacher appreciation.  We enjoyed the food and the comments were brief from a member of the bishopric, a member of the stake Primary presidency, and our Primary president.  We learned the purposes of primary are:

1.  Children to know and feel Heavenly Father's love.

2.  Children to learn and understand the gospel of Jesus Christ.

3.  Children to recognize and feel the Holy Ghost.

4.  Children to make and keep sacred covenants.

Tara Austin and her parents were in the temple as they have come to listen to her recital final and take her home to America.  She found us and gave us warm hugs of friendship and goodbye.  We will miss her but we will stay in touch.

Saturday, after shift, we took Sister Bustamante and Sister Smith to a baptism in the ward.  We went early and tried a new restaurant to us - Charlie Choy's World Buffet.  We arrived early so the owner visited with us while we waited for the staff to prep the food.  He noticed our badges and asked about them.  He listened quietly as we explained being missionaries at the temple in Newchapel.  He was intrigued and then asked where we were all from.  He knew we were American but did not guess Wales for Sister Bustamante or New Zealand for Sister Smith.  He is from Kenya, Africa, himself, married to a Scottish woman with their children all born in Scotland.  Food was ready so he showed us around and began filling our plates.  There were many flavors to choose from and delights for our pallets.

 His master chef stir fried up any choice of meat and veggies you could want.  There was a salad bar and a dessert bar.  I had a quarter waffle with maple syrup, chocolate pieces with hot custard on top that melted the chocolate.  Delicious!!

Sister Bustamante, Bob, Barbara.

Sunday was Father's Day.  Bob was recognized with calls, emails, etc from the children.  The Primary children sang two songs at the end of Sacrament meeting and then handed out a treat bag to the fathers.

The bag was inside the shirt.

Shawn and his boys:  Tanner, Riley, Hayden, Mason, and Bailey.