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.