Needless to say, some things have been marked off for various reasons and some have been added as I learned more about this great country teeming with history. And, we have undoubtedly gone and done way more than is on my list!
Things I Want To Do In England (June 2014)
Stand on the White Cliffs of Dover.
Visit the Lake District.
Visit Harry Potter Studios.
See changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace.
Visit Downton Abbey (Highclere Castle).
Visit Isle of Wight.
Go to the House of Commons.
See the stones at Stonehenge.
Visit Chatsworth House (Pimberly in Pride & Prejudice).
Tour Windsor Castle.
Go to Wales.
Go to Ireland.
Tour 221b Baker Street (Sherlock Holmes).
Climb the Big Ben Tower.
We headed off to London on the train, took the subway, and then walked out and around the corner to Portcullis House to begin the adventure.
The events of today completed my list as we climbed the Elizabeth Tower, stood behind the clock dials, toured the clock room to see how it operates, and stepped onto the 334th step into the belfry of the tower! We were in the presence of greatness with Big Ben hanging proud and stout in the middle with the four quarter bells hanging from each corner.
We stood in front of the clock in the clock room. The wheel to the right operates the quarter bells. The one in the middle is the clock and the one to the left operates Big Ben.
We stood here in this walkway behind the dial.
You can see the end of the hammer to the right of Big Ben. We had ear defenders in when it struck 12 times! It was an exciting experience to be in the belfry and see and hear the workings of the bells.
The Great Clock's pendulum swings every two seconds. Weights, including some pre-decimal pennies, sit on a small tray attached to the pendulum rod allowing fine adjustments to be made. Adding one old penny causes the clock to gain two-fifths of a second in 24 hours. We were able to see the tray laden with pennies. It is an impressive thought that a small penny keeps this massive clock accurate.
After our tour, we were hungry and caught the subway to Five Guys. Mr. Hall was sitting at this, the only empty table when we arrived and Dad asked if we could join him. He politely agreed, we got our orders, and settled in. Conversation began with where are you from, why are you here, what do you do, etc. It was the perfect way to enjoy a delicious meal. We got to know him and he got to know us. When all was said and done and he had to get back to work, he asked if he could get a picture with us because, "No one will believe me when I tell them why I am late for work. I want proof!"
We learned that Mr Hall has been to Temple Square and the Visitor's Center in Salt Lake but has not seen the London Temple. He is in the TV industry and we got into discussing TV series, actors, shows, plays, and more. In the end I gave him a pass along card with my name and email on it and he gave me his email. On an off chance he may be important, I did a google search. See what I found at
http://www.edmundhall.com/Companies.html
Our next stop was the Imperial War Museum and Churchill War Rooms, the underground headquarters that sheltered Churchill and his wartime government during the Blitz. the place where Winston Churchill and his crew managed the war. The rooms buzzed with stories and displays of strategies and secrets. We enjoyed our tour and our stop at the gift shop. More magnets for the frig!
The day was coming to an end and we were tired so we headed to the train station to make our way home. We found four young missionaries on our way and had a brief chat. Sister Quinn is from Chandler, AZ, and was happy to find fellow Arizonans. While waiting for the train in the station, Sister Stewart and Sister Cannon appeared. They are from the mission home and had been out Christmas shopping. We had a great time talking, sharing our day's adventures, and riding home together. You see, this was the perfect day to be away as the electricity on the temple grounds was off from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. for maintenance.
Bob, Barbara, Carolyn & Jackie Orton
The dials of the clock are cleaned once every five years. Window cleaners are suspended for the cleaning and it takes them about a week to clean all for dials.
We were getting ready for the picture we got a Bobby to take for us. We are standing in the courtyard of Parliament.
We learned that Mr Hall has been to Temple Square and the Visitor's Center in Salt Lake but has not seen the London Temple. He is in the TV industry and we got into discussing TV series, actors, shows, plays, and more. In the end I gave him a pass along card with my name and email on it and he gave me his email. On an off chance he may be important, I did a google search. See what I found at
http://www.edmundhall.com/Companies.html
Our next stop was the Imperial War Museum and Churchill War Rooms, the underground headquarters that sheltered Churchill and his wartime government during the Blitz. the place where Winston Churchill and his crew managed the war. The rooms buzzed with stories and displays of strategies and secrets. We enjoyed our tour and our stop at the gift shop. More magnets for the frig!
The day was coming to an end and we were tired so we headed to the train station to make our way home. We found four young missionaries on our way and had a brief chat. Sister Quinn is from Chandler, AZ, and was happy to find fellow Arizonans. While waiting for the train in the station, Sister Stewart and Sister Cannon appeared. They are from the mission home and had been out Christmas shopping. We had a great time talking, sharing our day's adventures, and riding home together. You see, this was the perfect day to be away as the electricity on the temple grounds was off from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. for maintenance.
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