Now that I've been home for a couple of days, had some work done by my physical therapist, and had a full body massage today, I am beginning to feel like myself again. I was so excited to be going to London to visit some British historical sites and to get out into the country, but it didn't end up being the best vacation . . . thanks to some serious knee pain. When someone asks me if I had a "fun" time in London, I quite honestly respond, "Nope. Not fun." I got to see the things I wanted to see (almost), but it wasn't without a whole lot of pain.
I had knee replacement surgery in March, and general consensus was that I wouldn't have problems getting around in London in late August. My physical therapist was very pleased with my progress. But not even one hour in London, after a 9.5 hour flight, and it was in excruciating pain. My knee hurt so bad. Every step hurt. I started walking so funny that my right hip started to spasm. It was awful. And if you know London, you know it's huge and there is a lot of walking! The city blocks are so long!
I took an overnight, nonstop flight to London from Seattle, and of course, didn't sleep a wink. I paid a whole lot of money to upgrade my seat to sit in the Premium section (Virgin Atlantic) so I could lay the seat back a little bit further in hopes to sleep better. Two sleeping pills and a seat that cost me way too much and no sleep? Tip: NO MORE OVERNIGHT FLIGHTS! Oh well, Virgin Atlantic is a nice airline to fly and I had decent food and watched a couple of movies.
Upon landing, the plan was to take the Underground from Heathrow Terminal 3 into Central London. Because I couldn't check into my Airbnb until 4:00 p.m. and it was 9:00 a.m. when I landed, I had to have a plan, not only for me, but for my suitcase so I wouldn't have to drag it around all day. Here's a map of the Underground, affectionately called the "Tube."
Each colored line represents a different train line, i.e., Central, Victoria, District, Piccadilly, etc. I was going to take the Piccadilly line east to the Green Park Station then switch to the Victoria line going south to the Victoria Station. Then I was going to walk one long block south (according to Rick Steves and he was so correct!) to the Victoria Coach Station to store my suitcase and backpack for the day. Well, not overly familiar with the tube and it's stations, I ended up hauling my 19 pound suitcase up and down stairs to get to tube stations and to transfer to a different line. Then the long walk to the Coach Station and storage. Somewhere in there it became unbearable to walk because the pain was so bad in my knee. I was drenched in sweat - London was unusually warm and muggy - and limping and in tears. But I thought, "What am I supposed to do? I just have to push through."
 |
| Victoria Underground Station and train station |
After I paid to have my suitcase stored, I walked back to the Victoria Station, took the Victoria Line north to Oxford Circus, got off that line and transferred to the Central Line going west to the Queensway Station where I got off and walked to Kensington Palace. Two things to mention: The Underground sounds complicated when I write it out like this, but it truly is incredibly efficient. I've used the public transit in Paris, New York, and London, and London's system is the best. Signage everywhere. I just wish I would have figured out to look for the "Lift" signs - meaning the elevators! The other thing - the reason I went to Kensington Palace was before I left home I had purchased a Royal Palaces Pass London. This pass would grant me entrance into Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, and the Tower of London (which I never thought of as a palace, but it is). I had time to kill and Kensington was the closest. I was in so much pain and as you can see, I had to do a lot of walking, but hey, what else was I going to do?
 |
Kensington Palace & Queen Victoria Statue
|
Kensington Palace is a royal residence set in set in Kensington Gardens. It has been a residence of the British Royal Family since the 17th century, and is currently the official London residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, meaning Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, and their three children. The state rooms are open to the public so of course I wanted to take a look.
DAY ONE - August 27, 2019
KENSINGTON PALACE
 |
Queen Victoria's emerald tiara & jewels from 1845.
Her husband, Alfred, worked closely with the Queen's jeweler to design the tiara to match the jewelry. |
 |
| Queen Victoria's doll house. She loved collecting and playing with dolls. |
 |
| Queen Victoria's travelling bed. This collapsible bed went everywhere with Victoria when she was on tour. |
 |
| Victoria's blonde lace dress and a portrait of her in the dress as a child. |
 |
| The Kent Apartments. Queen Victoria was born in this room. |
 |
| The throne in the receiving chamber. |
 |
| The gardens were beautiful! |
 |
Kensington Palace as seen from the gold gates. These are the gates where thousands of flowers
were place upon the death of Princess Diana. |
I was so tired, wet with sweat, and my knee was killing me, so I totally crashed on the lawn outside the palace, under the shade of a tree. I just laid there until it was time to head to Brixton and my Airbnb. I took the Central Line from Queensway to Green Park. Transferred to the Victoria Line and got off at Victoria Station. Walked that long block south once again, this time to pick up my luggage, and then hauled it back to the Victoria Station where I got back on the Underground and headed south to Brixton. Then there was the long walk all the way down Atlantic Road to get to the flat. I walked past open air meat markets, some vegetable stands, some fake souvenir shops, a couple of barber shops and a couple of restaurants, and a whole lot of garbage and graffiti. What had I gotten myself into???
 |
| Brixton, according to Google images. A bit different than what I experienced. |
A couple of words have been used to describe Brixton - seedy and trendy. Yeah, okay. Let's put it this way, I won't be staying there again if I go back to London. Maybe some of that has to do with the flat in which I stayed for the week. When I arrived at the flat, I had to stand right next to the door, punch in a number on my cell phone and wait for the sound of the unlocking of the door. I almost cried when I walked in. FIVE steps down and then FIFTEEN more steps up to the flat! Where was THAT information in the listing description? Very narrow staircase going up. My first day in London was turning out to be a nightmare.
 |
| Flat entrance on the far right. |
It looks really nice, huh? And it was really this clean. That rug was not there, but the little coffee table and those two chairs were there. Up against the wall is the Murphy bed that I nearly killed myself pulling down from the wall. I had to move the two chairs and coffee table, and the thing was, there was no where to move them to! It was so small! I did a little furniture rearranging and made it work, but barely had room to walk. What none of the pictures online showed was, just to the left of the little chair is the one window that would open, and it opened right into an alleyway, looking directly at a brick wall. At this point larger chair was in front of the window and I literally had to twist my body around that piece of furniture and stick my head out of the window as far as I could to get a small glimpse of the sky to know what the weather was like. The only other window was in the bathroom. It did not open. In the description of the listing on Airbnb did say that there would be noise from the busy street, and that was no lie. And, the flat is right next to an old school barber shop, straight out of the Barbershop movie, and those guys were loud!
The bathroom was so narrow that when I went to bend to spit my toothpaste out in the sink, my butt would hit the shower enclosure. Speaking of which, the enclosure was only about 1/3 that tall! The shower was one of those hand held showers and because the enclosure window was only about 18 inches high, when I got out of the shower I had to wipe all the water up off the floor and toilet seat. One time I dared to soak in the tub. It was like a mummy in a coffin. That didn't happen again.
So, behind the white cabinet doors is a microwave, small fridge, a very small sink, one drawer of a handful of utensils, a coffee maker, a fancy toaster ("to make eggs and beans" ????), and some shelves with plates and glasses. I could not open the right side of the cabinet all the way (that's where the fridge and microwave were) because when the bed was down and the chairs moved, you just plain couldn't open the cabinet all the way. And that set of dresser drawers? Yeah, that wasn't there. Just a shelf was there, but it was enough for me to put some of my stuff there. Under the shelf were two short bar stools. Was I supposed to eat there? I knew that it didn't have a stove or oven, but I didn't know how much I would miss not having a stove top. All those great meat shops and no place to cook. I had yogurt, Baby Bell cheese, and some frozen dinners in the fridge . . . and lots of cold bottled water. Oh, there was a fan in there, a standing fan. When I picked it up to move it, it fell apart in my hands. I could not figure out how to put it back together so I had to jam the fan part between the corner or the bed and the wall so I could get some cool air circulating when I slept. And for crying out loud! How many ceiling lights do you need in an 8x8 foot box?? There were at least 15 bright lights in the ceiling! Barely any light was coming through the window that faced a brick wall, and there was one small, plastic lamp, about 9 inches tall, that was sitting on the floor. So I had the fan jammed into one corner of my bed and the plastic lamp sitting on another corner of the bed. That first night I could have cared less. I took a shower and crashed on the bed. Not only would I not stay in Brixton again, I would definitely not stay at that flat again. Live and learn. You get what you pay for, I guess.
DAY TWO - August 28, 2019
I had all tours booked before I ever left home. I knew exactly what I wanted to see so I found tours that would work for me. Thank goodness today's tour meant some time on a bus!! But guess what? I had to take the Underground to the Victoria Station and walk to Victoria Coach Station (sound familiar) to get on that bus. By now I was giving directions to other tourists!
WARWICK CASTLE, STRATFORD-UPON-AVON, COTSWOLDS, OXFORD
The last time I was in London (2016) I took a tour to Oxford and didn't have enough time to really see anything or go inside any of the colleges. When I saw this tour online I was pretty excited to also be able to see the other things listed. First stop was Warwick Castle, pronounced WARICK Castle. Took us about an hour to get there and I was so okay with that!
Warwick Castle is a medieval castle developed from a wooden fort, originally built by William the Conqueror during 1068. Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England, situated on a bend of the River Avon. The original wooden motte-and-bailey castle was rebuilt in stone during the 12th century. During the Hundred Years War, the facade opposite the town was refortified, resulting in one of the most recognizable examples of 14th-century military architecture. It was used as a stronghold until the early 17th century. I love original stuff! And I love history. I didn't know much about this castle but I'd heard it mentioned in some historical fiction I had read and on British history mini-series on TV.
 |
| Warwick Castle - Such a cool looking castle! |
 |
| A display in the great hall |
 |
| This desk was made from one piece of oak |
 |
| This scene, carved into the desk, is of Queen Elizabeth I with Robert Dudley |
 |
| Death mask of Oliver Cromwell |
 |
| Queen Anne's bedroom |
 |
| One of Marie Antoinette's little clocks |
 |
| Benoese chandelier |
This really was a cool place to visit. Next up, Stratford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.
 |
| The back side of the original home of William Shakespeare. |
 |
| The kitchen |
 |
When famous people came to visit Shakespeare, they would carve their names into the glass in his bedroom window.
Upper left hand corner of this pane of glass is the signature of Henry Irving, one of many of Shakespeare's actors.
Another famous named carved into another pane of glass - Sir Walter Scott. |
 |
| After Shakespeare had moved to a larger home, his birth home was added upon and turned into a pub and lodging. |
Shakespeare was buried at Holy Trinity Church in Startford-Upon-Avon, but I just didn't have time to walk over there. That was a huge problem with having a bum knee - I walked so slow!
I thought up next was a stop in the Cotswolds to see some of England's most impressive old country homes, with the honey colored walls and thatched roofs. No stopping. In fact, our bus driver barely slowed down while the tour guide just talked about the color of the stone used to build the houses and how expensive it was to have a thatched roof repaired. I was disappointed as were most of the other people on the bus. One of my "took it through the bus window" pictures turned out. It was beautiful countryside though. Gorgeous green rolling hills and farmland.
And finally, Oxford! By this time, my knee was killing me, but I wasn't going to miss Oxford for a second time. Unfortunately, I didn't get any further than I did in 2016. Apparently the tours can only tell you so much and take you to only a few places. Still haven't been inside any of the colleges.
 |
| The Bodleian Library has an underground tunnel leading to this building, the Radcliffe Camera (meaning "room") which houses the Radcliffe Science Library. Not allowed in this building. |
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world. The history and influence of the University of Oxford has made it one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
 |
| Through these ornate gates is the University College where Stephen Hawking attended |
 |
| Sheldonian Theatre, built in 1664. George Frideric Handel performed here in 1733 |
I'm pretty sure I slept on the bus the whole drive back to London. Long day, but learned some really cool history.
DAY THREE - August 29, 2019
Why did I book tours almost every day, back-to-back tours?? Because I did it before and it wasn't a problem. This time, because of the knee pain, it really took it's toll. Getting up early, walking to the tube station, walking to where the tour met, walking around the sites . . . I felt like I was getting beat up. But I kept pushing forward because I was in London and everything was all paid for. No stopping now.
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
In 2016, I did not get to go inside Westminster Abbey so I knew this was a "must see" for me. Thank goodness I did get to see "Big Ben" back then because this time it was all covered in tarps and scaffolding. Renovation not to be completed until 2021. I felt bad for people who came to see it and couldn't.
 |
Early morning shot of the completely covered tower of Big Ben
|
What I did learn this time was that Big Ben is the name of the bell in this bell tower. The name of the tower is the Elizabeth Tower, after Queen Elizabeth I. This whole time I thought the tower was called Big Ben. Bet you did too! As well as Westminster Abbey, I was a little interested in seeing some of the government buildings. The Elizabeth Tower is not a part of Westminster Abbey; it's a part of the parliamentary building. And the whole complex sits right next to the River Thames.
So, no pictures are allowed to be taken inside Westminster Abbey and the Parliament buildings. I'm just not a big fan of that, so I broke the law and took a few. I also got some of these photos off the Internet so I could show some of the other cool things I saw.
 |
| The beautiful Westminster Abbey. |
The building itself was a Benedictine monastic church until the monastery was dissolved in 1539. Between 1540 and 1556, the abbey had the status of a cathedral. Since 1560, the building is no longer an abbey or a cathedral, having instead the status of a Church of England "Royal Peculiar"—a church responsible directly to the sovereign.
 |
| One of the "stolen" photos to show the stained glass windows and the lights. |
 |
| Such a cool ceiling! |
 |
| Tomb of Mary Stuart |
 |
| To honor Handel who is buried at Westminster Abbey. |
Muzio Clementi is also buried at Westminster. He's my favorite sonatina composer.
 |
| Tomb of Queen Elizabeth I. Buried under her is her half-sister, Mary (Bloody Mary) |
 |
| The REAL coronation chair. It was behind bars. |
 |
| There was no room to actually bury Stephen Hawking in Westminster Abbey, but there was room for a placard and his ashes lay beneath. |
 |
| And Stephen Hawking is buried right next to Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin. |
Westminster Hall is the oldest building on the Parliamentary estate. What makes it such an astonishing building is not simply its great size and the magnificence of its roof, but its central role in British history. In and around the Hall, grew up the major institutions of the British state: Parliament, the law courts and various government offices. Closely involved in the life of the nation since the 11th century, a journey through the Hall's past is a journey through 900 fascinating years of our history. This is where we met with a parliamentary worker to take us on a "political" tour. Kind of a heated time in England right now with Brexit and all. These are not my pictures because I could not "sneak" good pictures of these two rooms.
 |
| House of Commons - voted officials like our US Representatives |
 |
| House of Lords - more like our Senators. You have this position until you die. |
How about ending the day at a London pub eating English style fish 'n chips? Sounded good to me!
 |
| I'd like to know the reasoning behind mushy peas with fish 'n chips. Yuk! |
DAY FOUR - August 30, 2019
I had no tours planned for this day and instead of staying in and resting my knee, I took a look at my "if time" list. I just couldn't fathom staying in that claustrophobic little flat for a whole day, a nice sunny day at that. And I couldn't ice my knee because once I finally got the very stuck little freezer door open, all I saw was one big block of freezer ice. Oh brother. I just couldn't stay in. Took some pain medication and went out on my own. I ended up at the British Museum. Yep, found my way there on the tube without any prior planning.
BRITISH MUSEUM
The British Museum, in the Bloomsbury area of London, is a public institution (i.e. FREE to the public) dedicated to human history, art and culture. Its permanent collection of some eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence, having been widely sourced during the era of the British Empire. It documents the story of human culture from its beginnings to the present. It was the first public national museum in the world. It was amazing! Unbelievable! Made me want to buy a book about world history . . . so I did! You cannot see everything there is to see in this museum in just one day. I looked up the top 20+ things to see in the museum and then saw a whole lot more as I traveled from one gallery to another, from one exhibit to another. This was the map I was working with -
You can see that often times you had to go through a few galleries to get to the gallery you wanted to get to. And this is just the ground floor! There is an upper floor and there is also a lower floor. It was amazing and I got lost for the first couple of hours. Then I was able to navigate more intelligently. Way too many pictures to post, so I'll just put in a few of my favorite, mostly the "things to see" pictures. First up - the outside and the grand entrance hall.
 |
I arrived about 15 minutes after the museum opened and there was already a line.
The line moved pretty fast; it would have moved faster but everyone had to go through a security check. |
 |
| You enter the museum and are blown away from the get go. It is amazing! |
 |
The Lion of Knidos from the southwest coast of Turkey.
Dates back to 370-350 BC |
 |
| Bust of King Amenhotep III - 1390-1352 BC |
 |
| The Rosetta Stone is a granodiorite stele discovered in 1799 which is inscribed with three versions of a decree issued at Memphis, Egypt in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty on behalf of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes. The top and middle texts are in Ancient Egyptian using hieroglyphic and demotic scripts, while the bottom is in Ancient Greek. The decree has only minor differences among the three versions, so the Rosetta Stone became key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs, thereby opening a window into ancient Egyptian history. So many people were crowded around this exhibit. |
 |
| The museum has held the Hoa Hakananai’a – one of the most spiritually important of the Easter Island stone monoliths - for 150 years. The governor of Easter Island is begging to have it back, saying that it was taken by an English frigate without permission. It was carved over 800 years ago. |
 |
Turquoise mosaic of a double headed snake - Mixtec, Aztec
This picture doesn't do it justice. The tiny turquoise mosaic pieces are a much brighter color |
 |
At this point I was totally lost. I rounded a corner and there were two of these giant things!
From the palace of Khorsabad, built for the Assyrian king Sargon II - 721 - 705 BC |
 |
Parthenon Marbles - rooms filled with these 2,500 year old sculptures from Athens.
Lord Elgin brought these back to England and now Greece wants them back.
I don't know if they were taken illegally or not, but the museum is not considering giving them back. |
 |
| Lion hunting in Assyria was the sport of kings. This sculpture dates back to 645-635 BC |
 |
This was not on anyone's must see list, but I loved the woodcarving on the sides.
It's called a citole and dates back to around 1300. |
 |
| The Lewis Chessmen. I love the way the queen looks so bored. The pieces are carved walrus ivory and they were found off the Isle of Lewis, Scotland |
 |
| I fell in love with this portrait of St. Peter. Shows him as the man he was. |
 |
| This is a clock. It's about the size of a small microwave! Very intricately carved figures. |
 |
| The Sutton Hoo helmet, one of only four complete helmets to survive from Anglo-Saxon England. |
 |
| Tiny pieces of very thin wood with Roman cursive writing dating back to 100 AD |
 |
| Part of the Oxus Treasure, found close to the River Oxus on the border of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. The treasure dates from around the 4th or 5th century BC. This is very small, about the size of a small lime. |
 |
| A Royal Game of Ur. According to the Bible, Abraham was from Ur. This is an example of a game that was played all over the Near East for about 3,000 years. It dates back to 2,600 - 2,300 BC |
 |
| The room where the mummies were displayed was packed every time I walked through it. What's with people loving dead people? It was pretty cool. Almost everything was behind glass for temperature control purposes. This is the mummy of Katabet from about 1300 BC |
 |
| I accidentally walked into this room and was surprised to see a full set, an original full set of Samurai armor. |
 |
This is called the Portland Vase, name after the Duke of Portland who owned it.
It's a rare example of Roman glass done in the cameo style. Around 18 BC to 25 AD |
 |
| Not on any list of must sees, but I was drawn to this case because of the colors. This little guys are just a little bit taller than your run-of-the-mill green plastic army man. They are blue glazed shabtis of the high priests of Amun and members of their families. These guys were placed in graves and were said to be called upon in the afterlife to do manual labor for the dead person with whom they were buried. 1070 - 925 BC |
 |
Tara, goddess of compassion
|
I took so many more pictures because I just found everything to be absolutely fascinating. I broke up the day with lots of rests and the best meal I had while in London in the Great Court Restaurant on the upper floor of the museum. The British Museum is a MUST SEE (if you like history and museums).
DAY FIVE - August 31, 2019
WINDSOR CASTLE WITH FISH 'N CHIPS LUNCH
 |
| Beautiful stained glass windows |
 |
| The Queen Mum and her husband George VI. This George is the one who became King when his brother Edward abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson. This King George is the one "The King's Speech" is based on. He's the father of the current Queen Elizabeth. The stone leaning against the wall is Princess Margaret's headstone. Don't know why it's not in the ground yet. |
 |
| King Edward and Elizabeth Woodville |
 |
And here is why I came - beneath this slab lies the body of King Henry VIII, his favorite wife Jane Seymour.
People were just walking over the top of it. One lady walked right over it as I was trying to sneakily take this picture. Then I heard that same lady asking one of the ushers "Where is Henry VIII buried?" I said, "You walked right over him." |
Lunch at the pub back in London was good. I sat and talked to a young couple who had also gone on the tour. They were from Florida, which was about to get slammed by Hurrican Dorian, and were in Europe for the first time. She showed me their itinerary and she plans trips just like I do, maybe even more detailed. Really nice people.
After lunch I walked to Buckingham Palace. I'm glad I went. The Palace only opens up to the public twice a year. And I sure don't know why, unless it's because they want you to buy the books and postcards in the gift shop, but no photos were allowed in Buckingham Palace. Here are some Google images of some of the things I found impressive -
 |
| I walked up this beautiful staircase to start my tour |
 |
| This one is called the Grand Staircase. Lots of important people have walked up this staircase. |
 |
| Really cool old piano |
 |
| The Throne Room of Buckingham Palace. The throne in the forefront was Queen Victoria's throne. |
 |
| The White Drawing Room. That huge chandelier reflected in that big gold mirror. Beautiful! |
Another long day, long tube ride back to Brixton, and a long walk to the flat. Stopped off at Stainsbury's to get a frozen dinner. Yummy. Actually, it was pretty good bacon mac & cheese!
DAY SIX - September 1, 2019
I was so looking forward to this day. I wanted to get out of the busy city and see something I hadn't seen either time I was in England - the coast! Today's tour was to the White Cliffs of Dover and Canterbury. Had a good nap in the bus.
WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER AND CANTERBURY DAY TOUR
Dover is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury. The cliffs overlooking the channel are white because they are made up of chalk. Dover castle, port, and lighthouses were critical defenses against various attackers, most notably the French during the Napoleonic Wars, and the Germans in World War II. It's only 21 miles across the English Channel to Calais, France.
You can't just get off your bus or out of your car and see the white cliffs (darn!). You have to hike. You can go as far as the South Foreland Lighthouse, but our tour guide said you have to really "book it" to get there and back in the time allotted. Well, "book it" was far from happening for me, so I just decided to go until I could see the lighthouse and then find a place to settle down for a picnic lunch. My pictures of the lighthouse didn't turn out, so I found one online. It's quite a walk out to actually get the best views of the cliffs, but definitely worth the walk!
 |
The Port of Dover. I saw some pretty big ships going in and out of here. Also saw two cruise ships docked here.
This is also the Dover to Calais ferry terminal. |
 |
| My first glimpse of white cliffs and the trails to get out there. |
 |
| Getting closer! |
 |
| My picnic spot. I sat right on the edge of the cliff and listened to the waves splashing on the shore. |
 |
| Pretty awesome! |
 |
| South Foreland Lighthouse |
 |
| Dover Castle |
If you didn't want to walk out to the cliffs you could be dropped off at the castle and do a tour. I was not going to miss the white cliffs! After walking up and down, over stones and gravel and chalk, we all got back on the bus and headed to Canterbury.
Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. It forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the cathedral of the Archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the Church of England and symbolic leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion. And get this - you could take all the pictures you wanted inside this cathedral, except during the service and in the crypt.
 |
The greenish colored Jesus in the middle was added much later than the original
entrance gate to the cathedral, and is in a completely different architectural/art style. |
 |
| Canterbury Cathedral |
 |
| I loved all of the stained glass windows. |
 |
| The color of this one is magnificent. |
So, Henry II appointed his good friend Thomas Becket to be the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, believing that he'd have Beckett in his pocket when it came to decision making. But Thomas Becket took his new appointment very seriously and he began to have conflict with King Henry II over the rights and privileges of the Church. At one point, King Henry was heard to say "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" Four knights interpreted this to be a royal command and assassinated Becket in the most brutal way. Becket died a martyr and a beautiful, jeweled shrine was place on the floor in the picture of above. But, when King Henry VIII was trying to abolish all things Catholic Church related, he had the shrine removed and torn apart. All that stands in the spot now is this candle, in memory of Thomas Becket, who gave his life for his beliefs.
 |
| The Chapel of Saints & Martyrs of Our Time. Beautiful windows. |
 |
The tomb of Edward Plantagenet, the "Black Prince" - 1330 to 1376
His life was full of wars and blood, and he was especially cruel to the French |
 |
| The Chapel of St. Anslem, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 - 1109 |
 |
| The spot where Thomas Becket was assassinated |
 |
| This is the door in which the four knights entered to kill Becket |
 |
| The chapel in the crypt |
 |
| The crypt |
 |
| The cloisters |
 |
| In the middle of the picture, small round structure, is a 12th century water tower |
 |
| The herb garden of the monks |
 |
| Loved this interesting rock - flint stone |
 |
Yes, it is crooked. Painted over the doorway is a quote from Charles Dickens' book Nicholas Nickelby
". . . a very old house bulging over the road . . . leaning forward trying to see who was passing by on the road below." |
 |
The Styx River. What you can't see is the dunking chair which is just over the boat in the distance.
This chair was used to dunk women who were considered to be gossips. |
 |
The big mask on the left is of Christopher Marlowe, and the Christopher Marlowe Theatre is right next door.
Christopher Marlowe greatly influenced William Shakespeare's writing. |
 |
| Geoffrey Chaucer, author of The Canterbury Tales |
 |
| A typical little Canterbury shop. |
DAY SEVEN - September 2, 2019
Today I had originally had an afternoon tour planned, a Rock Legends Tour, which meant I was finally going to get to walk the crosswalk on Abbey Road. BUT, I was just plain and simple in too much pain and decided to take the day off. I never left the flat on this day.
DAY EIGHT - September 3, 2019
This was a free day, but because I took yesterday off and because I had purchased a Royal Palaces Pass, I decided to be adventurous and travel to Hampton Court. It meant walking to the Brixton Underground station, taking the Victoria line north to the Vauxhall station and right across the street from the tube station was the Vauxhall station for the railway. I purchased a ticket to Hampton Court and spent about 30 minutes riding the train. After getting off the train, I walked over a pretty bridge (over the River Thames) and found Hampton Court. That's already a lot of walking when in pain, but this place was huge and there is so much history associated with Hampton Court, that I walked a total of 18,000 steps this day!
Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the borough of Richmond upon Thames. Building of the palace began in 1515 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, a favorite of King Henry VIII. In 1529, as Wolsey fell from favor, the cardinal gave the palace to the King to check his disgrace; Henry VIII later enlarged it. Along with St James' Palace, it is one of only two surviving palaces out of the many the King owned. The palace is currently in the possession of Queen Elizabeth II and the Crown.
 |
| Base Court |
 |
| The Great Hall |
 |
| A Waiting Chamber - waiting to be seen by the King |
 |
| I love the colors in this very old tapestry. I watched a video on how they clean these huge tapestries. It was fascinating. |
 |
There were displays for each one of Henry's wives in this palace. This is where Henry VIII married
his sixth, and final wife, Kathryn Parr |
 |
Very interesting family portrait. Far left, Mary, daughter of Henry & Catherine of Aragon. She was later known as
Bloody Mary for having so many Protestants killed. To Henry's right is Edward, his only son. Jane Seymour is Edward's mother, and she is seated to the left of Henry. Jane Seymour was not his wife when this portrait was painted - Kathryn Parr was. But Henry wanted Jane painted into the family portrait. Far right is Elizabeth, daughter of Henry and Anne Boleyn, who became Queen Elizabeth I. |
 |
| The Royal Chapel. This is where Edward, heir to the throne, was christened. Within weeks, this is where the services were held, with blackened windows, for Jane Seymour's funeral. Edward only lived until he was 16 years old. |
 |
| The ceiling of the Royal Chapel |
 |
| This is the Stone Badge from the original vault of Anne Boleyn's Gatehouse at Hampton Court. |
 |
| Clock Court |
 |
| This incredible display is in a part of the palace that was added and decorated by William III (William of Orange) and his wife, Mary II took the throne in 1689. They commissioned Christopher Wren (who designed St. Paul's Cathedral in London) to build a "new, baroque palace." |
 |
| A whole room displaying guns and swords |
 |
| King Edward's Presence Chamber |
 |
| King Edward III's Privy Chamber |
 |
| King Edward III's Withdrawing Room. Seriously? |
 |
| Look at those awesome smokestacks! |
 |
| The alleyway to King Henry's kitchens. All the food stuff came in carts through this alley. |
 |
| One of several kitchens. Henry VIII was quite the eater! |
 |
| Herbs and spices |
 |
| A real fire was going in this kitchen. It smelled so good! |
 |
KKing Henry's wine cellar. He loved to entertain at Hampton Court. Him and his buddies would go hunting and then
have big feasts - lots of food and "wyne." |
 |
| In the herb garden |
 |
| Outside in the gardens. The white tents were being put up in preparation for a food festival later in September |
 |
| A beautiful picture of Hampton Court from the Gardens |
 |
King Edward III had this bower built in the garden so his wife Mary, and her ladies,
would have a place to visit out of the sun. |
 |
| Pond Gardens. This sunken garden was originally a pond made for Henry VIII |
 |
| Beautiful wisteria wall |
 |
| Part of the largest grape vine in the world. The vine was planted in 1768 for King George III. It produces grapes not for wine but just for eating - "sweet Black Hamburg grapes. Just around the corner from the huge vine was an empty plot of dirt, very well-maintained dirt. Under that dirt lies the root of this vine and they don't want any other plants sucking nutrients away from this grape vine. |
 |
| Some very fancy napkin folding going on here in King Edward III's dining room |
 |
There were a few art galleries at Hampton Court and I just happened across this one.
These are The Triumphs of Caesar painted by Italian Renaissance artist Andrea Mantegna, painted 500 years ago.
King Charles I went to great lengths to purchase these paintings to add to the Royal Collection. He brought them to Hampton Court in 1630 and they've remained here ever since. |
After spending about five hours "at court" I headed back to my flat in London. I was weary and did not look forward to the walking ahead of me, but this beautiful view of the River Thames lightened my weariness. I would definitely put Hampton Court on the list of "must sees" while in England.
DAY NINE - September 4, 2019
Departure day! I was so glad to be going home. The excruciating pain in my left knee put a gray cloud over my adventures the entire time. I did not have fun, but I did get to see some really cool things. Actually, in writing this blog, I'm so glad that I pushed through the pain and did what I planned to do. England is full of so much history. I find it fascinating. BUT, the journey is not over yet. Departure day was hell.
The whole time I was in country, I walked, I took the tube, I walked, I rode on some buses, I walked, and I took three cabs when I just couldn't fathom walking another step. SO, I called and reserved a car service to pick me up at my flat at 8:00 a.m. on this morning and drop me off at the airport. No more hauling luggage on cobblestone sidewalks, up and down stairs and escalators, and over "the gap" on and off the tube trains.
Well, at about 7:00 a.m. my cell phone rang with a number I did not recognize. I almost didn't pick up but thought maybe it was the owner of the flat calling to remind me of something upon departure. Nope. It was the car service informing me that the car they were going to send for me was broken down and they didn't have any other cars to send. I was dumbfounded. I didn't even know what to say. After hanging up I immediately got online and started calling every car service listed in London. NOT. ONE. SINGLE. CAR. AVAILABLE. I spent about 45-minutes researching and calling. I could not connect with an Uber driver after a dozen tries. At this point I was willing to pay 100 pounds to get a car to the airport. And it kept getting later and later and later and I needed to go. I hadn't finished packing because I got up early to finish the last minute stuff, but that time was taken up in calling for a car. I ended up doing exactly what I did not want to do - hauled my heavy luggage down the stairs of the flat, down the street to the tube station, rode one train to a transfer point, got on another tube train that would take me to Heathrow. By the time I got there, got my boarding pass printed and my suitcase checked in, hobbled to the gate, I literally walked right on the plane as it was boarding as I arrived. Not exactly the way I wanted to end my holiday in England, but there you have it. As I did with the whole week, I just pushed through.
I definitely think it's worth it to go to London / England and see the things that I saw. I just wish, for me, it would have been under better circumstances. C'est la vie!
No comments:
Post a Comment