London with Family 2022
In the spring of 2022
the family chanced it with a trip to London. Everything worked out great since
London was at an all-time Covid low.
Staunton
Hotel and B&B – Where they stayed. Only about 500 ft. from the entrance of the British Museum,
so any free hours were spent at the museum.
Regent Street (outside Hamleys Toy
Store.) Just two weeks before Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth
II, there were flags EVERYWHERE!
Near out hotel, Zoe enjoys a climbing ‘sphere.’
British Museum– Afternoon of the first day everyone
[sleepily] did the Europe and UK sections of the British Museum. Here are the
Lewis Chessmen (12th century.) Carol bought Andrew a copy of the berserker
piece; note him (top piece) biting the top of his shield.
British Museum– A Roman bronze
ceremonial helmet (1st to 2nd c. CE.)
Life Goddess Restaurant – Greek and near the hotel;
it became the family favorite.
British Library – The next morning, off to the
Treasures Gallery of really rare books and papers. A bench in
the lobby advocating free speech. Or maybe the
opposite.
British Library – John Lennon’s draft
of ‘In My Life.’
Underground – On the way to the theater they found
this map of the underground. (And more than once!)
Cinderella by Andrew Lloyd Weber –
A really fun show, well done in all ways. It will debut
in NYC soon, with modifications. We’re curious to see what will change.
Cinderella by Andrew Lloyd Weber –
The cast taking a bow. (No pictures of the performance
allowed.)
Petrie Museum – The Tarkhan Dress.
Next day Ron and Carol when to the Petrie [Egyptian] Museum
on the UCL campus. The Tarkhan Dress was
recovered from a pile of linen from the Dynasty 1 (2800 BCE.) Not till 1977
they realize it included a complete garment and it was recovered. It is the
oldest complete garment in the world. Flinders Petrie (1853 – 1942) was a British
Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the
preservation of artifacts. He was the inspiration for ‘Indiana Jones.’ [And
Elizabeth Peters series: Amanda Peabody]
Trafalgar Square – That same morning Andrew, Theresa
and Zoe (ATZ) went to Trafalgar Square and spent a short time in the National
Gallery.
Kew Botanical Gardens – From the Embankment ATZ
caught a Thames cruise boat to Kew Botanical Gardens and back.
British Museum “The World of Stonehenge”– The next
day everyone went over to this spectacular special exhibit. It charted the
changes in art/culture all the way from the stone age
to the iron age. Here a marsh walkway from 3800 BCE (by using dendrochronology.)
British Museum “The World of
Stonehenge” – Part of the famous Seahenge, 2049 BCE.
British Museum – The ladies enjoyed a traditional
British Cream Tea for lunch.
British Museum – The pediment from
the Parthenon. Ron was really looking forward to
taking Zoe to the British Museum.
British Museum – A tomb carving
from Roman Syria (50-270 CE) with distinctive headdress.
British Museum – A restored lyre.
5th or 4th BCE. There’s a naked turtle out there
somewhere.
Westminster Abby Store – The next day Andrew and Ron
visited the Westminster Abby Store. Business was slow, so in 1245 CE King Henry
III built an abbey to attract business. And so he did. The Abbey is the burial
site of more than 3,300 people.
Westminster Abby – Andrew found something older than
Ron – Britain’s oldest door, 1050 CE.
Westminster Abby – Poets corner.
(Composer George Handel on the wall behind. Decomposing.)
The London Eye – After WA, Andrew and Ron joined
Theresa and Zoe at the London Eye. (Carol was on a Bible quest at the British
Museum. More later.)
The London Eye – Ron and Zoe with
Westminster and Big Ben behind. To the very right is
the Royal Guards practicing for the Jubilee.
Garden Museum – From the Eye, ATZ went to Garden
Museum, a former church and is Britain's only museum of the art, history and
design of gardens.
Churchill War Rooms – From the Eye, Ron visited the
underground bunker used in WWII. Pictured is Churchill’s bedroom.
British Museum– Carol spent the day with the book
“Biblical History in the British Museum.” She found most of the items in the
book. This tablet chronicles the Nebuchadnezzar capture of Jerusalem in 597
BCE.
Bath – The Roman Baths. Next day Andrew, Theresa and
Zoe (ATZ) were off to the east on a bus tour.
Stonehenge – Then ATZ got a full hour inside
Stonehenge, after normal hours. (A panorama.)
Stonehenge – Zoe showing everyone that Stonehenge is
really not that big.
Lacock – Then ATZ visited the village of Lacock.
Here a treadmill for a dog to turn meat. [dog spit]
Soane Museum – While ATZ were touring, Ron and Carol
went to Sir John Soane Museum. Here is one of the three Canaletto’s in the
small museum. Sir John Soane (1753 –1837) was an English architect [Bank of
England Building] and professor and collector.
Soane Museum – A particularly fine
crossbow.
Soane Museum – Completely unexpected was a
sarcophagus of Seti I, the father of Ramses the
Great!
Jubilee Market – The next day Ron got up before
breakfast to go to the antique day at the Jubilee Market. He found many neat
gifts for Christmas.
Covent Garden Market.
On the way back he passed the famous, but empty, Covent Garden Market. (More later.)
British Museum– After breakfast Ron, Carol and
Theresa went back to the British Museum. Here a tomb painting of “Nebamun
Hunting in the Marshes.” Ron and Carol liked it so much they got a print for
their newly painted bedroom.
Covent Garden Market – Ron talked Carol and Theresa
in to going there instead of Harrods’s to eat and shop. Both were able to find
something in the Apple Market antiques.
Covent Garden Market – Most of the other shops there
were very up-scale, but Carol was able to find a 99 pound chocolate copy of
Westminster Tower. (That is weight, not cost.)
The London Museum – Meanwhile Andrew and Zoe went
here. Shown is a medieval badge of the Virgin Mary from Canterbury. (More of Canterbury later.)
The London Museum – Face pots. Popular
1st to 3rd c. CE. Andrew was the model for this one.
The Tower of London – The next day Andrew, Theresa
and Zoe toured the Tower of London.
The Tower of London – Here one of
the famous ravens somehow ended up on Zoe’s shoulder.
Victoria and Albert Museum – The
same day Ron and Carol did the V&A. Here a staircase from France c. 1520s.
[Guessing it was colorfully painted originally.]
Victoria and Albert Museum – An
amazing two-part altarpiece from Italy, c. 1530s.
Breathtaking carved wood. The standing figures are about 12” tall. [Guessing it
was colorfully painted originally.]
Victoria and Albert Museum – As Ron and Carol were
eating their lunch on the patio the sky opened up and rain, wind and then hail
sent everyone else running. Some of the hail bounced off the ground and went
down Carols back, defying the laws of physics.
20 Fenchurch Street – To the right is the skyscraper
nicknamed "The Walkie-Talkie.” The Sky Garden is on top. It is free to
visit, but you must get tickets well in advance, but Andrew did. (Internet photo.)
The Sky Garden – All the family visited. Here a
selfie looking north to the other skyscrapers.
The Sky Garden – Ron took this picture of Tower of
London and Tower Bridge.
Canterbury – Westgate. The next day everyone took a
high speed train out to Canterbury. Westgate was started in 1370 and is one of
the finest surviving gates in Britain.
Canterbury – St. Augustine’s Abby ruins. The abbey
was founded in 598 and functioned as a monastery until its dissolution during
the English Reformation. It was originally created as a burial place for the
Anglo-Saxon kings of Kent.
Canterbury – St. Augustine’s Abby ruins. Carol and the one remaining wall. St. Augustine was the
first Christian missionary to England. [Not to be confused with St. Augustine
of Hippo, the church father.]
Canterbury – Tiny Tim’s Tea Room. Tea
again. This time Theresa had the usual Cream Tea, but Carol got ‘High’
tea. (Why is it shorter?) Andrew got a Gentlemen’s tea with an ale, Welsh
rarebit and spice cake. (Ron got a salad.) In the middle of eating, a gentleman
came in a played the piano behind them. What an experience!
Canterbury Cathedral – One of the most important centers
of pilgrimage in Medieval England. There has been a cathedral at Canterbury
since 597. Current structure largely rebuilt in the Gothic style following a
fire in 1174.
Canterbury Cathedral – Flat St. Jerome joined us at
the place Thomas Becket was murdered by Henry II knights in 1174.
Canterbury Cathedral – Chapter
House. 14th c. The
largest in England.
Canterbury [return] – Andrew and family shopped in
many of the Canterbury charity shops. Andrew picked up this hat and sport coat
for the next day. Cost £9.
Chelsea Garden Show* – The dates for the trip were
picked so Andrew and Theresa could go to this. Dating from 1862, it has wowed
visitors with gorgeous floral displays and stunning gardens, all installed in
19 days.
* The Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower
Show
Chelsea Garden Show – They got to see the filming of
one of their favorite gardening shows. (Ask Andrew about the ‘B’ roll.)
Chelsea Garden Show – Another fine garden.
Science Museum – While A&T
were living it up at the garden show, Ron, Carol and Zoe went here. This is one
of their many huge steam engines that Ron remembered from the 1970s that Ron
wanted to see again. It was a great museum, not turned in to a series of video
games like many others.
Science Museum – Puffing Billy.
The oldest surviving steam railway locomotive in the world.
One of Carol’s favorites. (She's really is not a
foamer.)
Science Museum – Greek Technology
Special Exhibit. A dual flute called an ‘aulos’ from 332-395 BCE. Note the flutes have different
scales.