London - Free Afternoon and Dinner at Rules - 6/25/2013

After lunch, the group separated for a free afternoon. Yesterday, the girls had high tea at the top of the National Portrait Gallery. It was convenient to where we were located, so Anne and I decided to go get some more culture and pay this museum a visit. We both hate to waste any time napping on vacation. Besides, entry to this museum was at the right price - free. As the name implies, the National Portrait Gallery is strictly dedicated to portraits. It houses a collection of portraits of famous British people as well as special exhibits. "It was the first portrait gallery in the world when it opened in 1856." Their pamphlet says that "sitters range from William Shakespeare through to Amy Winehouse", but we didn't see either of these. We did, however, see the BP Portrait Award 2013 exhibit that showcases new portrait artists from around the world. BP had enough money left over from cleaning up the USA Gulf Coast to sponsor this exhibit - a lot less costly and good public relations. Exhibited were some pretty cool paintings by some very talented young artists.
We also went next door to visit the National Gallery, but didn't linger long. Both galleries are located adjacent to Trafalgar Square. Since the weather was perfect, we walked across the street and hung out in the square for a while. The name commemorates the Battle of Trafalger, a critical British victory over France during the Napoleonic wars. In the center of the square sits a 170 foot column with a statue of Admiral Horatio Nelson, the Trafalger hero who was also killed in this battle. Good people watching since this is one of the main tourist attractions of central London.
There are a number of Plinths (concrete statue bases) surrounding the square. Most have statues of famous and little know historical figures; however, there is one, until 1998, that was empty. Known as the "Fourth Plinth" it has been used since that time to show a series of specially commissioned artworks. "The scheme was initiated by the Royal Society of Arts and continued by a Fourth Plinth Commission, appointed by the Mayor of London. I don't recall what was there on this day, but the artworks have often been controversial. Less than a month after we were to leave London, a headline on July 25, 2013, in the London news paper, The Guardian, would read, "Big Blue Cock Erected on Fourth Plinth in London's Trafalgar Square." Those Londoners have a special talent for a well-crafted tabloid headline. The accompanying article by Charlotte Higgins states, "There is simply no other way of putting it, and nor would earthy British wit have it any other way. A giant bright-blue cock - its feathers proudly upstanding, its coxcomb as still as a pennant in the breeze - has been erected in Trafalgar Square, London, and no double entendre is too good for it." She goes on "Gleefully feminist, the work pokes amiable fun at the vainglorious statues of men (Nelson, George IV, and generals Havelock and Napier) that surround it in this most imperial of British public spaces." A giant blue rooster sharing the square with all those generals - they must be rolling over in their graves. The artist, Katharina Fritsch, is German. Like the pigeons on the statue of Churchill, this German and another bird served some irony to London.
 Back to June 26th, we have already filled one day with more than enough activity and we still have dinner at Rules tonight.
Rules

"In the year Napoleon opened his campaign in Egypt, Thomas Rule promised his despairing family that he would say goodbye to his wayward past and settle down." I can sympathize with that. He opened an oyster bar in Covent Garden. Mr. Rule's family considered him a loser, but to their surprise, the restaurant was successful. "Rules still flourishes, the oldest restaurant in London and one of the most celebrated in the world. In all its 200 years, spanning the reigns of nine monarchs, it has been owned by only three families." Manuel, our host, has outdone himself. Manuel, Jane, Ken, Wanda, Marilyn, Julie, Anne, and I were seated in a private dining room on the third floor and settled down for drinks and the dinner we had all been looking forward to. "Throughout its long history the tables of Rules have been crowded with writers, artists, lawyers, journalists, and actors. As well as being frequented by great literary talents - including Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thakeray, John Galsworthy and H.G. Wells." Now here we are, college friends and soon to be unknown historical figures, basking in the same atmosphere as those great talents who have come before us. The menu was preselected for us. Check  this out:
Wine: White - Meursault, "Grand Charrons" Domaine Michelot (Burgundy) 2008
Red - Reserve de Leoville Barton, St. Julien (Bordeaux) 2004
Menu: Appetizer -Uig Lodge Smoked Salmon
Main Course: Roast Rib of Aberdeenshire Beef (on the bone) with Roast Potatoes, Roast Shallots, Chantenay Carrots & Yorkshire Pudding
Dessert: Warm Chocolate Fondant with Vanilla Ice Cream
Coffee and Chocolates

The dashing Don Diego de la Vega

Can vacation get any better than this! Our wait staff came out headed by Mohammad (I think that was his name - there are many Arabs in London). We started with drinks and a few toasts dedicated to doctor Julie, a recently crowned Ph.D. There was also no forgetting our benefactor in this endeavor, the dashing Don Diego de la Vega (Manuel), even though he issued a false threat to feed us kidney pie. I am not authorized to bestow knighthood, but he definitely deserves an elevated persona. Every one of these trips gets better than the last. The room was packed with memorabilia from the restaurant's long history which occupied our curiosity until Mohammad walked out with a large tray containing the half cow they planned on serving us for dinner. He wanted to show us how good it looked before the staff portioned it our for our dining pleasure. In the meantime we ate salmon and drank plenty of wine. The main course came out and the plate was filled with an over abundance of traditional English food. Very good but too much to eat. I, for one, was determined to eat most of it. However, I've got to save room for that "Warm Chocolate Fondant." Damn, that was good.
All things must come to an end. Don Diego, Jane, Julie, and Marilyn decided to go back to the flat. Ken, Wanda, Anne, and I decided to linger a while longer. The tube station was close to the Millennium Bridge. We walked to the middle of the bridge for a panoramic view of London at night. It was a fitting end to another fantastic day.

London - Hyde Park 6/25/2013

It was a beautiful sunny day today. Not usual for London, but we got lucky. Today we are going for a walk in Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, a huge green space in central London. It turns out that late June is a great time of year to be in England. Comfortable days and cool nights, we left the windows open and it felt like we were living in natural air conditioning. The flowers are in full bloom and Wimbledon is happening on the other side of the city. We aren't going to watch any tennis; but it's a great day for a walk in the park. Since our flat on Petersham Place was in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, we were situated very close to the Kensington Gardens.

Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park
The entire group left the flat at our usual early morning departure time and headed through the city to the nearby park. We entered the park, bypassing Kensington Palace with our ultimate destination, Buckingham Palace, on the other end of the park. As I was prevented from taking photos in Westminster Abbey and the Churchill War Rooms, I am back in the picture taking mode today.
A short distance into the park along Kensington Road, we spotted the Albert Memorial off in the distance. Let's head in that direction.
This monument was commissioned by Queen Victoria upon the death in 1861 of her beloved husband, Prince Albert. He was very beloved, because they had nine children together. She went into mourning, wore black for he rest of her life, and spent a ton of money on this memorial. It may have made her feel better, but it certainly didn't help him much.
"The memorial is 176 feet (54 m) tall, took over ten years to complete, and cost £120,000 (the equivalent of about £10,000,000 in 2010)." The memorial contains eight marble sculptures: four depicting the Victorian industrial arts surrounding the Gothic tower with Albert on his throne in the center; and four on the corners of the outside gold-gilded fence depicting Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Victoria's reign from 1837 to her death in 1901 was the longest of any British monarch. She was queen during the height of the British empire which is definitely reflected by this monument. Restoration work took place recently beginning in 2006, so the monument looked like it had been built recently. You can only appreciate a monument for so long, even one as over the top as this one.
We moved on deeper into the park walking toward the Serpentine, a 40-acre body of water that separates Kensington Gardens from Hyde Park. If there is one thing that the Brits really do well, I would have to put gardening at the top of the list. Anne and I had taken a couple of walks by ourselves on previous afternoons in the area surrounding our Petersham Place flat. We were continually drawn to the beauty of the many small gardens outside numerous central London dwellings. OK, if you can afford to live in central London, you probably have enough cash to take care of a garden. Even so, every garden was done with style and taste. You would think there would be at least one oddball out there somewhere. The Brits also prided themselves on the care and beauty of the gardens in the park.
We reached the Serpentine and stopped for some refreshments before moving on. Not quite lunchtime, we stuck with coffee and water. Too early for a pint considering the alcohol we consumed last night. Ahhhhh! It was a beautiful day, blooming flowers everywhere, the swans were out in numbers, and here we are, relaxing on vacation in the middle of Hyde Park, thousands of miles away from work. What a life. If retirement was like this every day, I would gladly accept a pink slip tomorrow. Although I personally could have gone and reclined underneath a tree and napped through the rest of the day, there was much more to see.
We jumped on 'The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Walk' on our way out of the park. This is a seven-mile (11 km) trail that "goes between Kensington Gardens, Green Park, Hyde Park, and St. James Park." It is marked with 90 plaques and was constructed at a cost of £1.3 million. As befitted her exalted standing with the Royals, no members of the Royal Family were present at its opening. They were a vindictive lot. The day before, while we were at Westminster Abbey, I asked our intrepid tour guide what she felt British opinion was concerning Diana. She felt that Diana had gotten married too young, was high maintenance, and wasn't held in high esteem by many Brits. That rather surprised me considering that stiff she was married to and the improvement to their blood line she provided (William and Harry).
If you followed the entire route of this memorial walk, you would pass Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, St. James Palace, and Spencer House, all part of Diana's life. Londoners would like to think this is "one of the most magnificent urban parkland walks in the world." On this day, I certainly would agree. Again, beautiful gardens everywhere. We were headed toward Buckingham Palace.
There it was, the famous Buckingham Palace. Unfortunately, it is not open to the public currently, although it is in late summer. All we could do is peak through the fence and stare at the building. It's the official residence and working place of the constitutional monarchy; state visits, garden parties, and all that stuff. Like Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace is owned by the state. The British Government spends approximately £15 million a year on it's upkeep. You've got to keep up appearances. Amazing building from the outside, but I won't bore you with the history of the building since we can't get in. We've done a lot of walking today and it's time for lunch. We decide to go to Prezzo for some Italian food and a pint.

London - Churchill Bunker - 6/24/2013

We left our tour guide and Westminster Abbey, walking past Parliament, Big Ben, 10 Downing Street, and the Royal Mews. The Royal Mews is "one of the finest working stables still in existence, responsible for the training of the Windsor Greys and Cleveland Bays, the horses that pull the royal carriages." Outside of the Royal Mews we stopped as a guard seated at attention on a beautiful black horse was posing outside the gate. This would make a good photo, I thought, as long as I could get a shot without any tourists in the picture. This was going to be difficult as there were gobs of people lined up waiting patiently for their chance at tourist immortality, standing next to the horse, as another family member clicked away on their cell phone. Come on people, let's see some creativity here. As time passed by, I wondered whether this was a good idea, as the smell from the pile of poop behind the horse was starting to ruin my desire for lunch. But what about that guy on the horse? Sitting there for hours in that hot ceremonial uniform, in one static position, with the smell of horse poop permeating every pore. Not only that, but your picture will adorn the living rooms and Facebooks of thousands of people you don't even know. Oh, the memories! Who signs up for that? Maybe a frustrated actor; however, I don't think this gets you an audition doing Shakespeare at the Globe theater.
Time to move on before we lose our appetite. Past Trafalgar Square, we head to The Sherlock Holmes Public House and Restaurant for a pint and some traditional English food. Alas, this is the closest we got to anything Sherlock Holmes. A meat pie,Yorkshire pudding, and a pint for me, and I think the same for Anne. The food was decent. Jane said her tomato soup wasn't very good, but that's the most I can remember about the place except that the restaurant was on the second floor. Maybe since the place was named after Sherlock Holmes, it was a test of our deductive reasoning. If you figure out why the soup was bad, you get a prize. Or maybe you get another cup of bad soup. This afternoon the guys are on their own. The girls are headed for high tea above the Portrait Gallery. Ken, Mark, his son Daniel, and I decided to visit the Churchill Bunker which was located close to 10 Downing Street.

The Churchill Bunker and Museum

We walked back past Trafalgar Square and the Royal Mews to the Public Offices building off of Whitehall. Behind the building down some stairs into a reinforced nondescript basement area sat one of the most important complexes in Britain during World War II. After the First World War, military planners began to make contingency plans for an evacuation of top government officials from London in case of another war. However, it was felt that leaving the city for a safe place while the citizens of London got bombed into oblivion was not a good message to send to the people. So a decision was made to find an emergency shelter in central London. With tight security and utmost secrecy, the basement at the New Public Offices building was chosen. This shelter or bunker became fully operational August 27, 1939, a week before Britain declared war on Germany. "From 1939 to 1945, a group of basement offices in Whitehall served as the nerve centre of Britain's war effort. Known as the Cabinet War Rooms, the complex was occupied by leading government ministers, military strategists, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill." The basement housed a small military information complex centered around a Map Room and provided a meeting area for the War Cabinet during air raids. In use 24 hours a day until 1945, Churchill's War Cabinet met here 115 times. Thankfully, it survived the Blitz and Hitler's V-1 rocket bombing campaign. "Despite a reinforced concrete slab up to three metres thick installed above the rooms in December 1940, a hit from anything larger than a 500-pound (227 kg) bomb could have penetrated the building and destroyed the War Rooms." Direct hit, no War Cabinet, and Churchill is toast.
At some of the other venues (Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey), with your admission you could get a audio player with a recorded tour on it. This was the first time I took advantage of the audio player. I was excited about this museum. Claustrophobic in this basement, but quite fascinating walking through history. The Brits kept the Cabinet War Rooms just as they appeared during the war.
Also included in the basement bunker is the Churchill Museum. Everything you want to know about Churchill and his personal history can be found in its exhibits.Winston Churchill was born in 1874, the son of Lord Randolph Churchill and the heiress, Jennie Jerome of New York. Educated at Harrow and the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, he wasn't a very good student. He was sent to India with a cavalry commission in 1895. After leaving the Army, he began to write books, authoring five books by the age of 26. He became a war correspondent, covering the Cuban revolt against Spain, the British campaigns in the Northwest Frontier of India, and the Sudan. "As a special correspondent for the Morning Post he was sent to South Africa to cover the Boer War and was taken prisoner in 1899. He escaped and became a hero back in England." He was elected to Parliament and the House of Commons for the first time in 1900 which began a political career that lasted for 60 years. His career suffered a severe setback in 1915 after his support for the disaster at Gallipoli in the Dardanelles campaign during World War I. He left politics and served on the Western Front. After the war, Churchill was in and out of the Parliament eventually becoming Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1924.
His real contribution to Britain, the world, and the 20th century was his staunch refusal to bow to Adolph Hitler. He was committed to defeating the Nazi menace at all costs and directed his considerable political ability to this purpose. In his time he was opinionated and disliked by many, adored by some.But without Churchill, the world could have been a much different place.
By 1938, the military buildup in Germany was in full swing. Churchill was an adamant critic of Neville Chamberlain's appeasement policy toward the Nazis. "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." Churchill clearly saw what Chamberlain didn't. After the Germans invaded Poland in September, 1939, Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty and in April, 1940, chairman of the Military Coordinating Committee. Chamberlain received a vote of no confidence after Germany invaded and occupied Norway. In May, Churchill was appointed Prime Minister and Minister of Defense. "Within hours, the German Army began its Western Offensive, invading the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. Two days later, German forces entered France. Britain stood alone against the onslaught." Churchill quickly formed a coalition cabinet of leaders from all three parties and placed talented people in key positions. In June, he warned of the horrors to come and kept British resistance to the Germans alive through the Blitz and V-1 rocket attacks. He also was instrumental in creating a foundation for an alliance with the United States and Soviet Union. In his older age, Churchill,chewing on that cigar, looked like the bulldog he was. His life demonstrates one of my favorite quotes of his, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." After the war, he lost his position as Prime Minister in 1945, but again held that position from 1951 - 1955. He was a prolific writer and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953. He died in 1965 and interestingly was not buried in Westminster Abbey. "Before the State Funeral at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, his body lay in state at Westminster Hall and was taken by river to the Cathedral. He is buried with his parents in Bladon churchyard, near Blenheim Palace."
This has been another fantastic day in London. Ken and I left the Churchill Bunker and walked to the tube station situated across the street from the statue of Winston Churchill in a park adjacent to Parliament. We stood and talked on the corner for a while and took in the rush hour sites of a late Monday afternoon in London. Looking at the statue brought to mind two stories I recalled about Churchill: one true and the other conjecture. The first is the true story. I know this because Marilyn, our professional tour guide, told us this one on our way to lunch. Before his death, Churchill stated that he didn't want a statue of himself erected outside of Parliament because he didn't want to suffer the indignity of being draped in pigeon crap. However, he was too important a figure not to be honored by a statue. So the British came up with an ingenious way to keep the pigeons off Winston. They built the statue and electrified it. Any pigeons landing on him would be zapped before having a chance to drop a deuce. Ironically, standing there and looking at the statue, I noticed a white streak down the side of Winston's face. It looked like a pigeon had the last laugh. There on the side of Winston's face was the final indignity. A bird must have flown by and let go an airborne burst. Cast in metal, Winston had no chance to get out of the way. The blitz didn't get him, but the pigeon did. The second story may not be true because I got it off the internet. And we all know that everything on the internet is true. It is nice to know in retrospect that Churchill was human and not a man without vices. This exchange was included in a book of Churchill quotations and supposedly took place between Churchill and a woman named Bessie Braddock in 1946.
Bessie Braddock: "Winston, you are drunk, and what's more you are disgustingly drunk."
Winston Churchill: "Bessie, my dear, you are ugly, and what's more, you are disgustingly ugly. But tomorrow I shall be sober and you will still be disgustingly ugly."
Winston had a way with the ladies. Hey Ken, let's head back to the flat for a home cooked dinner and a few drinks. Back at the flat, the girls had returned from High Tea. Julie and Marilyn (the other Marilyn) were in charge of dinner tonight. We broke out the wine and had a great dinner in the flat. Some of the girls went out for gelato again while Manuel, Ken, and I started in on the gin and tonics. After the girls returned and we had downed a few drinks, the conversation somehow turned to sympathy for Manuel in his old age. Yeah, that's it - he needs a pet to keep him company. How about a chihuahua - a dancing chihuahua! The smart phones came out and the google search was on. I will leave you with what we found. Click on the link below.
Pedro the Salsa Chihuahua
If you are reading this on a printed copy, go to Google and search on 'Chihuahua Dancing Salsa'.Good night all. Ariba!

 

 

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London - Westminster Abbey - 6/24/2013

 Today, thanks to Manuel's generosity, we have a real treat in store. He has hired a professional tour guide to take us on a trip through Westminster Abbey. Marilyn (not my classmate Marilyn - another Marilyn), a red-headed English woman, shows up at the Petersham flat at 9:30AM sharp. She's very pleasant, but a no-nonsense drill sergeant.We're on out way to the tube station. "Do not cross the street unless the pedestrian light is green," she admonishes us. There will be no jaywalking on her watch. A flattened American who was looking the wrong way while crossing a busy London street would definitely upset her timetable. We are destined to arrive at Westminster Abbey safely and on time.

Westminster Abbey

 As I mentioned, our tour guide is a professional. These guides must take exams on the history of each of the sites that they are licensed for. Blue Badge Tourist Guides are the official guides of the United Kingdom. In London, it takes up to two years of study and testing to get your badge. As you would guess, Marilyn is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about today's subject matter, Westminster Abbey. However, the best part is, because we are with a Blue Badge guide, we don't have to wait in line to get in. We enter the Abbey through the Cloister which was originally built in the 13th century and rebuilt in 1298 after it was destroyed by a fire.Whereas the British Museum was a massive collection of world history, Westminster contains the full pageant of British history from 1066 to the present. A Gothic architectural masterpiece of the 13th to 16th centuries, this building houses the tombs of kings, queens, poets, writers, scientists, musicians, actors, warriors, statesmen, and countless memorials to the famous and great who make up British history through the centuries. "It has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066 and for numerous other royal occasions, including sixteen royal weddings. Today it is still a church dedicated to regular worship and to the celebration of great events in the life of the nation."
Wow, this is great, I can get plenty of great pictures in here! But as knowledgeable of the rules as she is about the history, our red-headed Blue Badge Tourist Guide Drill Sergeant spots me going for my camera. "Photos are not allowed, please holster your camera." She has marked her territory and we have been reminded who is in charge. I must keep up with the group and soak in the history of this place as dispensed by Marilyn, our tour professional. In truth, she was incredibly knowledgeable and very entertaining. I think she took some acting lessons along with the tour exams. As a history major in college, I gradually get drawn into this incredible place. The Abbey contains over 600 monuments and wall tablets. Over three thousand people are buried here. Monuments and graves from the ornate and ridiculous to the humble and simple are scattered throughout the Abbey. One section of the Abbey contained a series of graves and monuments where it seemed like the occupants were determined to outdo one another. A lot of royals and statesmen with money and power wanted to get in on the action, believing that prime real estate here would help them live forever. They may have been right.
In the Nave we come upon one of the humble tombs, the revered grave of the Unknown Warrior. He is an unknown British soldier who was killed on a battlefield in Europe during World War I and buried here in November, 1920. Interestingly, there are many famous graves under the floor of the Abbey, but this is the only one that is forbidden to step on. On the more ornate side, we pass the exquisite sculpture of Queen Elizabeth I on the lid of her raised coffin. In fact, she is the last monarch buried in the Abbey to have a monument erected above her. The aforementioned daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, her long reign was one of the most brilliant in British history.
Our tour guide stopped us along the way to occasionally provide historical background (with a flair, I might add) to the things we were seeing as we passed through the Abbey. On one stop, she gave us a soliloquy on the sad end of the reviled Oliver Cromwell (remember him from the Windsor Castle blog?). As you may remember, he led England into a republic, abolished the monarchy and the House of Lords after he had King Charles I executed in January of 1649. With his unrestricted power, he lived the high life. However, he only enjoyed his exalted status for a little over eight years, as he died after an illness in 1658. With the republic still in effect and his star still bright, he was buried in Westminster Abbey. He lay there undisturbed until the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. Hell has no fury like the son of an executed king who becomes king himself. The twelve living revolutionaries who participated in the execution of Charles I were convicted of treason, as were Cromwell and two other dead guys. The living convicted traitors "were hanged, drawn, and quartered - that is, dragged through the streets on an unwheeled sledge or hurdle, hanged by the neck and cut down while alive, beheaded and dismembered." I guess Charles II wanted to make damn sure they were dead. With considerable difficulty, "Cromwell's body, hidden in the wall of the middle aisle of Henry VII Lady Chapel" was exhumed. On the morning of January 30, 1661, the anniversary of the execution of King Charles I, the body of Cromwell was dragged on a sledge through the streets of London to the gallows. They strung up the body for public viewing. "After being taken down, Cromwell's head was severed with eight blows, placed on a wooden spike on a 20-foot pole, and raised above Westminster Hall." Don't mess with the king. He has no qualms concerning capital punishment. They even hang perpetrators who are already dead. We have been educated. Needless to say, Oliver Cromwell was among the very few who did not have a long stay in Westminster Abbey.
We also stopped to view and to hear some history behind King Edward's chair, or as it is better known, the Coronation Chair. The chair was commissioned by Edward I in 1297 to contain the coronation stone of Scotland (the Stone of Scone) which he brought back to London after invading Scotland in 1296. This was to serve notice that the king of England also lorded over Scotland. "Since 1308, all anointed sovereigns of England (until 1603) and Great Britain (after the union of the crowns) have been seated in this chair at the moment of their coronation, with the exception of Queen Mary I (who was crowned in a chair given to her by the Pope) and Mary II." From 1307 until today, the chair has rarely been moved from Westminster Abbey. This high-backed gothic chair was carved from oak; four gilded lions that act as legs were added in the 16th century. The Stone of Scone is currently missing, as it had been returned to Scotland in 1996 with the provision that it be returned to the chair on the occasion of the next coronation. Too bad we couldn't see the stone. It's story is more interesting than the chair.
Weighing 336 pounds, the Stone of Scone is a rectangular block of sandstone measuring 26 inches by 16 inches by 11 inches. A Latin cross is its only decoration. Legend has it that it was once the pillow where the biblical figure Jacob rested when he had visions of angels. It is said that the stone traveled form the Holy Land to Egypt, Sicily, and Spain before ending up in Ireland on the hills of Tara (where ancient Irish kings were crowned) around 700 BC. The Celtic Scots invaded, confiscated the stone, occupied Scotland, and eventually transported the stone to the village of Scone in 840. It came to be encased in the seat of the royal coronation chair where for centuries it was associated with the crowning of Scottish kings. Then in 1296, Edward I came along and took the stone to show the Scots who was boss. Now that's a hell of a pet rock.
But the legend continued and the Scots would get their revenge. "Attached to the stone in ancient times was allegedly a piece of metal with the prophecy that Sir Walter Scott translated as
Unless the fates be faulty grown
And prophet's voice be vain
Where'er is found this sacred stone
The Scottish race shall reign."

When Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603 and was succeeded by King James VI of Scotland, he was crowned on the Stone of Scone as James I of Great Britain. The legend had been fulfilled; a Scotsman again ruled where the stone was located.
There's just too much history here. I'll never remember all this stuff. I am bordering on old age and my brain is beginning to explode. I also noticed the glazed look in the eyes of some of my cohorts. Amazing sights and stories, but sensory overload. We walked over to the Poets' corner where many famous memorials and graves are located. We stopped again to listen to Marilyn, our tour guide, attempt to cram some more history into our over-taxed brains. The first person to be buried in Poet's corner was Geoffrey Chaucer in 1556. I started to tune out and looked down at my feet. It just so happened that I had one foot on the grave of Charles Dickens and the other on the grave of Rudyard Kipling. Now, if that doesn't instill some writing inspiration - "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times ..." - I could hear those voices of the past telling me, "Go for it dude, that blog will be epic." With some renewed purpose, I came back to the present. What was that she said about Geoffrey Chaucer?
It was time to end our visit and go get some lunch. Our tour guide was only on the clock for a half day, so it was time to bid her farewell until the day after tomorrow when we will meet again for a full day at the Tower of London and St. Paul's Cathedral. It's good that we will have a day to decompress and a few drinks before absorbing more knowledge. After lunch, the girls are going for High Tea while us guys are on our own.

Windsor & London - 6/23/2013

Slept really good last night; best night of sleep I've had in a while. Fruit, cereal, and coffee for breakfast and out the door by 9:30AM for another day of sightseeing and playing the tourist. Today we are headed to Windsor Castle. The group met up with Manuel and Jane's son Mark, his two kids, Julia and Daniel, and fiancee Cindy at the train station. They were staying at a separate location closer to Harrods. We bought our tickets and headed out on a 45 minute ride to Windsor.
Windsor Castle

Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world and has been occupied longer than any palace in Europe. Currently, more than five hundred people live and work in the castle. It is officially owned by something called the Occupied Royal Palaces Estate, but the day-to-day management is by the Royal Household. "The Queen has increasingly used the castle as a royal palace as well as her weekend home and it is now as often used for state banquets and official entertaining as Buckingham Palace." The Queen has done much to restore the building and transform it into a major tourist attraction. It currently contains a significant portion of the Royal Collection of art.
A short walk from the train station on a windy and partly cloudy day, someone mentions that the Queen's flag is flying. All right!! The Queen is in the house. I have saved a few hilarious, off-color jokes for her, but we have plenty of time to catch up later. Having bought our Windsor Castle tickets at the train station, we were able to bypass the ticket lines. The group again decided to split up and meet before a late lunch. Anne, Marilyn, and I started together, but I was lagging behind taking photos and holding up their progress. After telling them to go on without me, I was on my own in the middle of Windsor Castle. This place is stunning, there are photos everywhere. I had no interest in seeing the Queen's Doll house. I was more interested in the history of the castle and the physical beauty of its grounds and architecture.
Windsor Castle was originally built by William the Conqueror in the decade after the Battle of Hastings and the Norman conquest in 1066. "William established a defensive ring of 'motte and bailey' castles around London; each was a day's march - about 20 miles (32 km) - from the city and from the next castle, allowing for easy reinforcements in a crisis. Windsor Castle, one of the ring of fortifications, was strategically important because of its proximity to both the River Thames, a key medieval route into London, and Windsor Forest, a royal hunting preserve previously used by the Saxon kings." It was the last time that England was conquered by an invading army. Many kings and queens have occupied this castle in the last 10 centuries. There have been battles, sieges; royal births, marriages, and deaths; periods of neglect and periods of renovation. But in all that time it has remained in royal hands except for a short period during the English Civil War. Following the battle of Edgehill in 1642, the castle was frequently used by Oliver Cromwell as his headquarters and a prison for captured royalist soldiers. With the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles II was determined to improve and reinstate Windsor as his home away from home. The castle has been in royal hands ever since. I could write a book on the history of this place, but I need to get back to the present and my wanderings on this day.
I was totally engrossed in just walking around taking pictures. Alone with my thoughts, I wondered what would happen if I turned the corner and ran into the Queen. All of a sudden, "Tark (the queen's sweet nickname for me - short for Tartuga), I didn't know you were here in England. What a surprise." "Liz "(my sweet nickname for Elizabeth II), I responded, "You are looking ravishing as always. Meow!" "Tark, I love you for your flattery and sarcasm, but you must not call me Liz in public. You must observe protocol and address me as Queen Mother." "OK, Queen Mother, you hear the joke about the princess and the donkey." We had a few gut-busting laughs and she told her bodyguards to back off. "Hey Liz, where's Philip. He off riding his pony and killing foxes." "No Tark, he's attending to royal duties." "Do those royal duties include paying more attention to you? You know, Liz, I admire Philip. He's 92 and still vital. Tell me the truth. I bet you two go up to the battlements on Saturday nights, have some wine, and play Fifty Shades of Philip." "Stop it, Tark, I'm 81 and my spleen is beginning to hurt. By the way, we are having a state function tonight. Would you like to come." "I will if you take off that hat. Just kidding. No, Liz, I'm here with friends. You look good, but that babe your grandson married is super hot and she won't be there. We're going back to the flat, have a glass of wine, and it's my turn to stay up all night on royal baby watch. I'll take a rain check for the next time I come to London."
No one wants to read about me walking around by myself and taking photos; meeting the Queen is a better story. Maybe I made some slight exaggerations. OK, it's a complete fabrication. I've taken enough pictures and it's time to meet up with the group. I am early and end up walking out of the castle first. I try to go back in the exit, but the Queen's bodyguards had called forward and told the guards not to let me back in. We walk through the town of Windsor looking for a good place for lunch and a pint. We happen upon a small Italian restaurant and have a lite meal before heading back to London. The food was good, but the company was better. It was back to London for a short afternoon rest for some, time roaming the streets near our flat to soak up as much of London as possible for others. It was Ken and Wanda's turn to provide dinner tonight. Ken, Wanda, Manuel, Jane, Julie, Anne, and I walked to a quaint French restaurant named LaBouchee on Old Brompton Road near the South Kensington tube station. The girls had a general idea where it was because it was close to the gelato shop. Most had fish with a few good bottles of wine. It had been another terrific day in England. The only thing missing so far was sunshine. Back at the flat on the Mews, Petersham Place that is, we had one after dinner drink and it was time to turn in. Another big day tomorrow, we are heading to Westminster Abbey.

London - Millennium Bridge/Tate Modern Museum - 6/22/2013

We've seen ancient art. Now it's time to contrast that with some modern art before the day is done. The Tate Modern is located across the River Thames and the group must cross the Millennium bridge to get there.
 Millennium Bridge
It is officially called the London Millennium Footbridge, a steel suspension pedestrian bridge that crosses the Thames and links Bankside to the city. A new structure that opened in June, 2000, the bridge seems like a fitting entrance to the Tate Modern. In fact, the bridge had a bizarre opening that could have served as inspiration for some of the 'interesting' art we were to see later at the museum. The bridge was designed to support a load of 5,000 people, with eight suspension cables tensioned to pull with a force of 2,000 tons against piers set into each bank. "Londoners nicknamed the bridge the "Wobbly Bridge" after participants in a charity walk on behalf of Save the Children to open the bridge felt an unexpected and, for some, uncomfortable swaying motion on the first two days the bridge opened." I bet the excited pedestrians didn't expect to get seasick on a bridge. Cheerio! This wasn't brilliant. The company who had won a contest to design the bridge were, I'm sure, very embarrassed. The bridge was closed for two years of modifications to eliminate the sway. It reopened in 2002. They found that the 'wobble' had something to do with "lateral frequency modes." In retrospect, I'm sure I saw that phrase on the BS written next to some of the modern art in the Tate. It's a good thing the bridge didn't wobble. Sometimes older people can suffer from incontinence, particularly on a swaying bridge. Thankfully, we crossed without incident. Hopefully, there are bathrooms at the Tate.
Tate Modern Museum
Again we decided to split the group up at the Tate and get back together in an hour or so. Anne and I decide to go see the free stuff. Our lack of interest in the special exhibits dictated that we not pay for something that could potentially (no, probably) be under appreciated. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate some modern artists (Picasso, Lichtenstein, Calder, etc.), but when it comes to most modern art, I am either an idiot and uncultured or this is a massive joke on humanity allowing some odd, off-balance people to be passionately unproductive. We headed to the gift shop first. Maybe there is some interesting stuff in there. Usually, particularly in modern art galleries, you can view most of the art there by looking at the postcards. It's quicker, without having to read the BS posted next to the art in the gallery and trying to make sense of what you are looking at. After spending enough time in the gift shop, we still have too much time on the clock before the group meets up again. We walk upstairs and run into Manuel. He looks excitable and says, "There must be something wrong with me. I don't get this stuff. It's a bunch of crap. I've got to get out of here." Thank you Manuel! I have just received outside vindication for my opinion on the subject. But Anne and I press on. We pass an exhibit by a "sound artist" who created these "artistic" contraptions that make weird sounds. What? Then we see this sewing machine, wrapped in a blanket, with a rope tied around it. OK, I've had enough. We decided to go out to the balcony overlooking the Thames until it's time to meet up again with he group.
 Back to Petersham Place
We are back at the flat at the end of a long, eventful day of site seeing. Anne and I are responsible for dinner. We decide to walk to a small restaurant two blocks away and get pizza to go. We need to feed seven people, so we order three large pizzas. That should be enough. They hand us these small boxes and they appear to contain something not much larger than a personal pan pizza. It turns out they only had one size, large. Large is only 10 inches. London is expensive. They must have imported those ingredients from Italy. It's too late to order more, so we head back to the flat. The pizza with Manuel's always good selection of wine hit the spot. Surprisingly, this was enough to feed the group. Or was it. After a few drinks, Anne mentions gelato (surprise) and she, Wanda, and Marilyn were out the door in search of a few quarts. Successful, we ended the day on a gelato note. I'm sure Anne will fall asleep with a smile on her face as she counts different flavors of gelato jumping over a fence. Exhausted, we have another big day tomorrow. We will sleep good tonight.

London - The British Museum/The Blackfriar - 6/22/2013

We hopped on the tube, but due to the closing of part of the line, we ended up walking a good bit of the way to the British Museum.
The British Museum
The original museum was largely based on the collection of the physician and scientist, Sir Hans Sloane (1660 - 1753). A prominent physician of the time, Sloane had a number of wealthy and aristocratic patients, including Queen Anne and Kings George I and II. He was very innovative, promoting inoculation against smallpox, the use of quinine for treating malaria, and my favorite, the health giving properties of drinking chocolate mixed with milk. "He became President of the College of Physicians in 1719 and in 1729 succeeded Sir Isaac Newton as President of the Royal Society." During his lifetime he amassed an enormous collection coins, books, and natural history objects: 23,000 coins and medals; 50,000 books, prints, and manuscripts; a collection of dried plants; and many objects relating to ancient times. Upon his death at the age of 93 (the chocolate milk worked wonders), Sloane not wanting to see the collection broken up, bequeathed the entire collection to King George II in return for payment of £20,000 to his heirs. King George in turn gave his formal assent to an Act of Parliament to establish the British Museum on June 7, 1753. The museum first opened to the public on January 15, 1759 on the site of the current museum building.
Over the following two and a half centuries, the museum collection was enlarged as a direct result of the expanding British colonial empire. Caesar, upon conquering Britain in 54 BC, uttered the Latin words "veni, vidi, vici" (I came, I saw, I conquered). The British took it one step farther, "I came, I saw, I conquered, and I took everything of value I could put my hands on." These things now comprise the most incredible collection of objects of antiquity that I have ever seen. I guess they felt guilty, so admission is free.

Again we decided to break up the group with an agreement to meet again at the main entrance in two hours. Anne, Marilyn, and I decided to head to the Egyptian exhibit hall. "The British Museum houses the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of Egyptian antiquities, over 100,000 pieces, outside of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. A collection of immense importance for its range and quality, it includes objects from virtually every site of importance in Egypt and the Sudan." Together they illustrate every aspect of the cultures of the Nile Valley from around 10,000 BC up to the 12th century AD, a time span of over 11,000 years. The first thing we happened upon was the Rosetta Stone, dated to 196 BC. This is considered the key to the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs. But this was only the beginning. On display was everything from huge ancient sculptures to numerous incredibly preserved mummies and everything in between. We walked into the Middle East exhibit and viewed artifacts of Assyrian art including the Balawat Gates. "The gates measured 20 feet in height and belonged to the temple of Mamu, the god of dreams. These were made up of 13 bronze bands attached through nails to two wooden gates of the palace. The bronze bands depict a sacrifice and war scenes from the campaigns of the Neo-Assyrian king Shalmaneser III (859-824 BC)." Beautiful craftsmanship in the bronze bands. It better be or you get sacrificed.
So much to see and not enough time. All this art, war, and pillaging makes one hungry for food and a pint. The group met at the main entrance and it was off to the Blackfriar Pub on Queen Victoria Street.

Blackfriar 
It was a short walk to the Blackfriar pub for fish and chips. As with everything else in London and Europe for that matter, this place has a long history. The location got its name from the Priory of Dominicans whose monastery occupied this site from 1276 to 1539. Because the monks wore black habits, they were known as 'BlackFriars'. However, its real claim to fame, or infamy, was that this was the location in 1529 for the divorce hearing of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII. He attempted to persuade a delegation from Rome that his marriage was against the laws of the church. The church disagreed. Well, in Henry's mind, it was good to be the king. He dissolved the marriage, closed the monastery, told the Catholics to get lost, and started his own religion. As head of the Church of England he created a new set of rules. One was, if he didn't like his wife, he could send her to the Tower of London and have her head chopped off. It became a very bad idea to marry the king. You better give the king a son. It wasn't good enough to give him the daughter who became Elizabeth I. Ask Anne Boleyn.

Manuel, Julie, and Jane

Wanda and Ken

Back to June 23, 2013. We walked into this beautiful pub that was all natural wood and marble. The back room was a little claustrophobic, but the front room with the bar was bright and open. Fish, chips and a pint, thank you. One thing about the beer in Europe. It tastes great, but comes to you at room temperature. It's a little disconcerting at first, but halfway through ... I think I'll have another. You get used to it real quick. The front room had one of the most exquisite bars I have ever seen. I'm not much of an entertainer, but I think I would entertain if I had one of those in my basement. The current building was built in 1875. But the Blackfriar did not acquire its spectacular facade and interior until 1905. OK, we now have fuel to keep going. We are not done yet today. We can pass out later. Heading across the River Thames to the Tate Modern Museum.

London - Covent Garden - 6/22/2013

It's going to be a busy day today. Couldn't sleep much. Guess I'm still recovering from the jet lag. Plans are to leave the flat at 9:30AM and head out to Covent Garden, a famous London landmark.We had coffee, a quick bite for breakfast, and hopped on the Tube at Gloucester Road.
Covent Garden
After a short walk, we entered a square, surrounded by high-end shops, St. Paul's church, and the Apple Market that contained many street vendors, street performers,

pubs, and restaurants. "The land, now called 'Covent Garden', was seized by Henry VIII, and granted to the Earls of Bedford in 1552." The 4th Earl commissioned a guy named Inigo Jones to build some up-scale houses to attract wealthy investors. Inigo Jones - sounds more like a center fielder and lead-off hitter than a 16th century Brit. Jones designed the Italiante arcaded square and the church of St. Paul's." The design of the square was new to London, and had a tremendous influence on modern town planning, acting as a prototype for new estates as London grew. However by the later part of the  17th century and well into the 18th century things began to change. Gradually, both the market that had sprung up on the south side of the square in 1654 and the surrounding area fell into disrepute as "taverns, theatres, coffee-houses, and brothels opened up; the gentry moved away, and rakes, wits, and playwrights moved in." By the 18th century, Covent Garden had become a red-light district, attracting many notable prostitutes of that era. In fact, an enterprising publisher who went by the pseudonym of 'H. Ranger' released the first edition of Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies just in time for Christmas, 1756. "Merry Christmas, Elizabeth, I hope you like this new, brilliant, high-society book on style I got you for Christmas. Love, Reginal." Oops! Published as an annual directory from 1757 to 1795, this stylish booklet was a directory that described "the physical appearance and sexual specialties of about 120 - 190 prostitutes who worked in and around Covent Garden." From contemporary reports, it was estimated that 8000 copies of the booklet were sold annually.
Interestingly, this was not the first directory of prostitutes to be circulated in London. The Wandering Whore ran for five issues between 1660 and 1661. As opposed to Harris's List, it was meant to be an expose of the sex trade. Note the difference in the titles; I wonder what the publishers' opinions were on the subject? The Wandering Whore uses dialogue between such characters as "Magdalena, a Crafty Whore, Julietta, an Exquisite Whore, Francion, a Lascivious Gallant, and Gusman, a Pimping Hector." I love that. I can see myself trying to settle an argument by pointing to each combatant in turn and respectfully saying, "You, my good man, are an honorable man. But you, sir, are a Pimping Hector." Or the more contemporary "Get your Pimping Hector ass out of my office."

OK, I have gotten off track again. It took an Act of Parliament to clean up Covent Garden. In 1830, the famous neo-classical building was built to cover and help organize the market. The red-light district declined as the market grew and new buildings were added: the Floral Hall, Charter Market, and in 1904 the Jubilee Market. The tourist location seen today contains cafes, pubs, small shops, a craft market called the Apple Market, and another market held a Jubilee Hall.
We split up as a group and made plans to meet at a central location on the square at a specified time. Anne and I walked by the gardens behind St. Paul's and visited a number of shops on either side of the Apple Market. There were plenty of street performers providing music, comedy, juggling, etc. We were fascinated by an open air restaurant with a guy preparing vegetables to throw into giant woks to make a lunchtime Paella. But, alas, it was too early for lunch. On our first full day in London, it didn't take much to fascinate us. It was time to connect back up with the group and head to the British Museum, purported to be the most amazing museum of the many museums in London.