And now for London

 After arriving in London (Thursday, June 18) and checking into The Marble Arch Hotel we rested a bit and then went for a stroll (we had done a lot of sitting so far this day). We briefly dipped into The Regent’s Park (it’s quite large) where we walked through Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens (so many roses!).  Along  the way we noticed a lot of restaurants and pubs where people were congregating outside on the sidewalk, drinking and talking (it looked very much like an after work crowd).  Apparently this is called  “vertical drinking” and there have been discussion lately in London about considering legislation to limit this. We chose to go to the Audley Public House for some seated drinking (which had its outdoor crowd as well) and after some waiting and maneuvering secured a small table inside. It is a classic London pub with dark mahogany wood paneling all around, brown leather booths, and a well stocked bar. Along with our drinks Maureen had London Rarebit and Dennis had a Fish Finger sandwich (he noted that the fish was very well cooked).

The next morning (after croissants and coffee) we wandered a little along the Regent’s Canal Walk. There were many canal boats though none in motion.

Then we headed over to St. Paul’s Cathedral which was quite beautiful. This is where Charles and Diana were married (and look how that turned out). We climbed the stairs up to the whisper gallery under the dome (where supposedly two people can sit on opposite sides and when one whispers, the other can hear them; we didn’t test it out; too many people trying the same thing. We climbed more stairs to the dome where you can go outside and have great views over the city.  

In the basement level of the church there are several tombs (including Lord Wellington, Horatio Lord Nelson; and Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin) and memorials to other famous figures (including such disparate figures as Florence Nightingale, and Winston Churchill).

After a quick lunch we went on to the Tower Bridge. As its name suggests, it is near the Tower of London (a destination for another day).  You can climb the stairs up into the north tower and walk across the pedestrian walkway to the south tower, then down. Part of the pedestrian walkway has glass panels to allow you to look down. Several people were nervous about walking on them, but not Dennis!

We had dinner at an Italian restaurant called Circolo Popolare. It had crazy décor with hundreds (thousands?) of bottles lining the walls. The meal was good but the dessert …  Denny couldn’t resist “The Incomparable Lemon Pie”.

Much of the next day was spent a the Tower of London. In my opinion this is a misnomer, it is much more than “a tower”. It is actually a fortress and castle complex with 21 different towers, defensive walls, and a moat. There is a large central tower called the White Tower. There is also a memorial at the site where Ann Boleyn is said to have been executed. Below is a view from the tower bridge with the Tower of London complex seen in the middle of the photo to the right. After that is a close up of the White Tower at the center of the complex. 

That evening we went to the Sondheim Theater where we saw Les Miserables. The theme and production was dark but the singing was tremendous, especially the actor who portrayed Inspector Javert.

If you've come along with us this far, rest assured there is only one more blog to complete our UK adventure. 

Until then, 

Salud