Westminster

Today got off to a rough start when we stood on a street corner for 90 minutes waiting for the hop on/hop off bus to show up. There were multiple busses from the other companies but the only one from our company drove past without stopping. There’s a one-day train strike so we weren’t sure what was happening with the Tube and since our feet were already tired from standing, we decided on a taxi.

We got to the Abbey about an hour later than we wanted but the line wasn’t too long and we made it just in time for the 10:30 guided tour. I’ve been to the Abbey several times but it’s the first time I did the tour and was glad we spent the extra money. The guide was very knowledgeable, and even though he threatened to charge me with treason (I asked where QE II wanted to be buried; apparently, it’s treason to refer to the death of a current monarch) we enjoyed the tour.

The Abbey got very crowded so it was virtually impossible to get pictures without a ton of people in them but I did the best I could. Enjoy.

It was after 12:30 before we finished in the Abbey so we stopped for a sandwich in St. James Park. We still had 2 things to do (Churchill War Rooms and Imperial War Museum) but knew we only had time for one. Since I’d already seen both I let Peter decide. It came as no surprise that he picked the War Rooms which was great as it was only a 5-minute walk.

I’d visited here in 2002 when I was in London with my mom but now it’s very different. The first time I was there it was a guided tour by people dressed in WWII uniforms and talking as if it were during the war (“this is where we have lunch”). It was a very cool tour and only about an hour. Now it’s a self-guided tour with audio guides. In 2005 they opened a gigantic Churchill Museum so by the time we did both, it was after 3:30. Since the War Museum closes at 5:00 and our feet were very tired, we decided to call it a day and head home. Being a military buff, Peter needs to see the Imperial War Museum, but I’ll figure out how to make it happen.

I didn’t take too many pictures in the museum as it was quite dark and I couldn’t use a flash, but here are a couple. They’re a little blurry but was the best I could do without a flash.

A relatable story about Winston Churchill. He was in New York City in 1931 and was almost killed when he was hit by a car because he looked the wrong way when crossing the street. We can totally relate to that as we’ve been looking the wrong way since we got here. In spite of the corner’s painted with reminders to “look right” it’s still just automatic to look left first.

Tomorrow we’re off to Windsor. We were planning to spend the day, but I think we might just visit the Castle and St. George Chapel. Maybe that will give us enough time to visit the War Museum back in London. It depends on how much walking we do in Windsor. Talk with you tomorrow.