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For our last day in the U.K. we made a trip out to Windsor to see Windsor Castle, about a 30 minute train ride from Paddington Station. We made it to the castle about an hour before the changing of the guard (a lot less crowded than the Buckingham Palace changing of the guard). A note about the changing of the guard in either location: the changing of the guard in the fall and winter months fall on even number days for Buckingham Palace and odd number days for Windsor Castle. We were able to time everything well so that we were able to witness the changing of the guard at both locations. This time, for the Windsor Castle changing of the guard, we were able to get front row “seats” for prime photos; although we did have to contend with getting hit on the head by others attempting to get the photos we were able to get. After the changing of the guard we toured around the castle and went into the State Rooms, some of which Will wasn’t able to visit the last time he was here. There was a fire near St. George’s Hall in 1992, for which the repairs weren’t completed until 1997. After our tour of the castle we had lunch at one of the local establishments in Windsor and then took a walk around the town; over the Thames into the town of Eton.

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For our third night in London we opted to have dinner at an English Pub, Ye Olde Chesire Cheese, on Fleet Street. A bit of a maze to navigate, but it was rebuilt after the fire in 1666 and hasn’t really changed since. After testing the beer on tap, Samuel Smith’s Wheat Ale, and having some fish and chips, we made our way back to the Underground, via near-by St. Paul’s Cathedral for some night-time photos.

Our day began with a walk through Kensington Park to the Kensington Palace to take some quick photos.  We then walked over to the Royal Albert Hall and Memorial.  Afterwards, we rushed onto the Underground to make it over to Buckingham Palace for the changing of the guard.  This ceremony lasts for almost an hour; between the arrival of the “new” guard, the band, the Royal Marines and the National Horse Guard; ceremonial changing of the guard directly in front of the palace where the “new” and “old” guard switch; then the procession of the “old” guard, the band, the Royal Marines and the National Horse guard away from Buckingham Palace.  After the ceremony we took a tour of the palace, as the Queen isn’t in residence currently and the state rooms were open to the public.  Also on public display was the 60th anniversary exhibit for the Queen and the Duke of Edinborough’s wedding in 1947.  The exhibit included the wedding gown, jewelry, and some wedding gifts received by the couple.  One interesting fact about wedding gifts received were ingredients needed for the wedding cake, as the war was just ending and rationing was still in place.  We then hopped the Underground to the British Museum where we were able to see the Rosetta Stone. pieces of the Parthenon, Cleopatra’s remains and other artifacts on display to the public.

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Our third day in London began with a walk through Hyde Park.  As we were walking through the Rose Garden, the Royal Horse Gurad was out for a stroll; which provided a great opportunity to take some pictures of them in action.  We then continued along the Serpentine, which is a very long lake in the middle of Hyde Park.  Along the way we were able to see the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain as well as the Peter Pan statue.  After our walk through the park we hopped the Underground over to Leicester Square.  We ate at a chain called Garfunkel’s and were able to get a seat outside, since the weather was beautiful.  After lunch we toured the National Gallery (in Trafalgar Square).  We got to see some works by famous artists, our favorites….Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Van Dyke and Monet.  Once finished at the National Gallery we worked our way around Trafalgar Square, which was completely shut down for the Chemical Brothers concert that was to take place that night.  We walked down past the National Horse Guards and into St. James Park for another walk in the park.  The walk took us to Buckingham Palace for a preview of what was to come.  For dinner we opted for close-by restaurant Orsini’s Cafe, which serves Italian food.  Very good pasta dishes….but even better ice cream desserts and coffee.  After dinner we went on the Underground up to Oxford Street for a walk past some of the posh shops; back to the Underground stop at Hyde Park (where we began our day).

On our second day in London we ventured to the Westminster area.  We began with a walk across Westminster Bridge after getting off at the Westminster Station in order to get a good look at the House of Parliament across the Thames River.  Once we returned we learned that the Parliament wasn’t in session and guided tours were available to get a look inside the House of Lords and the House of Commons.  After getting a brief introduction in British law we have a couple ideas to bring back to the U.S. :

1. The right to your MP see your (Minister of Parliament)while the House of Commons is in session.

2. View each political parties’ manifesto which is published during elections.

3. Your MP’s vote is recorded by the physical presence of their body; either in the “no” room or the “yes” room. 

Next we proceeded to Westminster Abbey and viewing the tombs and memorials to some notable figures in British history.  We were able to see the tombs/memorials of Sir Isaac Newton, Mary Queen of Scots, Lord Tennyson, Geoffrey Chaucer, Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Queen Elizabeth I, Queen Mary I, Charles Dickens, Robert Browning, Rudyard Kipling, George Frederick Handel and Charles Darwin.

We had lunch next to the new Scotland Yard in a park.  Afterwards, we went to the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms.  The War Rooms is where we got the name for this blog.  ”Dig for Victory” was a war time slogan encouraging residents to grow more crops to supplement the rations.  We then took a walk past 10 Downing (the home of the Prime Minister), the original Scotland Yard and the Royal Horse Guard.  Once we got to Trafalgar Square we learned that St. Martin-in-the-fields was closed due to construction, not due to re-open until September 30.

For dinner we went to Moti Mahal Indian Restaurant, which was incredible.  Will had the best Chicken Tikki Masala and my Garlic Chicken was great.  We definitely would get the the Veg. Samosas again.

Here are some of our photos from so far: Europe Photo Gallery 1

Feel free to leave comments, we love to here from you.

On our first night in London, we went to Belgo Centraal, which is a Belgian restaurant that has a beerhall atmosphere.  It came highly recommended by Will’s co-worker, Trevers, and was he right!  Will had the hoegaarden haddock and I had the chicken with chili sauce, both of which were great, as were the frites (fries).  We tested out a few of the beers, the best of which was Grimbergen Blonde.  After dinner we walked from Covent Gardens to Piccadilly Circus.  After watching a little of the rugby match we headed to bed.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad Whiting!!

Our first day in London proved to be very productive.  We first visited the Tower of London.  We spent the morning learning about the history of the Tower of London from a Beefeater (Yeoman Warden).   After a quick lunch we proceeded to the Tower Bridge where we took in some of the famous sights from the high vantage point.   We also got to witness the opening of the draw bridge.  From there we proceeded to go to the Monument, only to realize once ”alighting” from the Underground that the Monument was closed for construction.  So, we turned around and went to St. Paul’s Cathedral.  Inside it was breathtaking; as were the 454 stairs to climb the tower to the very top.  We then took a short walk over the Millenium Bridge to cross the river Thames, taking a few photos of the Globe Theater, before journeying back to the hotel for a bit.  Today it seems as though we’ve gotten the hang of the Underground….no more getting off at the wrong stop. 

Unfortunately we have been unable to get internet access in our room, so photos will be uploaded later….hopefully in the next hotel we check into tomorrow. 

After a 7 hour flight from Boston to London, Heathrow, we took the Underground (Mind the Gap) to our hotel…..or so Will thought.  Instead of getting off at the correct stop, we continued deeper into London than was needed.  We got off thinking that we were a couple blocks from our hotel…..after wandering for 15 minutes, we realized we were in the wrong place.  We then hopped a black taxi to the correct area and finally arrived at our hotel in Kennsington Park.  Our first room that we were placed in hadn’t been cleaned…so down to the reception we went again(this was at 9:00 P.M. London time).  After our long flight, the screens on the plane not working at all for in-flight entertainment, and getting a little lost in the city, we headed straight for bed once settled in our room. 

Our first vacation in three years starts today! Check back for regular updates throughout our trip.