The Grand Tour: Day 2, A Royal Tour of London

After a restful night at the Ibis, we boarded our coach and began our tour. Our guide, Barry, was  entertaining and informative. Our first stop was St. Paul's Cathedral. Sarah and I paid the admission fee and gained access to the Nave, Choir, and stunning views of the domed ceiling and High Alter. We then descended to the crypt. After stopping by the tomb of the Duke of Wellington, we went in to the gift shop, took pictures outside and then boarded the coach. As we continued on the tour we passed the Savoy Hotel, Charing Cross, The Tower of London, and finally stopped at Westminster Abbey. Since we had toured the Abbey the previous day, Mother, Stephen and I toured the smaller St. Margaret's Church. It is the parish church of the House of Commons and popular wedding venue for English aristocrats. After taking even more pictures of the Abbey and Big Ben, we walked through St. James's Park with its stunning views of Buckingham Palace. Once we reached the Mall we passed St. James's Palace and Clarence House. We the reached Buckingham Palace as the guards were marching through. After the Changing of the Guard we boarded the coach and headed to Windsor. The bus ride was close to an hour so we were able to try to catch up on some much needed rest. When we arrived in Windsor Barry recommended us a restaurant named Cinnamon. The item of choice was a jacket potato, or a baked potato. I also had huge piece of chocolate cake. I was nervous about how the cake would taste; luckily it was amazing. After eating we walked to the castle. We walked past the Round Tower and  former mote, now a flourishing garden, to the entrance of the State Rooms. The interior of Windsor was stunning. St. George's Hall with the knights upon the wall and coats of arms on the ceiling were most impressive as were the original portraits and paintings of which I have only seen recreations. After we exited the Castle we headed to St. George's Chapel. It it the chapel of the Order of the Garter the highest order of chivalry in England. St. George's was my favorite part of Windsor. The ceiling and choir were most impressive. We also passed the Guild Hall, wedding site of Charles and Camilla. After checking out a few gift shops we motored back to The City, where our dinner was held. After dinner we too the Tube to Trafalger Square. There, we made pictures with the lions at the foot of Nelson's column and admired its base reliefs and views of Westminster Palace and the The Mall. Next, we marched on to Leicester Square. There we had free time to sit at a pub and have a bit of desert. Stephen, Claudia, and I found a place with outdoor seating. I was still hungry so I ordered a waffle topped with a drop of ice cream. Stephen and Claudia had something to drink, I can't remember quite what. After Leicester Square we made the short walk to Picadilly Circus, a bit like New York's Times Square. There we found a great gift shop named Cool Britannia. I purchased a short book about England's Kings and Queens and a coaster that reads "Don't Panic You Can Still Marry Pippa!" Conveniently, the basement of the store is connected to the tube station. After another tiring day we headed back to the Ibis. This time, everyone made if off the train.

The Grand Tour Part 1: Londinum, Day 1

On Just 6th, British Airways Flight 226 touched down at London's Heathrow airport at 10:15 A.M. Our group of eighteen could hardly imagine what awaited us. After clearing customs we were greeted be an EF tour director who took us by coach to our hotel, the Ibis London Excel. She gave us a wonderful introduction to The City. After a quick stop at the hotel we boarded the Tube and headed to Westminster Abbey.Westminster Abbey if one of my favorite churches considering all the events that have taken place there and all the people buried there. The Coronation Chair, Queen Elizabeth I's tomb, Henry VII's Lady Chapel, Poets' Corner, were some of my favorite parts of the Abbey. 

After taking pictures outside, we boarded the Tube to Baystown, where our dinner was. We made a brisk walk through Baystown, where the great Winston Churchill once resided, we arrived Mr. Fish. We were greeted by Chris. He was our tour director in 2009. Because we toured the abbey we were a bit late to dinner. However, I must add that the dinner time was 4:30.  Thus, we ate our tasty fish and chips outside on the side walk. After we ate, we took the Tube back to Westminster Station, crossed the Westminster Bridge and boarded the London Eye, one of my favorite London attractions. While riding the Eye we had stunning views of Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, St James's Park, St. Paul's Cathedral, Horse Guards, Westminster Abbey, and of course Westminster Palace, home of the British Parliament. After the Eye, we decided to call it a day and started the long ride to the Ibis. After taking the Underground to Tower Hill, we changed to the Overground to reach our hotel. As we neared the Ibis, a few of our group members were having a discussion of about Sarah, Duchess of York "Fergie" and toe-sucking. They became so engulfed with laughter that Stephen and Toby did not make it off the train. However, since we had already been given instructions on what to do if one does not make if off the train, were proceeded on to the Ibis where they arrived shortly. After we finally got our keys we headed up to our rooms to get some much needed rest.