BillyMuth.com > Travel > London > May 2005 Trip Report

London Trip Report - Day 5 - May 10, 2005

Today we got up around 8:30 or 9. While Linda showered, I went to Starbucks to get us each some coffee and muffins. I'm still in shock when I realize how many Starbucks stores there are in London. There is one on nearly ever other block it seems like.

After our little breakfast snack, we ventured into the Underground to catch a train to High Street Kinsington. We visited Kensington Palace which has been home to much of the royal family and some time or other through the years. Most notably though, it was home to Princess Diana and her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. We got to walk through the apartment where Princess Margaret (the Queen's sister) lived until her death a few years ago. We also got to see the older part of the house which was very ornately decorated. Along the way, we got to view some of the royal dress collection. There were many of the Queens dresses on display that she has worn to important functions through the years. The most treasured part of the exhibit though by far was a collection of Princess Diana's gowns from many events. They even had the dress she wore to the White House when she danced with John Travolta. This is the best tour of any place I've ever taken. It an audio guided tour. Everyone gets a little unit that resembles a cell phone to hand around their neck. You punch in the number on the exhibit you are looking at and hold it up to your ear and hear some interesting information.

After Kensington Palace, we walked around Kensington Gardens. It is really huge. There aren't many flowers in this park but it is so nice still. In the park, we found the Princess Diana Memorial Walk and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. We also found a statue of Peter Pan.

Our next stop was the Tower of London. We made it there after maneuvering the Underground. Unfortunately, it was so late that the guy said we'd only have just over an hour if we went in. He said it usually takes about 3 hours to go through. We'll try again for this tomorrow.

We went to The Monument (the monument I mentioned yesterday that represents the fire of London). We got there just after they'd closed it to guests. When I was there yesterday, I didn't realize something. You can climb the 311 steps to the top and they give you a certificate to say you made it! We were so exhausted by this point from all the walking that I think we were both secretly glad that they were closed. We sat on a bench and watched the people walk by for awhile.

We then rushed back and changed quickly for our show tonight. We went to see "Les Miserables". It was my third time to see it. Just as before, I enjoyed it tremendously. It is one of the most powerful musical plays that has ever hit the stage.

On our way back, we stopped at Burger King for a quick bite to bring back to our room. We are both too tired tonight for eating in a restaurant late.

It is now 12:30 and I'm about to go to bed. I'm starting to panic at this point because there is still so much to see and so little time. It is very frustrating because each thing takes a long time even when they are close together. It doesn't help things either that most exhibits open around 10:30 or 11 and close by 5:30 or 6. Even most of the stores close at 6 so neither of us has done much shopping.

Tomorrow is another day. The Tower of London is first thing on the list tomorrow.

	Walking through Kensington Gardens, we could see Kensington Palace off in the distance.
	Comfy looking lound chairs in Kensington Gardens.
	Kensington Palace.
	A statue of Queen Victoria just ouside of Kensington Palace.
	The inscription on Queen Victoria's statue: Victoria R. -1837- Here, in front of the palace where she was born, and where she resided until her accession, her loyal Kensington subjects erect this statue, the work of her daughter, to commemorate fifty years of her reign.
	Flowering trees around Kensington Palace.
	A sign outside of Kensington Palace advertising the Exhibition of Royal and Ceremonial Dress.
	A gorgeous garden outside the walls of Kensington Palace.
	The entrance to Kensington Palace.
	Flowering bushes outside of Kensington Palace.
	The pathway leading to "The Orangery" which is an eatery on the site of Kensington Palace. It was originally designed as a greenhouse and summer dining room for Queen Anne in 1704.
	Flowering trees in Kensington Gardens.
	Flowering trees in Kensington Gardens.
	Flowering trees in Kensington Gardens.
	Flowering trees in Kensington Gardens.
	A path marker on The Diana Princess Of Wales Memorial Walk in Kensington Gardens.
	"Physical Energy" statue by George Frederic Watts (1817 - 1904) in Kensington Gardens.
	"Physical Energy" statue by George Frederic Watts (1817 - 1904) in Kensington Gardens.
	The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in Kensington Gardens.
	A bridge crossing "The Longwater" in Kensington Gardens.
	Rushing waters in The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain.
	Rushing waters in The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain.
	A walking path crossing The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain.
	The Princess Diana Memorial Fountain.
	A depository for dog waste. This is a very pet friendly place.
	A man walking his dogs through the lush green grass of Kensington Gardens. I felt like I was in the English countryside when I saw this. What a relaxing place!
	Ducks in a pond in Kensington Gardens.
	Ducks in a pond in Kensington Gardens.
	More flowering plants in Kensington Gardens. It seems as if everything is in bloom here.
	The Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens.
	The Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens.
	Peter Pan The boy who would not grow up Sculptor Sir George Frampton R.A. (1860 - 1928) This bronze, a gift of Sir James Barrie OM (1860 - 1937) the creator of Peter Pan, was placed here 1st May 1912 HRH The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon unveiled this plaque presented by the Friends of Hyde Park & Kensington Gardens 1st May 1997
	Fountains on the edge of Kensington Gardens.
	Fountains on the edge of Kensington Gardens.
	Fountains on the edge of Kensington Gardens.
	A flower garden on the edge of Kensington Gardens.
	Fountains on the edge of Kensington Gardens.
	If anyone doesn't understand the saying "Mind The Gap" then they need to look at this picture. You could literally crawl under the train the gap was so big. This generally happens when the train stops in on a curved section of boarding platform.
	The Tower Of London.
	London's City Hall.
	The Tower Of London.
	The Tower Of London with Tower Bridge in the background.
	Tower Bridge.
	A beautiful modern building near Tower Bridge and The Tower Of London.
	A beautiful modern building near Tower Bridge and The Tower Of London.
	Tower Bridge.
	A plaque about the opening of Tower Bridge on June 30, 1894.
	Tower Bridge.
	London's City Hall across The Thames River.
	A view from the observation area of Tower Bridge.
	I stuck the camera our the camera window at Tower Bridge to show what it looked like to look straight down.
	One of the crossings in the observation area of Tower Bridge.
	Looking out the window you can see the other crossing in the observation area.
	Looking out the window you can see the other crossing in the observation area.
	Looking down The Thames River from Tower Bridge. You can see St. Paul's Cathedral off to the right.
	A view from Tower Bridge of City Hall and some new construction behind it.
	More of the City Hall area on the South side of the River Thames.
	The Tower Of London area on the North side of the River Thames. You can see the Bank City area. The Swiss Bank building, also dubbed "The Erotic Gherkin" stands out.
	Another shot of Bank City from Tower Bridge.
	Another shot of Bank City from Tower Bridge.
	Looking up into the cap on the inside of Tower Bridge. Notice the white statues up in the rafters representing the bridge builders.
	An guages on an old steam tank in the museum in the basement of Tower Bridge. The bridge used to be powered by a coal burning steam system.
	The steam tank.
	Statues representing the men who used to have to shovel coal for the bridge to be lifted.
	The old motors that used to lift the bridge.
	The old motors that used to lift the bridge.
	Candy in the vending machine at Tower Bridge. The only recognizable brands were Kit Kat and Rolo.
	More of the candy. Notice the Walkers potato chips. They have the same basic logo as Lays in The United States. I needed a snack so I bought some of the Munchies. They were yummy!
	A plaque in the engine area of the museum.
	Walking North across Tower Bridge.
	Walking North across Tower Bridge. You can see the two walkovers where the observation area is.
	Ornamentation on a lampost going across Tower Bridge.
	Here is the rest of the lamppost.
	A bronze statue of Julius Caesar at the Tower Hill Underground Station.
	Looking up at what has simply been named "The Monument."
	Inscription in the stone at the base of The Monument.
	The inscription at the base of The Monument explaining why it was built.
	Looking up at The Monument.
	Linda taking a break on a bench at the base of The Monument. We got there too late to go up. You can see the lady's hand on the left as she's locking the gate up for the day.


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