Day 11 - hopped on the train from York to London. Our room at the London House Hotel close to Bayswater tube stop for the next week was not yet ready so we dropped off our bags and headed back out. First up was the Churchill War Rooms which I think did a good job of giving you a peak at the bunker in use during WWII. The museum on Churchill was well done and went through his life with his greatest accomplishment first, getting Britain through WWII. He has my vote for greatest statesman of the 20th century. It is too bad people didn't listen to him sooner about the Nazi threat. I loved his speeches about never giving in to the Nazis. And I'm so glad he was at the helm. I'm a WWII buff so this one took me awhile. Got tickets online the night before so walked right in and didn't have to wait in the ridiculous line. After some dinner at Blackfriar's pub, which was very good, we headed across the millennium bridge to the Globe. The play is the thing - Romeo and Juliet - done in a punk Harlequin doll style. Our elbows were on the stage enjoying every minute.
Day 12 - Today was Harry Potter day! We took the tube, train, and bus out to Leavesden Studios and enjoyed a wonderful 5.5 hours immersed in the wonderful world of Harry Potter! It really was cool to see all of the intricate details that you don't necessarily notice when seeing the movies. You can take as much time as you want soaking it all in. (Get tickets ahead!) So many favorite sets but top ones include the Gryfindor common room, Dumbledore's office, the Great Hall, the Burrow, the display on the animals, and the forbidden forest among so many other great displays on the creatures, costumes, and technology used to make it come alive. After a supper at the Westminster Arms pub we met our first London Walks guide Liam at the Westminster tube stop for the Westminster by Gaslight walk. Very interesting area and so cool that there are so many lamps lit by gas still. I love the traditions of England.
Day 13 - Today we spent the entire day at the Tower of London with intermittent rain. Saw the crown jewels first thing with no line. Later in the day there was about a 2 hour wait. Go early and see them first thing. And then enjoyed every little nook and crannie. I liked the graffiti left from prisoners. I marveled at how intricate and deeply cut some of them were and wondered how long their creator was there to make something like that. Not a comforting thought. I also enjoyed walking the walls and seeing the displays in the connecting towers as I hadn't had time for those on my previous visits. We had lunch in the Tower's cafe which was really quite good. Had a leisurely dinner just outside the Tower as we had tickets that evening for the Ceremony of the Keys. It was raining out but that didn't diminish my enjoyment. It really is amazing to see such a ceremony that has been done every night for 700 years!
Day 14 - Today we headed to Westminster Abbey and took the verger tour, which allowed us to get into the shrine area of Edward the Confessor, which regular visitors are not allowed into. So that was a thrill for me for its' historical aspects. You can see the tombs all around his from the outside if you don't take a verger tour and you'll notice they are all fairly ornate except for one. Edward I has a stark marble tomb with an inscription on it proclaiming him the 'hammer of the Scots.' And while he certainly gave it a go Bruce outlasted him and his son Edward II was certainly no match for Bruce. But I digress, (my husband has Scots in him and I am partial to Scotland) the stark tomb is apparently because he wanted to be buried in an ornate tomb in Scotland after England had defeated them and didn't want to waste an ornate tomb in the Abbey. Well, England never defeated Scotland so there Edward I still lays in his stark marble tomb. We had afternoon tea at the Abbey which was quite good and then headed down Whitehall towards the closed, boo, Banqueting House....