British Isles Travels-London

My choice for a "Retirement Vacation" was the British Isles trip we took in August. We flew British Airways direct from Orlando to Gatwick, south of London. Over the course of two days we walked at least ten miles of London streets and loved every step of it. The first day we walked to the London Eye admiring Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and Parliament on the way. Jim bought us Fast Passes so our wait was short (major jet lag at this point) and we jumped onto the moving Eye and spent thirty minutes LOVING the sights of all London (see the Eye Pod in the photo). On our return walk to our hotel we stopped off for Fish & Chips and a pint at The Albert pub (see photo). The second day the "must see" list included The Tower of London and Buckingham Palace (Such Tourists); having always loved the "Royals" in books and movies, this was fascinating for me. We also enjoyed a lovely cruise on the Thames after a visit to St. Paul's Cathedral. Of course my favorite thing at the Cathedral was the crypt with the black marble sarcophagus of Admiral Nelson. Loved his story: Killed at the Battle of Trafalgar, body shipped to England in a cask of brandy, then his coffin went into the sarcophagus designed by and intended for Cardinal Wolsey 275 years earlier. Am I the only one who likes that story?? Probably... To end the afternoon we had Afternoon Tea at Harrod's (which we called supper) and took a London Cab back to our hotel. London was amazingly quiet( with few horn-honking cabs), lovely people and fascinating preserved history; LOVED it. MA