I was so excited to introduce Isaac to London! Usually I wouldn't be so excited about long layovers, but London is always an exception.
After a sleepless night on the plane (yep, we took Ambien and still didn't sleep), we took Heathrow Express into Paddington. The adrenaline started building as we found our Underground line and headed for Buckingham. Isaac has always talked about meeting the Queen for tea at Buckingham...this was probably as close as he'll get.
We then walked through St. James Park which I had never done before. It is beautiful! The morning was cool, breezy, and cloudy, and such a treat from the 90+ days in Houston. We watched a mounted honor guard ride by in preparation for Queen Elizabeth's state birthday celebration on Saturday.
Just past St. James is Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament (Big Ben Clock Tower). The line was too long to enter Westminster, but we walked all around in awe of the architecture. It's stunningly intricate. Big Ben struck 11 for us while Isaac mused how Peter Pan ever fit on his hands Ha.
The rest of our day was spent at Tower of London (Tower Palace), eating fish and chips, following in the steps of William the Conqueror as he set up his rule of England. That palace is over 900 years old. I had been there 15 years ago, and remembered many of the stories (mostly of torture and beheadings) but it was fun to follow a Yeoman's tour and hear more details. Of course the crowning glory was touring through the Crown Jewels. The exhibit was redone last year for Queen Elizabeth's 60th Jubilee. The sun came out as we wound our way through spire stairwells and lit up Tower Bridge.
Oh, and for those of you who know my track record of helping foreigners figure out London, this trip it was a sweet older French lady who was darn confused by British coinage the public restroom system. It's good to let God use you in any old place. At least this time I didn't have to pull a little used (by me) language from the back of my head to solve the problem. Thanks, Jesus!
After a sleepless night on the plane (yep, we took Ambien and still didn't sleep), we took Heathrow Express into Paddington. The adrenaline started building as we found our Underground line and headed for Buckingham. Isaac has always talked about meeting the Queen for tea at Buckingham...this was probably as close as he'll get.
We then walked through St. James Park which I had never done before. It is beautiful! The morning was cool, breezy, and cloudy, and such a treat from the 90+ days in Houston. We watched a mounted honor guard ride by in preparation for Queen Elizabeth's state birthday celebration on Saturday.
Just past St. James is Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament (Big Ben Clock Tower). The line was too long to enter Westminster, but we walked all around in awe of the architecture. It's stunningly intricate. Big Ben struck 11 for us while Isaac mused how Peter Pan ever fit on his hands Ha.
The rest of our day was spent at Tower of London (Tower Palace), eating fish and chips, following in the steps of William the Conqueror as he set up his rule of England. That palace is over 900 years old. I had been there 15 years ago, and remembered many of the stories (mostly of torture and beheadings) but it was fun to follow a Yeoman's tour and hear more details. Of course the crowning glory was touring through the Crown Jewels. The exhibit was redone last year for Queen Elizabeth's 60th Jubilee. The sun came out as we wound our way through spire stairwells and lit up Tower Bridge.
Oh, and for those of you who know my track record of helping foreigners figure out London, this trip it was a sweet older French lady who was darn confused by British coinage the public restroom system. It's good to let God use you in any old place. At least this time I didn't have to pull a little used (by me) language from the back of my head to solve the problem. Thanks, Jesus!
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