Greenwich

On Tuesday, Mom took a day trip to Paris.  She booked a group tour before we left that traveled on the Eurostar high-speed train through the English Channel straight to Paris.  We dropped her off at the St. Pancras rail station at 5:30am (yikes!).  Since we had the day to ourselves, Mona and I decided we'd take a day trip to Greenwich.

On either side of the Prime Meridian

Greenwich is home to the Royal Observatory and marks the Prime Meridian separating the Eastern and Western hemispheres and the basis for which all time zones are calculated.  The term Greenwich Mean Time refers to the time in Greenwich and is a single reference point by which everyone can calculate the correct time.  It's an absolute time that doesn't change with the seasons like when we change the clocks for daylight savings time.  The observatory sits on a hill overlooking the town and we hiked up the hill so we could each stand in a different hemisphere at the same time.

Giant Ship in a Bottle at the National Maritime Museum

Greenwich is a historic seaport on the River Thames just south of London, and is home to the tall masted ship Cutty Sark as well as the Old Royal Naval College.  No longer a Naval College, it's now the site of the University of Greenwich.  It's also the home of the National Maritime Museum.  We visited all of these as well as walked through the town and strolled along the river.  Greenwich is an easy day trip as it's

Cutty Sark

connected to the Tube system via the Docklands Light Rail (DLR).  Our week's travel card included riding the DLR so it made for a fun day without adding any extra expense.

Choir Memories

When I was a student at the College of William and Mary, I sang as a member of the Choir.  Frank Lendrim - "Doc" as we all called him - helped instill in me a great love of music that I carry with me today.  Every three years, he and his wife Betty Jean put together a tour of Europe where the choir would sing in some of the greatest venues including Westminster Abbey, the Madeleine in Paris, and Chartres Cathedral to name a few.  It so happened that the year of the European Tour when I was a student was my senior year.

St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church

The day after graduation, we left for a six week tour visiting France, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and England.  While in London, we performed at Westminster Abbey, St. Martin-in-the Fields Church in Trafalgar Square, and the Chapel of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.  That was 21 years ago.  During our time here this week, we have attended an organ recital at Westminster Abbey and listened to a noontime concert at St. Martin-in-the Fields by a boys choir from Bromley.  We also had lunch in the cafe of the church -- another memory from choir tour.   Mona and I visited the Chapel at the Old Royal Naval College on Tuesday.

Chapel at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich

Some of my best and closest friends to this day are those fellow singers from the William and Mary Choir.  Returning to these places brought back a flood of memories of our time together on tour and how much fun we had performing and seeing so many different places.  That trip also had one other profound effect on me -- my love of travel.  I don't think I would have had nearly the level of interest to travel like I've had since then if it weren't for that European Choir Tour.  Thanks Doc. 

Changing of the Guard

Gathering in front of Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the royal family and it also serves as the

administrative headquarters of the Monarch.  Every day during most of the year, there is the Changing of the Guard ceremony where one regiment comes and replaces another as those who stand watch at the palace.  During the winter, this becomes an every other day event -- odd numbered days in December -- so we had to make sure we planned for the correct day.  We went on Monday and the weather was cold, but nice and sunny.

Right along the fence

Several thousand people crowd the front of the palace, the Queen Victoria memorial in front of the palace, and along both roads that pass by.  Other than the processional down the street and through the gates, most of the ceremony takes place inside the gates and is difficult to see unless you're right along the fence line.  We arrived at 10am for the 11:30am ceremony and were barely able to get Mom up front at the fence line.  She would have never seen anything otherwise.

Regimental Band

The regimental band plays a while and you see the soldiers parade through as one regiment relieves the other.  Since it's winter, the regiment was wearing their winter gray coats instead of the red coats we are accustomed to seeing.  It's definitely worth seeing at least one time when in London, but if you can't get up close and personal along the fence line, I'm not sure I'd bother with it.

Decked out for the Holidays

Oxford Street

One of the great things about visiting London during the holiday season is seeing the City decked out in lights and festive decorations.  One of the best places to see this is the Oxford Street/Regent Street shopping area.  We were able to maneuver through the throngs of shoppers and revelers out on a Monday night to snap a few pictures.

Carnaby Street

Regent Street

Carnaby Side Street

Tower Bridge & Thames River Cruise

Tower Bridge seen from our Thames River Cruise

The Tower Bridge spans the River Thames adjacent to the Tower of London and is the city's most famous and iconic bridge.  The drawbridge raises and lowers for ships and other large boats to pass while the walkways across the top allow for great views up and down the river.  As with the majority of London bridges, you can walk as well as drive across (the Millennium Bridge is pedestrian-only).  Many people picture this bridge when they hear the name London Bridge and the song London Bridge is Falling Down.  However, London Bridge is a much plainer bridge.  The old London Bridge was dismantled and sold to American Robert McCulloch who had it shipped to the United States and

London Eye

reconstructed in Lake Havasu, Arizona where it stands today.  Legend has it he thought he was purchasing the Tower Bridge, but he supposedly denied that to be the case.

We took a Thames River Cruise in order to see the city from a different vantage point.  From the river, we got excellent views of the Tower Bridge.  Mona and I walked across Tower Bridge, exploring the areas on both sides so we only sailed from Tower Pier to Westminster Pier next to Parliament.  Mom did the full cruise experience and sailed up to Greenwich from Tower Pier and then all the way back to Westminster.  During our cruise we got great views of the London Eye, the Customs House, the Tate Modern, and many other buildings too numerous to mention.

Selfie outside Westminster Abbey after
the organ recital.

We capped off our Sunday evening with a visit to Westminster Abbey for a free organ recital.  Although we were not able to tour at that time, it was nice to be inside and listen to such a grand organ in a glorious space.  This year's current organ scholar Jeremy Woodside played for 30 minutes. His first piece was actually an arrangement of Sleigh Ride -- certainly not what I was expecting to hear - and the other two were 20th century classical pieces I was not familiar with but were enjoyable.  The finale was just what you wanted to hear -- loud and sustained so you could experience the fullness of the space and reverberation of the sound once the piece concluded.  A nice way to cap our Sunday night in London.

Tower of London

Tower of London along the River Thames
as seen from the Tower Bridge

The Tower of London is probably best known today as the location where the Crown Jewels are kept.   However, throughout history it has been used as a royal residence, a prison, a place of execution, and even the royal mint.  The Tower is actually a castle and is considered to be one of the Historic Royal Palaces just like Hampton Court or Kensington.  Built by William the Conqueror after the Norman Conquest of London in 1066, it is a complex of several buildings surrounded by a double perimeter wall and a double moat, although one moat is dry today.  You can read a much better description about its history here.

Given the crowds we've been experiencing, we decided to visit the Tower of London right when they opened on Sunday morning at 10:00am.  I booked the tickets online the night before so we wouldn't have to stand in the ticket queue, and that turned out to be the right call.  We arrived a few minutes before 10 and after picking up the tickets at the Group Ticket window and bypassing the long lines waiting to purchase tickets, we were able to get in the queue waiting to enter the castle.  Bryan - 1, Crowd - 0.  

Where the Crown Jewels are stored

Mom's top priority for visiting the Tower of London was to see the Crown Jewels.  I suggested we do that first before the crowds built up.  Outside the building where the jewels are stored is a Disney World-style maze of stanchions and pipe that lead you in a zig zag pattern that makes you feel like the line is never going to end.  There was not a soul in that area and we walked right into the building.  Bryan - 2, Crowd - 0.

As we walked through the area where the crown jewels are kept, we learned about their history and use.  We saw coronation crowns, scepters, maces, plates, and the largest punch bowl I have ever seen -- over a meter wide and deep enough to hold 144 bottles of wine.  I'm not sure they still actually use the punch bowl because it looks like it weighs a ton and must be a pain to keep polished.  Unfortunately, they don't allow you to take pictures so I don't have any to share here.

Mom with a couple of Yeoman Warders,
more commonly referred to as Beefeaters

Once we finished seeing the crown jewels and exited the building, the Disney World-style line maze was completely full of people.  By the time we were finished with our visit, the line left that area and went down to the other end of the complex and doubled back upon itself.  If I had to guess, it would have been a minimum of a two hour if not three hour wait to see the Crown Jewels.  Bryan - 3, Crowd - 0.

Mona and I also toured and climbed through the various floors of the White Tower which is where the Tower of London gets its name.  We saw many displays of armament  and weaponry used throughout the centuries.  There is also a small chapel on the top floor that had a very simple elegance to it.  We even got roped into joining a group of reenactors who were demonstrating Christmas customs and traditions from the Norman period.  All in all a great visit on a very crowded day.  Who says you can't beat the crowd?

Best laid plans . . . . .

We're really enjoying our apartment on Pitt Street in Kensington.  One of the reasons we picked it is because it's only a short five minute walk to the Kensington High Street tube station.  We're using the tube and bus system extensively while we're here as it's extremely convenient to get around and visit all of the places we want to see, or so we thought .......

They are doing a lot of construction work during the "festive period" which wasn't being advertised when we made our housing arrangements.  Fortunately the Notting Hill Gate tube station is close by and served by a different line.  All of the buses that serve our neighborhood stop there, so we can hop on any of them and be there in 5 minutes.  Thank goodness for that.

London at Night

During our jaunt to the Tate Modern, we traveled by St. Paul's Cathedral and across the Millennium Bridge over the River Thames.  A couple of my favorite shots --

St. Paul's Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge seen from the Tate Modern

St. Paul's Cathedral from the Millennium Bridge

Art at the Tate Modern

After dinner Saturday night, Mom decided to rest up so Mona and I went out to visit the Tate Modern which is open until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays.  As the name implies, the Tate features modern art, from the works of Picasso and Salvador Dali to living artists with whom we're not familiar.  With apologies to my artist friends and art aficionados, I've divided this into Art I could Do/Why is this Art? and Art I Can Appreciate.  All of these are currently on display at the Tate Modern.

Art I Could Do/Why is this Art?

 
Why is air conditioning duct or random squiggly painting renowned art that is exhibited at a prestigious museum?  Wood painted in a multi-colored block pattern?  I think I could do these.


Art I Can Appreciate

The Three Dancers by Pablo Picasso

While abstracts don't appeal to everyone, I certainly appreciate their artistic merit.  They say one man's junk is another man's treasure.  Can the same be said for art?

Variation on the Form of an Anchor
by Tristram Hillier

British Museum

Rosetta Stone

After the Portobello Market, we decided to finish our afternoon at the British Museum.  Of all the museums we've been able to visit, this is probably one of our favorites.  Where else can you see the Rosetta Stone,  Egyptian mummies, ancient Greek and Roman artifacts that pre-date Christ, a giant head from Easter Island, and samurai armor from medieval Japan?  Best of all,

Portland Vase -- Roman glass vase circa
25 BC - 15 AD 

it's free.  The building is enormous, and you easily can lose track of time wandering from gallery to gallery.  Even though we've been before, we only scratched the surface during our visit, so maybe we can find time to
return before we leave London.

Easter Island Statue Hoa Hakananai'a

Portobello Road Market

If you've seen the movie Notting Hill, then you've seen the Portobello Road Market.  There's a great scene where Hugh Grant's character is walking past all of the vendor stalls as the weather changes from season to season.  The Portobello Road Market is probably the most popular outdoor market in London, with vendors selling everything from produce to antiques to everything in between.  Saturday is the busiest day as that's when all of the vendor stalls are occupied.  The crowds were out in full force -- I think because of the holiday week, everything is going to be more crowded.  We spent our morning perusing the stalls and enjoying the atmosphere.

Notting Hill is a fun neighborhood to walk around in.  There's all kinds of neat shops, great architecture, and quiet streets once you get off the main road.  We tried finding several of the filming sites from the movie, including what stood in for William Thacker's travel book shop.  We hope to get back here before our week is up and explore a little more with hopefully a few less people.

Happy Boxing Day

Our flight over the pond was great and we landed at Heathrow around 7am local time.  We rented an apartment for the week and arranged for a car service through the rental company to take us to the apartment.  Our driver David met us after collecting our luggage and away we went.

Shopping at Harrods

The nice thing about traveling on Christmas Day is that traffic was light and it was easy getting through the airports.  Although our flight was full, there wasn't the normal throngs of people that we usually encounter in the airport.  Our drive into London from Heathrow was the same.  Very little traffic and not a lot of people out.  Today is Boxing Day -- also a holiday in the UK.  Traditionally, Boxing Day was when servants and tradesmen would receive gifts -- called a "Christmas Box" -- from their employers.  Today it's a bank holiday and many things are closed.  This makes traveling a little trickier as public transport is reduced and the Heathrow express trains don't run.  Just like America, it's a big day for shopping.

Our apartment for the week is on Pitt Street in Kensington, close to Notting Hill and Kensington Palace.   We went to the Tube station -- that's the subway for you Yanks -- to buy our travel card for the week and hit the grocery store.  After a much needed nap, we went out in the Boxing Day frenzy to Harrods.  As you can see from the picture, the Tube was jam packed with people.  Harrods was no different.  Tons of people and twice as many shopping bags.  Definitely something to experience but I think we'll come back a different day to shop when there's a few less people.

Packed like sardines on the Tube

We capped our first day with dinner and a play.  Mom wants to see Mamma Mia, but the tickets left for tonight were too expensive.  Instead, we chose a British comedy play called Neville's Island -- four guys stuck on an island while on a corporate team building exercise.  We had a good laugh and enjoyed the British humor.  With only a nap to carry us through our day, lack of sleep is catching up to us.  Now it's back to the apartment for a good night's sleep.

London Calling

Merry Christmas!  Or as the Brits would say -- Happy Christmas!  We've started our journey to London and are waiting to board our flight to Heathrow.  Mona's parents usually travel with us when we go overseas, but this time my Mom Kathy is joining us.  We're spending a week in London and this is a bucket list trip for her.  It's been 20 years since Mona and I have been to London so we're interested to see what's changed and visit some sites we haven't seen before.  Although the weather will be cold, the city will be decked out for Christmas and it will be fun to see all the decorations and see how Londoners celebrate Christmas and New Year's.  Now for the flight over ...... hopefully we can sleep some as we arrive at 7:00am.

Canadian Rockies

After Waterton Lakes, we drove through the rain to the Town of Banff.  Banff National Park was the first national park in Canada, and the town is in the center of it all.  It is also a prime ski area in the winter.  Our home for the next two nights is the Mountain Home B&B, just two blocks from Banff Avenue -- the main shopping/restaurant thoroughfare.

Lake Louise

Unfortunately, the weather has turned cool and with off and on rain.  Highs are only in the low 50s.  There is very low cloud cover which makes seeing the mountains, especially the tops, impossible.  There is a mountain at the end of Banff Avenue that we never did see in the three days we were in Banff.

While the Town caters to tourists, it has lovely "mountain chalet" architecture along the main street and a lively vibe.  It also has a lot of fantastic hikes, lakes, and waterfalls within an easy drive.  One of the nearby areas that people tend to visit is Lake Louise.  The Town of Jasper is about 3 hours or so up Route 93, also referred to as the Icefields Parkway.  The area stretching between Banff and Jasper is the heart of the Canadian Rockies and probably the most visited.  Banff National Park and Jasper National Park are both located here.

Moraine Lake -- perhaps the best view we experienced

Because of all the rain in Banff, we drove north and west to Lake Louise and drove a portion of the Icefields Parkway up to Bow Summit.  Fortunately, we drove past the rain and the sun even popped out for a bit.  We still had a lot of low cloud cover, which obscured a lot of the mountain tops.  However, we were still treated to a lot of spectacular scenery.

Probably the most scenic view we saw was of Moraine Lake near Lake Louise.  The view here is so iconic in Canada, that for many years it graced the reverse side of the Canadian twenty dollar bill.  The lakes and rivers in this part of Canada often have a deep cobalt blue appearance.  This is due to the sediment in the lake and how it tends to refract sunlight bringing out the blues and greens.  The water itself is not actually blue.

Peyto Lake

We had a great day driving and taking short hikes to take in the views.  The weather held up and the sun popped out.  As we drove back to Banff, the rain returned, but we didn't mind a bit.  

Waterton Lakes

After our stay in Glacier, we left Montana to finish our travels in Canada.  We're spending the rest of our time in the Canadian Rockies.  Our first stop was Waterton Lakes National Park which borders Glacier National Park.  The two parks make up the Waterton Glacier International Peace Park.  Canada and the United States designated these parks as a joint peace park in 1932 to commemorate the long standing relationship between the two nations.

The Town of Waterton lies wholly within the park.  It has one small main street with several shops and restaurants.  The other iconic feature is the Prince of Wales Hotel which sits on a bluff overlooking the lakes.  This hotel was also built by the railroad as was the Many Glacier Hotel.

The view from the top of Bear Hump Trail

We hiked the Bear Hump trail in order to get a sweeping view of the lakes and the town.  It was a short hike, but very steep.  We were up and down in under an hour, but the view was well worth the hike.  We also spotted another bear -- a black bear out for a stroll across the field.  We only had a few hours here before we had to leave in order to drive to Banff, our home for the next two nights.

Lots of Wildlife

We've been very fortunate during this trip to see a variety of wildlife.  We spent a few hours at the national bison range between Missoula and Kalispell where we saw bison, deer, and a golden eagle.  In addition to bear and moose, we've seen mountain goats, big horn sheep, marmots and pika inside the national park.  Most of these animals only live in these mountain environments so it's been a real treat to be able to see them.

Bison

Big Horn Sheep

Pika

Marmot

Many Glacier

On our last day in Glacier, we said goodbye to our apartment in Kalispell and drove the entire length of the Going to the Sun Road over to the east side of the park to the area known as Many Glacier.  We were able to stay one night at the historic Many Glacier Hotel inside the park right on the shores of Swiftcurrent Lake.  This lodge was originally built in 1915 by the Great Northern Railway Company. It has a large four story lobby with giant wooden timbers and hallways that overlook the lobby.  Our room has a balcony we share with the adjacent room that looks out right over the lake and the mountains.   Unfortunately we were only able to stay one night, but this is definitely the place to stay when on this side of the park.

There are two places to stay inside the park in the Many Glacier area -- the Many Glacier Hotel and the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn.  It was down the road from the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn that the trailhead starts where we were able to see the moose.  For all the ambiance and charm of the Many Glacier Hotel, the dining is apparently not very good.  We saw the reviews on TripAdvisor that weren't all that positive.  Our neighbors that shared the balcony with us confirmed it.  Fortunately for us, there's a pizza/Italian place at the Swiftcurrent Motor Inn.  The TripAdvisor reviews were favorable and we got a pizza to go and ate on our balcony while watching the sunset.  A much better ending to our day than eating in the hotel dining room.

The view from our balcony

Moose Part 2

We don't normally shoot video when we travel.  I've always preferred photography.  However, I couldn't pass this opportunity up.  We watched this guy and his friends for about 30 minutes.  This was taken at Fisher Cap Lake in the Many Glacier area at Glacier National Park.

Moose

This is why we love coming to the National Parks.  You get to experience nature and wildlife where they are.  You can't recreate the setting or the timing.  Generally, you will always get to see the incredible views.  And if you're lucky, you'll get to spend some time with some of God's magnificent creatures.

We found these moose at Fisher Cap Lake along the Swiftcurrent Trail.