November 10-18, 1999

Page 12

Wednesday, November 17 (continued)

By this time it was 3:30 and we discovered that it takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours to tour the Tower. They almost wouldn’t let us buy tickets for only the last hour of the day. It seemed to take forever to get our tickets, so we split up and saw as much as we could. Denise, Loraine, and I literally ran to see the Crown Jewels. By the time we got out of the Jewel House it was almost dark, and almost 5:00. The gift shop was open for another hour, and all five of us ended up there, shopping for souvenirs.

Next, we decided to go to Buckingham Palace. We saw a sign pointing the way to the palace and started walking. We weren’t sure it was the right direction after walking several blocks and not seeing anything that looked like it should be near the palace. We notice a police van parked on the street, and 6 or 8 policemen jump out and start suiting up in riot gear. Then several more vans pull up, more policemen jump out to suit up. As we walked by on of the groups, we ask if we should be worried about walking here. One of them answered that they were just “out to play too.” Actually, the England vs. Scotland football (soccer) match was just about to end and they were preparing for any possible trouble in the aftermath. Eventually Buckingham Palace appeared around the bend. We decided it was too dark for pictures and walked on. After dinner at an Italinan restaurant, we made our way back to the B&B to prepare for the journey home tomorrow.


Inside Tower of London at the Bloody Tower
L9-13a

 


Bloody Tower Gate
L9-14a

 


Guard outside Crown Jewel House
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Guard outside Crown Jewel House
L9-21a

 


Spire of White Tower inside Tower of London
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L9-17a

 


L9-18a

 


White Tower
L9-19a

 


Tower Bridge from inside Tower of London
L9-20a

 


Bloody Tower
L9-22a

 


Tower Bridge at night
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London sidewalk
L9-21a

 


Laura Ashley Shop
L9-22a


Kris, Judy, Denise, Loraine having dessert at Italian restaurant
L10-1a

Thursday, November 18

The bags are packed and I will be the first to leave. I flew into to Gatwick, and since it’s further from London than Heathrow, I have to leave an hour before Kris and Judy. Denise and Loraine are staying for one more day. After breakfast and getting some directions from our hosts, Kris, Judy and I walk a few blocks down to Selfridge’s. It wasn’t open yet, but it was nice to walk the streets of London one last time before the long trip home. Kris and Judy decided to walk a little further to Oxford Street, but it was time for me to head back to meet the taxi. We said good-bye and went our separate ways. On the way back, I saw Denise ahead of me on her way back to the B&B from a quick shopping trip. We walked back together, and by the time I put the last few things into by suitcases the taxi arrived. More good-byes and “see you in Denver” and it was on to the airport. The drive was over an hour and a half and I took advantage of the last look at the sites, and even saw a little more of the countryside on the way. The train on the way into London went through more urban areas, so it was nice to see the roadside views on the way out. As we drove along, I had the feeling that I wasn’t seeing London for the last time.
I’ll be back someday.

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