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Visit to London, England, Sept 12-19, 2026 (Part I)
Merle had some time between travel nursing gigs and decided to go to London. I asked if she wanted company.
We left JFK about 8pm to arrive at Heathrow about 9am the next day 9/13, slightly bleary eyed. We met up with a friend of mine from UCLA, TP, who showed us some local sites. We first visited Abbey Road, famous for being the location of the studio where the Beatles recorded.
Checking out the Beatles merch.
As tourists there do, we also wanted to recreate that famous album cover at that crosswalk
Merle directing the action and staging.
Our final product.
I guess the locals are used to this type of tourist activity. Even the Rolls Royce waited for us.
Afterwards, we needed feeding. Of course, fish and chips.
Thanks T!
And, since we're on vacation, a gelato after eating.
I was wondering if "Boots" is British for CVS.
We got to visit more with TP as we walked through Regents Park, where there were some people working on their trapeze skills...
as one does.
Then, back to the room for a nap, which turned into the rest of the night, to catch up on the time difference.
Monday 9/14: Buckingham, guards, churches, clocks....
We got sort of an early start Mon am to get a place to see the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. Travel advisors said we should be good to get there about 10 am. Here's the front of the palace, plenty of room.
This pic was taken by some friendly tourists that we kept running into the rest of the am.
The question: where will we see you next?
And there they were!
The Queen Vistoria Memorial was just across from the palace, and in 90 minutes, this area would be mobbed with tourists.
Merle was amazed how the guards don't move an inch.
We thought we'd have plenty of time before 10-ish am, so we walked around to see some sights. Of course, Big Ben.
We saw the London Eye, and a heavily fortified Downing Street (residence of the Prime Minister). Those guards with the automatic weapons don't play.
Ever the gardener, Merle was wondering how that place grew flowers out of their awning and walls.
People were lining up to take pictures in front of these, as they call them, phone boxes.
We just went around the corner and found another one.
We then headed back to Buckingham Palace to see that the crowds were already forming. Some folks were very aggressive, like this lady in the white shirt who literally pushed me aside to get to stand where I had been a minute before. Well, if it's that important to you, have at it!
Fact is, unless you were right at the front of the gate, most people were watching the action through their phones. It was kind of like going to a big name concert these days: you know there's something going on, but you wind up watching the jumbotron...or the phone of the person in front of you.
However, Merle was able to get some pictures with her phone also.
And this one, which made us wonder how these guys can see anything.
Though personally, I think they might be missing out on some great advertising opportunities.
:)
Afterwards (small world story, though noted by Merle on FB), we ran into Mandy Owens and her friend Jodie Monts, not in All Benny, but just outside a palace in England.
Who'd a thunk???
After Buckingham, we were able to persuade Mandy and Jodie to join us on our visit to Westminster Abbey, a giant amazing church.
It's hard to give a perspective about how big and tall this church is, and then considering that it was built without cranes or laser guidance, seeing it is even more amazing.
I think the official reading was that the height of the ceilings (101 ft) was the height of 18.4 Merles.
Below is where the singers, the Quire (not a typo) sat.
There are some very famous residents who stay in the church, though they didn't have much to say about the matter.
And even a place for a complete unknown (soldier), though that place is highly sacred. Nobody walks over that surface.
After that, we dropped by the Parliament building, and were able to sit in the public gallery to watch the members in the House of Commons (like our House of Representatives) where they discussed education issues, and the House of Lords (like our Senate) where they were discussing election integrity. At least for our time watching, the discussions were all very civil, despite having some contrary arguments being advanced. (no photography allowed) :(
Their hallway on the way to the public galleries.
Waiting to get into the House of Lords gallery.
Tuesday 9/15: Tower of London, Leicester Square, and Oh Mary!
We got off the tube at Tower Hill and there was the Tower of London. Think your place is old? This place was built in 1066, and probably those around those parts thought "there goes the neighborhood."
Here is the central tower that contains the Crown Jewels
Of course with their own guards, leaving us still to wonder how they see anything....
And right outside of Tower of London: the Tower Bridge.
We visited the Church of Southwark (pronounced suh-therk) where they were having a service, and Merle participated in her own quiet way with the appropriate responses.
Hays Galleria
(shopping)
We stopped at the Borough Market, where the pigeons and other birds, probably from being trained by tourists, were quite aggressive.
Had a brief visit to the Tate Modern, a very large museum, where there was a Frida Kahlo exhibit. The outside of the building had an interlaced brick pattern with signs saying "Do Not Climb," which struck me as an odd problem for an art museum.
Entrance is below.
We saw a giant domed building across the Thames and decided to check it out. St. Paul's Cathedral. Want to look inside? There would have been a charge for entry, even though I brought my own Catholic.
Next stop Leicester (pronounced Lester) Square and National Portrait Gallery
They had a collection of busts that were so lifelike, it took me a minute to realize that the one on the left was an actual human.
There were some chain restaurants, but also some that were not.
However, just like a squirrel can find a nut, a Filipina can find a Jollibee, and this one can also find anything related to Harry Potter.
And of course in London, we had to see a show.
We wound up seeing Oh, Mary, a production which imagines Mary Todd Lincoln as an alcoholic with secret dreams of being a cabaret star.
Wait...there's more! What?
omg...Yes! Click here for rest of the trip.
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