London & the Cotswold's

My Photo Album - September - 2005

 (Click to view larger picture)

- St. Paul Cathedral - 
No direct view except from middle of the street.  Streets are very busy and traffic does not watch out for tourists taking pictures or crossing the street.

        

Thames River & Tower Bridge - 
This isn't London Bridge. That's a different bridge.
I had bad hair that day, and every day, due to the damp weather.

St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church & Restaurant in the Crypt. 
It was a strange place to eat, but later we found many places that used their crypts for a double purpose. 

- Trafalgar Square - 
I took the obligatory picture with a lion. We had a hard time making this without other tourists getting in the picture.

London Pub and our Hotel/Inn - 
My first real English Fish 'n' Chips. They didn't have air conditioning anywhere; hence, we left the window open at the hotel and were treated to street noise all night long.

- Westminster Abby - 
Beautiful Gothic architecture, but inside the church was creepy. Royalty and the wealthy were buried in tombs, walls, and sometimes under the floor.  They said the churches would stink in olden times, hence the saying, the "stinking rich."

Big Ben - They told us frequently that Big Ben is the bell inside the tower, not the clock.

- Parliament - 
Everything looks like a church. They do not have the separation of church and state that we have; Church of England, the monarchy, and the government are all sort of blended.

Changing of the Guard - 
The British love pageantry & red! They put on a splendid show.

Buckingham Palace Gates - 
People at gate were trying to see the Changing of the Guard, which is only on even days of the week if it doesn't rain.

- Oxford Street Scenes - 
Oxford also used to be a monastery, so it looks like a church too. The monks were the only ones with enough knowledge to teach others in the olden days.

Cobblestone Streets & Buildings at Oxford - 
They threw garbage in the streets in the olden days, so the gutters were not very safe.  The buildings are soft limestone and cost a fortune to maintain.  There is always construction..

Oxford Architecture - 
The wide street was the old cattle market. The name Ox-ford came from a shallow place in the river where cattle could cross. The Arch is a famous Oxford landmark.

Burford Pub & Street Scene -
The charming village of Burford is over a thousand years old. Roofs are shingled with rocks which were frozen and split into sheets.  Coal fireplaces provided the primary heat source until modern times; hence many chimneys are seen. 

Burford of Cotswold's - 
Most homes are now second homes for the wealthy who want to get out of the city  Villagers can no longer afford to live here. It rained on us here too, as usual.

Blenheim Palace  - 
Given to the first Duke of Marlboro by the Queen for defeating the French. Still resided in by his descendants who must entertain tourists to pay the  high cost of taxes and upkeep. 

- Tea & Scones at Palace Garden - 
Tea is always hot tea and scones are just very big biscuits served with jam and butter.  It was hard to get a drink with much ice anywhere.

Churchill's Grave - 
They are still very fond of Winston Churchill in England. He was born and is buried in the Cotswold's, but did not live here during his lifetime.

Tower of London - 
It is actually a fortress, which has been a palace, prison, torture chamber, execution site and museum. As the guide said, what kept enemies out, was also good for keeping them in. The old wall is part of the original wall around the city and goes back to ancient times.

Tower of London - 
The Crown Jewels are kept here but no pictures of them were allowed - no free samples either. The royals take them out and wear them for certain occasions like the opening of Parliament or Coronations.

White Tower at Tower of London -  
Beefeaters or Yeomen are a military honor guard for the Queen and also serve as tourist guides.  

Armor & Knights in White Tower Museum go back to days of chivalry.

Inside the White Tower.

Herrods' Food Rooms - 
Harrods is a very posh department store, but you can look and take pictures for free.

Street Scene in London -  
Herrods' is the building at the end of the street that looks like (surprise!) a church. The theater is one of many in the city.  They fill up for the performances nearly every night, and have matinees as well.

London China Town  - 
We stumbled on Chinatown by accident while looking for this theater.  

Typical Scenes in London - 
The Underground is cheap and convenient transportation, and there are numerous double-decker busses everywhere.  Phone booths are still used, but cell phones are very popular there now.

London & the Cotswold's