Monday, April 29, 2013

Oxford

If you ever watched the British Series with Inspector Morse or Lewis than you know they film many of their scenes at Oxford.

While in England we caught one of these mystery programs on BBC TV and shouted with glee when we recognize the library at Oxford where we had just visited!

Enjoy a few photos of Oxford.















Saturday, April 27, 2013

The Two Palaces

Our last main attractions to visit while in London were Buckingham and Kensington Palaces.

Unfortunately Queen Elizabeth II wasn't at home when we stopped by Buckingham Palace or I'm sure she would have invited us in. Our guide explained that she actually prefers to stay at Windsor Castle.

Kensington Palace is where Queen Victoria was born and raised and where Princess Diana and Prince Charles lived.

What a thrill it was to be at the gates to Buckingham Palace and to walk the halls and rooms of Kensington Palace.

Here's a few photos to enjoy of our visits to these historical palaces.
















Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Tower of London

The Tower of London was fun to visit while we were in London. (We're in Wales now will post about that later). We had a tour with a Beef Eater guide from Wales and he was a hoot. After the tour we went through the White Tower where kings and queens lived for hundreds of years after 1066. We ate lunch at their cafe and came out into a sleet and heavy rain storm. It was time to head home so we walked over to the Tube to ride back to the hotel. Lovely day in London.













Thursday, April 18, 2013

Hampton Court

Tuesday morning our tour group took a bus to visit Hampton Court. This is a huge royal palace estate that belonged to Cardinal Worsley and then Henry VIII in the 16th Century.

We were limited on our time and were unable to see everything {{sob}}. Since it was a very gusty, windy overcast day, we decided to focus our time inside the palace and skip the gardens.

I love historical buildings and museums so I was in heaven. Hope you enjoy the photos of this grand estate.

FYI: We didn't bring any laptop computers with us so I'm blogging using the Blogger app to post with my iPhone. That means all of my photos will post at the end of my text. Nothing I can do about that so sorry.

















Victoria & Albert Museum

Tuesday we walked through Hyde Park to visit the Victoria & Albert Museum. Our tour guide advised that it was a short 15 minutes walk from our hotel across the park. Forty-five minutes later and having to ask locals for directions twice we arrived. It was a nice day and we did enjoy the hike. Although I think the English guide meant a brisk British walk not an American stroll.

We visited two areas of the museum before it closed. It's impossible to see everything...there's just too much. We had a taste of the museum enough that I would love to return. We had fun trying on the "ruffs" (16th century ruffled neck collars).

After leaving the museum we ate at a nearby local restaurant. Our feet were sore and we were very tired so we decided to take the Tube (underground subway) back to the hotel.

It was another great day in London!



















British Museum

London is a fantastic city! I can't believe how easy it is to get around. We have taken the city busses and The Tube (underground train or subway). The people are wonderful...very friendly and helpful and always polite.

One day this week we took the 390 city bus to the British Museum and saw the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian Mummies and even the special Pompeii and Herculaneum exhibit.

We topped the evening off eating at a delicious meal at a cute cafe with our friends.