London

First - We left the United States on a Thursday evening around 7:30 p.m. and arrived in London Heathrow the next day about 1:20 p.m. No, the flight did not take this long, just the eight hour time difference made it sound like a long trip. Sitting in an airline seat for nearly 11 hours was really rough. I am not good at sleeping 'on the road', but did manage to get a cat nap here and there. Once arriving in Heathrow, we had to maneuver our way through Heathrow and find the Picadilly Line. Boarding with all our luggage, and hopes high, we rode the tube to our destination.  Our host to the apartment (flat as it is called in London) picked us up from the tube station. Caution for those choosing to travel via the Tube from the airport, there was no elevator or escalator at the station where we had to get off, so there we were, lugging 2 huge suitcases up 2 flights of stairs!! Not fun!! There are also no toilets at most of these 'sub' stations, only at the larger, main stations!!

There was also a set of stairs just like this we had just climbed - with our luggage, so I guess that makes it 3 flights of stairs?? ugh!! Live and Learn!!

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Here is a picture of the view from our apartment (flat) in London! Beautiful View!!

This is called 'Royal Victoria Patriotic Building' which was right next to our apartment. It was built in 1858 in Gothic Victorian style. Through the years, it has served numerous purposes. Complete history of this magnificent building is located in the next blog.

Our apartment was on the 8th floor - and yes, thankfully, this building had an elevator!! Beautiful views all around us. More pictures of the area upcoming on the next blog page!

Our apartment is somewhere up there on the 8th floor! This tree out in the courtyard looks so perfectly shaped, I just had to take its picture as I sat outside on a bench waiting for my husband to come downstairs. 

Having arrived into London around 1:30 p.m., then getting to our apartment and getting settled in, then exploring the Royal Victorian Patriotic Building, time was getting late - or so our stomachs told us! We decided it was time to find a good ol' English Pub to visit and partake of  good English food! Our next stop was to The County Arms Pub, down the road from our apartment! 

While Jim enjoyed a good English beer, I sipped on a glass of wine. We decided to start with splitting a huge Angus Beef Hamburger. We soon discovered most all the meals come with 'chips' which really are what I know as big steak fries. I soon learned to ask for some other side with my meals, since I am not very fond of the huge, thick steak fries. Afterwards, we shared a 'sticky toffee pudding' which was very common in many of the places in which we ate. 

A walk around town was the next task at hand, since it stays daylight until after 10:00 p.m. 

Admiring all the old historic buildings and beautiful gardens around town. 

Moving on through the city of London ....here are pictures of Temple Bar, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament building, Tower Bridge.....on and on...the size and stature of the buildings was amazing.

Admiral Lord Nelson

    

Yep, they still have phone 'boxes' as they call them!!

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Westminster Abbey

Shakesphere's Globe Theater

Massive Beautiful Buildings dating back centuries.

The Royal Victoria Patriotic Building

The Royal Victoria Patriotic Building

This is the building right next to our apartment in London. After getting settled into our apartment, we ventured out to explore the neighborhood. There is a small restaurant just inside the courtyard. So much history is contained within these walls, it is inspiring.

A brief history of this magnificent building:

19th Century
Funded by Prince Albert’s Royal Patriotic Fund, the building was intended for the ‘Education and Training of three hundred Orphan Daughters of Soldiers, Seamen and Marines who perished in the Russian War, and for those who hereafter may require like succour’ . Originally named as the Royal Victoria Patriotic Asylum, the building was designed by Major Rhode Hawkins in a heroically ornate Gothic style.

20th Century
By the First World War the building had been renovated. A new heating system was installed and the building had become the South Western General Hospital. In the First World War a temporary railway station was built in front of the building and thousands of wounded troops were treated there. The field behind the building, now the cricket pitch, was filled with marquees full of wounded soldiers – approximately 1800 patients at any one time. After the war the school, still for girls only, reopened until the pupils were evacuated to Wales in 1939.
During the Second World War, the building became the London Reception Centre, a polite name for an alien clearing station run by MI6,under the direction of Colonel Pinto .
After the war the building was used as a Teachers Training College. Now it is used as studio apartments and shops or art gallaries. 

http://www.rvpb.com/history.htm

St. Paul's Cathedral

Saturday sightseeing began with St. Paul's Cathedral. The majesty, size and beauty of this place can not be described adequately. To see it in person is so much more than looking at pictures, but here are a few shots. 

Huge and Magnificent doesn't even come close to describing this!

Such a majestic piece of architecture.