My son has lived in London for 15 years. I have traveled there to visit him at least 8 times, possibly more, I don't know for sure. I have never thought to write about it. I was just visiting my son and his wife. In hind site, it really has been an adventure. My primary goal was to visit them, but we always did so many other things. I hope I can chronicle most of it now.
It took me 3 years to get in the first visit. I thought he was coming home after a year or two. His getting married to Michaela ended any thoughts of his returning to Canada. During one particular phone call, he said to me, “Mom, I have so much to tell you, but there is nothing you can relate to. You don't know where I live. You don't know what I do for a living You have only met my wife once.” When I hung up the phone and booked a flight. I refused to become a stranger in my son's life.
He had taken days off work to show me around London. Michaela then took a few days off when he had to return to work. I got to see where he lived, where he worked and spend time with his wife. When he took me to Paddington Station, we were hugging goodbye on the platform of the Heathrow Express and I said to him, “I love you. I miss you. Don't ever come home.” He was shocked. I explained that I had never seen him so happy in all his life. A mother is only as happy as her child. Don't ever come back. This is your home now.
That first visit I was gob smacked. The old buildings with their multitudes of chimneys was my initial impression. Michaela teasingly asked me why I was so fascinated with the old buildings and castles. I explained that she grew up in Austria, surrounded by buildings and castles that were older than the entire country I grew up in. Gob smacked!!
I wanted to take a double decker bus tour. Len thought it was cheesy, but came along anyway. It worked out quite well, as there were things that I thought I wanted to see, but after seeing it from the bus I changed my mind. He still thought it was cheesy, but in the end rather liked it as well.
The things we did see and do were as follows, in no particular order: Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, National Gallery, British Museum, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, London Eye, Notting Hill, Tower of London, Greenwich, Soho, and Windsor Castle. We also took walks along the Thames, through parks, shopped in Camden Market, Covent Garden, Portobello Road Market, Harods and quenched our thirst and rested our bones in numerous pubs (Len knows a good pub just around the corner, no matter where we go). He was so excited to show me his new life.
I have been back to several places again, some alone and some with my new husband. I have been back to Westminster Abbey many times. It is one of my favorite places to spend time. I find the garden in the cloisters the best of all. It is so peaceful. The guided tour has changed since the first visit, and I must say not for the better. Many exhibits are no longer accessible. However, do get the guided audio as it is still the BEST way to see everything and understand the history behind it. Some of the crypts are massive and so intricately designed. Len pointed out, “Wouldn't you hate to be in one of the smaller crypts behind this monolith. No one even notices you.”
The tower of London has changed as well. The Yeoman guards still tell the best stories. The interior of the castle is more interactive with electronic devices, such as pulling back on a bow string to see how difficult it is. I find it takes away from the authenticity of the structure. Definitely take the Yeoman guard tour - it is very informative and funny. Take your time going around the property. There are hidden gems around every corner.
Trafalgar Square is directly in front of the National Gallery. It is a lovely square, full of people milling about. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. It commemorates Admiral Horatio Nelson who died at the Battle of Trefalgar, the British naval victory of Napoleon over France and Spain. There are a number of commemorative statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth left empty to host contemporary art.
The National Gallery houses Renoir, van Gogh, Rembrandt, Dega, Money, da Vinci. It is one thing to have seen a photo of some of these greats, it is another to stand centimeters away and see the brush strokes! Get the audio guide here, as well. It explains so much more about the paintings than what you see; various things painted into the background have meaning too. The one thing about the British Gallery is the number of religious paintings. They are very depressing with their pain and suffering of the martyrs, saints and Christ. It rather makes one want to run away from religion all together.
The British Museum houses antiquities from Egypt, Greece, Rome and the Middle East. Many of these antiquities should really be returned to the home country, but then again it does help spread knowledge about these places to people who would never travel to these exotic places. There are statues, friezes, pottery. jewelry and ancient coins on display. Notably: the Rosetta stone, a a red granite statue of Amenhotep III, Parthenon marbles from Acropolis of Athens, Apollo of Cyrene, a gladiator helmet from Pompei, a relief from Babylon, and an Easter Island statue.
St. Paul's Cathedral sits upon the highest point of the City of London and is dedicated to Paul the Apostle. The original church dates back to AD 604. The present church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, who is buried within the church. Lord Nelson is also interned here. The most famous and most recognizable feature is its dome, 365 feet high. Inside the dome, 99 feet (30 m) above the floor and 112 feet (34 m) wide, two people can stand at opposite sides of the cornice, one can whisper into the wall and the person on the other side can hear the whisper perfectly. As with most ancient churches, take your time, read everything there is to read and pay attention to the details.
The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel on the south bank of the River Thames. It is135 meters (443 ft) tall and the diameter of the wheel is 120 meters (394 ft). There are 32 passenger capsules which hold up to 25 people who are free to walk around the capsule during the 30 revolution. It does not stop to take on passengers, it moves slow enough for people to get on and off while moving. It is a great way to over look the city and take pictures, weather permitting.
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. The original castle was built in the 11th century by William the Conqueror. It has been added on to and renovated by nearly every royal since. During a fire in 1992, some false walls burned away, revealing wonderful works of art that were simply boarded over by previous royal tenants. The fire was obviously devastating to the current Royal family, but ultimately a blessing in disguise. My initial reaction was how huge it is, it covers more than 13 acres (the size of the great pyramid in Giza). The castle walls seem to go on forever in either direction. The little orientation museum at the entrance was well worth paying attention to as it explained a lot of what one is about to see.
Harods. To say it is an upscale department store is an understatement. The store occupies a 5 acre site and has over one million square feet of selling space. Michaela and I had a grand time pretending we could afford anything in the store. At the end of the day I bought a small tin of apricot candies (for $18) which 'bought' me admission to the washroom – which was worth the price just to see the opulence of a loo.
We took a tour boat up the Thames to Greenwich, notable for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian (0 degrees longitude) and Greenwich Mean Time (the global time standard). It is home to the Cutty Sark - a British clipper ship, one of the fastest and last built sailing ships used for transporting goods. Greenwich has a diverse history and many sites of interest. However, when we got there it was raining quite heavily and we spent most of the day hiding in a nice restaurant drinking wine, which was also nice!
I spent one month in London in 2012. I didn't see or do much as a tourist. I came for the birth of my grandson. He was born just days before they took possession of their house. The house is nearly 100 years old and had to be completely overhauled, right down to the bricks. It was a lot of work and Michaela was in no position to be doing any of it. I would be ripping up old carpet or stripping wallpaper then hurry back to their flat to help with the baby. The next day I would supervise the skimmers or plumbers or electricians, then hurry back to pack boxes. The renovations did not go according to schedule; they had to be out of their flat before the house was complete. They squeezed everything they could into the small conservatory at the house before moving in with a friend, on the opposite side of London. They were so very grateful for my assistance, which was exhausting yet so gratifying for me. I was glad that I slipped away to Poland at the beginning of this trip, to start my citizenship process, I had no time later.
They finally told me to take a break and encouraged me to go to the Notting Hill carnival. Millions of people. Wild costumes and dancing. What a crazy time! I loved it.
They had an opportunity to acquire some used appliances from a house that was being renovated at Notting Hill. I had to go to check if the appliances were still in good shape. Therefore I got to see the inside of one of the infamous multi-million dollar homes. It was incredible, even in a state of renovation. There were grand staircases, marble arches and pillars and an incredible back garden. They took some of the appliances. Later, some of them had to be replaced, but at least it bought them some time on large purchases.
Ed and I returned that winter and did some painting and installed the bathtub surround and shower fixtures. We took a side trip to Poland to collect my citizenship papers. The kids bought us tickets to see Les Miserables, as well as a Jack the Ripper walking tour. Ed discovered the opulence of Bond Street and found a shop that specializes in shaving items on Old Bond Street. He found his new favorite shop! We were beginning to delve into a different part of London.
We went back in 2013. They had pretty much settled into a routine with the baby and the house. There was not much to do except repaint the staircase, again. That staircase has been painted and repainted so many times in an effort to get the right look. Len took us to Soho. Ed loved it, with all the crazy little back streets and shops, the fantastic restaurants and specialty shops. We continued to use London as a jump off point to other destinations, such as Prague. We also went to Stonehenge and Bath on a day trip.
I returned in the spring of 2014 to help them finish the back yard and plant a garden. I also did some more painting in the conservatory. I discovered the London Museum and the Childhood Museum. I intend to visit them both again. I want to finish the Museum of London and little Julian will enjoy the Childhood Museum for years to come.
I haven't gone into great detail about the things I have seen and done in London as I have with other tavel destinations, because London feels like home to me now. I visit my son and his family in their house and play in the garden with Julian. There is a bedroom for us, no more sleeping on the couch. I know the tube and bus system for the places I need to go. I know my way to Tesco's and M&S. The staff at B&Q are beginning to recognize me. I have a Costa coffee card. I know the neighbors. It feels like my second home. I am so grateful to live the charmed life that I do that affords me the ability to visit often.
