London May 2007

From: Dan Trumble
Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Subject: The Trumble Travels - London May 2007

Greetings!

As I write this I am in the Heathrow Airport in London. I’m on my way to Africa (Uganda and Ethiopia) but I had a long layover today so I took advantage of that time and headed into town. I would have had a bit more time but the flight out of Chicago was delayed by about 3 and a half hours. In the end they had to get us a different plane because the one we were going to fly on ingested one or more birds into an engine and thus it was not flyable.


The Brits talk funny. Instead of “Exit”, their signs say “Way out”


The birds in the below picture and the sign were in two different places but they both kind of fit the theme.


I rode on The Tube for this is what one does when one needs to get around in London.


Big Ben is a “316ft clock-tower was completed between 1858-59.Big Ben is named, probably, after Sir Benjamin Hall, the First Commissioner of Works.” (according to this website: http://www.travellondon.com/templates/attractions/gallery_bigben.html)

Westminster Abbey

The St. James’s Square area has Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, and the Parliament building. There are several statues around the area. One of Winston Churchill, one of George Canning (yeah, I don’t know who he is either), and others. However, who would expect to see Honest Abe honored similarly? Anyway, here is Honest Abe and me.

Presumably number 10 Downing Street is down there somewhere. I did not see Tony Blair.

Trafalgar Square (my camera was not dealing with the bright light very well).

I’m not sure you’re supposed to take pictures in the National Gallery but I didn’t notice any signs saying you couldn’t. Here is one by Michelangelo of John the Baptist’s head after King Harrod ordered the head. Some of the pictures are pretty tough like this.

There were also works by Raphael, Da Vinci, Bellini, Rubens, Coreggio, Veronese and a whole bunch of others.

London Tower

The Tower Bridge

I ate at the Anchor Tap, an English Pub.

I had Steak & Kidney Pudding. It was pretty decent. Check it out, when you cut a hole through the pudding stuff it’s kind of hollow like a little igloo. There were hunks of meat inside (maybe steak and kidney?). The pub is on Horselydown Lane.