Two famous icons in London
Thursday, June 15, 1995
Depart For Europe
We awoke to a fabulously sunny morning ... it would be a great day for travel! Our United Express flight from Kalamazoo to Chicago was uneventful. With a five hour layover before our connecting flight, Tam and I took a cab to The Oakbrook Mall where we picked up some last-minute items and ate lunch at California Pizza Kitchen.
We boarded our flight, United 902, at 4:30 p.m. and took off at precisely 5:06 p.m. for New York's John F. Kennedy Airport. Our plane was a Boeing 767. As we approached New York City, Tam was able to see Manhattan from the air for the first time. The Statue of Liberty stood proudly in New York Harbor, defying the setting sun on the harbor water's surface. The matching twin towers of the World Trade Center glistened above the mass of smaller skyscrapers crowded onto the small island. JFK International Airport was dirty and unkept. The crowded terminal was packed with weary international passengers headed to far-reaching destinations such as Buenos Aires, Seoul, Istanbul ... or London.
We converted $500 in cash for British pounds (the rate was .5860) at the foreign exchange counter and re-boarded our flight at 9:30 p.m. We were wheels up at 10:20 p.m. Our plane took off to the south, made a U-turn and followed the New England coast on a crystal clear night. We passed over Hartford, Boston, Portland, and Nova Scotia.
Tam and I skipped dinner since we had eaten on the flight to New York. Tam rolled over and fell asleep. I watched video programs all night. About halfway through the flight I could see a hint of light along the horizon. The light became brighter and brighter ... the next thing I knew it was morning. Night lasted about four hours!!
Friday, June 16, 1995
Arrival at London Heathrow
Lanesborough Hotel
Buckingham Palace
Piccadilly Circle
Leicester Square
Dawn's early light brought low, overcast clouds spread across the earth-scape. I could not tell if we were over water or land. Our plane had a strong tailwind and arrived in London an hour early at 9:22 a.m. As we approached through broken clouds, we could see irregularly-shaped farm fields which Tam said reminded her of stained glass. The terrain was slightly contoured, which accounted for these forms. Tam said it was so much more beautiful than the square, boring landscape back home. Indeed, it was.
As we approached the airport we gained higher definition individual houses, many with red clay roofs, crowded together, and situated along winding, crooked streets.
London Heathrow International Airport also looked shopworn. It had several staircases up and down to get to baggage claim. The folks at customs, however, were very friendly and gave us no problems, and we quickly went to the taxi stand to catch our ride to the Lanesborough Hotel.
Tam and I immediately noticed that London taxis were enormous!! The driver stored our bags in the front and a wall separated the driver compartment from the passengers. Our driver was very nice but quiet. He offered us a copy of the The Times which we happily accepted. It must have been part of the cab fare, which would be nearly seventy dollars!
The distance between Heathrow and Hyde Park Corner was about 35 miles. Although four lane highways exist, they are very tight and crowded with drivers "jockeying" for position. Although we already knew about traffic in England, it was fun and felt slightly unusual to drive on the left and pass on the right. We crawled our way into London on Cromwell Street, a winding road with tiny side-streets feeding from it for miles. Along the street were countless shops and pubs tightly jammed against narrow sidewalks.
The Lanesborough Hotel, to our right, was impressive, painted a soft yellow, with a tuxedoed doorman in front, it stood prominently on Hyde Park Corner. The Hotel was a renovated hospital. It was five stories tall and featured hand carved walnut hallways and doors. Each room had 24-hour butler service and every amenity conceivable: two televisions, VCR, stereo with cassette and CD, jacuzzi, and private library. It was a shame we would not take advantage of it. Our room was not yet ready, and would not be ready for two more hours. So we lumbered out onto the streets of London.
The two of us made the ten minute walk through Green Park to Buckingham Palace where we arrived just in time to witness the ceremonial changing of the guard. A marching band approached the Palace from down the Mall and stood at attention inside the gates. A Commander with sword unsheathed inspected his troops with the famous British quick two-step march. Crowds counting in the thousands made it difficult to witness this event. People were packed five deep along the palace gates. We made a mental note to re-visit the palace when it wasn’t so packed with visitors.
My parents, Tom and Gloria, arrived at the hotel around noon. Their flight had been delayed. Fortunately, their room was ready, so we all got together there and talked about our plans for the next few days. They were jetlagged and decided to rest in the afternoon so Tam and I did more sightseeing. By one o'clock, skies were clearing and a bright sun brought with it a simmering hot afternoon. Tam and I walked down Piccadilly Street, past The Ritz Hotel, and turned north up Sackville Road where it dead ended at Saville Row.
Saville Row is world famous for its fine tailor shops including Austin Reed and dozens of others. But one of the highlights for me on the trip was located at 3 Saville Row ... the original Apple offices ... where on January 30, 1969, The Beatles played their infamous rooftop concert during the "Let It Be" sessions. This was the location of their last concert. I took several photographs of the building. There were no signs or plaques marking the location, but I recognized it from the roofline, as it appeared in the movie.
We walked several more blocks north toward Bond Street. I went into Sotheby's Auction House and bought a memorabilia catalog. We also went into the world's largest record store, the HMV store on Oxford Street.
We wandered back toward our hotel down Bond Street, one of the most fashionable shopping areas of the world! On this street were located Cartier's, Tiffany's, Louis Vitton, Gianni Versace, and hundreds of other fashion boutiques.
We did stop at the Hard Rock Café for lunch. It is the first one ever opened! It was a two-story restaurant, ground floor and basement. The story goes that Eric Clapton used to frequent the location when it was a bar and grill and gave them one of his old guitars for their wall. Pete Townsend came in, saw the guitar, and gave them one of his own smashed Rickenbackers ... and a legend was born. We almost bought-out the gift shop for our friends back home and walked the short distance back to the Lanesborough.
We finally checked into our room at three o'clock and took a quick nap. I had not slept in 36 hours. We refreshed ourselves with a jacuzzi bath and headed for Leicester Square where we ate dinner at Planet Hollywood. Leicester Square is part of the Soho district and is a giant party area. Hundreds of pubs, clubs, and restaurants dot the area. Tens of thousands of young working Brits were enjoying a Friday night out. After dinner, we walked through Soho toward the hotel. It was reminiscent of the Ginza in Tokyo, with many huge neon logo signs flashing in the evening sky over Picadilly Circus.
We finally rolled into our hotel room at 10:30 p.m. and went to bed. We estimated that we walked more than ten miles today. Unfortunately we ate more than enough food to break even.
Saturday, June 17, 1995
Tower of London
Westminister Abbey
Parliament
10 Downing Street
Cabinet War Rooms
Our day began abruptly when we awoke to a phone call from Mom asking where we were. I looked at the clock, it was 9:14 a.m. Sooooo comfortable in our Lanesborough feather bed, Tam and I had slept in. We ran in and out of the shower like banshees and by 9:45 a.m. we we're in the lobby and ready to go to our first big day of touring, starting with the Tower of London.
It was a gray, cloudy morning with a constant threat of rain, just the way we envisioned London. After a ten minute wait in line we entered the Tower of London through the Middle Tower and proceeded along the inside walls of the Medieval Palace (built in 1272 for King Edward I).
We climbed several flights of stairs into the interior courtyards. On the opposite side was a large building called the Jewel House. Inside it were the Crown Jewels. The collection that is the Crown Jewels consists of swords, staffs, plates, bowls, and the royal crowns of the monarchy since the 1600's. It is without a doubt the greatest collection of priceless jewelry in the world. To see the Crown Jewels, we walked into a vault and passed by the encased displays on a moving walkway. This kept people from crowding around the jewels.
The highlights of the Jewel House were the crowns of varying size and opulence. St. Edward's Crown (circa 1661) for example weighed 71 ounces and had 444 stones mounted in it. The Imperial State Crown, 1937, featured 2,800 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds, 5 rubies, and 273 pearls. On the back of the crown was the Strait Sapphire, weighing 104 carats. On the front was the second largest diamond in the world, the Star of Africa, at 317 carats.
But the most fabulous of all was the Imperial Crown of India. The crown was created in 1911 for George V. The crown weighed 34.5 ounces and incorporated 6,100 diamonds into its elaborate design.
In the center of the courtyard was the White Tower, the oldest structure of the complex, built in 1078. Inside the White Tower was an outstanding collection called the Royal Armories. It featured armor and weaponry more than one-thousand years old. Although the armor of Henry VIII was renown for its size - it was the size of the codpiece that really got everyone’s attention.
In the courtyard, toward one side, was the execution site where seven prisoners of the Tower, including three Queens of England, were beheaded. Along the opposite wall was the Bloody Tower where Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned for thirteen years. During this time of incarceration he wrote his famous "History of the World" books.
One-hundred yards from the Tower of London was the Tower Bridge. It was a one-hundred year old "bascule" bridge, a hydraulic-powered drawbridge based on the leverage principles of a see-saw. A restoration had been completed recently and we spent an hour there watching a multi-media show on the bridge's history and operations.
At the foot of the bridge was a Holiday Inn where we caught a cab that took us to Westminster Abbey. After a fast start, we noticed that our cab was backtracking and bobbing in and out of unusually heavy traffic. In fact, we crossed the Thames River five times!! We asked the cabbie what was going on and he told us, "It's the Trouping of the Colours." The Trooping of the Colors is an annual celebration based on the Queen's birthday whereby all British citizens would wave flags and watch military bands march up and down the Mall.
Needless to say, this turned a five dollar cab ride into a twenty-five dollar one. The cabbie gave us a good recommendation for lunch ... The Albert Pub. It was London's pub of the year in 1984. However, it was too crowded to eat there. The manager suggested another spot down the street. We found a good one just in time, as it was beginning to rain. Located across from New Scotland Yard was an establishment called The Feathers. We ate lunch in the restaurant upstairs. Mom, Dad, and I had cottage pie. Tammy had "jacketed potatoes" (otherwise known as potato skins!) Dad had an HB Ale from Wales and I had a Caffrey's Ale from Ireland. It was the creamiest, most delicious beer I had ever had. Tam enjoyed a dessert item named "spotted dick with ice cream" ... a spongecake roll with nuts and fruits.
As we left The Feathers to make the three block walk to Westminster Abbey, the rain began to intensify. We hurried into the Abbey only to notice that much of it was closed due to ceremonies taking place in the church. We toured many sections including the Nave featuring memorials to the Unknown Warrior and Winston Churchill.
Westminster Abbey was a masterpiece of architecture dating back to the 1200's. A massive stone structure with towering arches within, its interior was loaded with priceless, stained glass and intricate woodwork. But what made the Abbey truly priceless were the graves and memorials scattered inside the walls and below the floors of the building. Additionally, every Coronation since 1066 had taken place at the abbey.
The people interred at the Abbey included three royals of England — Edward I, Henry VII, and Elizabeth I. Mary Queen of Scots is also buried within, head and all! Six prime ministers were there as well as Charles Darwin and David Livingstone. In a special sanctuary was Poets Corner, the final resting place of such people as T.S. Elliot, Robert Browning, Dylan Thomas, Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling, and George Handel.
The Abbey was dark on this rainy, gray day giving the tombs a unique macabre feel. Visitors are often so impressed by the hundreds of markers on the floors and walls that they were awestruck, often bumping into one another, shoulder to shoulder. Amazingly, all of the tombs, including the royal ones were accessible and available to human touch. This explains the well-worn character of the Abbey. Many floor markers were unreadable due to pedestrian traffic and much of the intricate woodwork was worn or completely gone on the royal tombs. Even the Coronation Chair had experienced vandalism, with many visitor names carved into it. The Coronation Chair was built in 1296 and enclosed the Stone of Scone on which Scottish kings were crowned centuries ago. By placing the stone under the seat of the chair, it was a symbol of Scotland being under the control of the British crown.
Visiting Westminster Abbey was like going to our Smithsonian Institution; a collection of rare and important national history, preserved for future generations. It was powerful reminder of the once invincible power and rich heritage of the British Empire.
Behind the Abbey and along the Thames River were the Houses of Parliament. These are the buildings most people think about when they visualize England. Square, church-like towers with highly-detailed trim work. Rising above Parliament on the north side was the iconic clock tower known as Big Ben. At three o'clock Big Ben rang out three times with its characteristic deep-throated "bong, bong, bong!"
Along the outside of the Parliament buildings were statues honoring Richard the Lionhearted, Oliver Cromwell, and Winston Churchill.
We made the rainy walk three blocks north to 10 Downing Street, home of Britain's Prime Minister. It was protected behind a twenty foot high security gate and guardhouse. We also toured the famous underground Cabinet War Rooms used during World War II. The entrance was located just west of the treasury building. These war rooms were used from August 27, 1939 to August 11, 1945. They served as the vital nerve center for Winston Churchill and his top aides during the massive German bombing raids that occurred almost daily in London. The complex consisted of twenty-one rooms such as the top-secret Red Phone Room where Churchill had a direct link to Washington. Many employees in the war department did not know it existed. There was also a war room and cabinet meeting room where key strategic decisions during the war were made.
After absorbing nearly a thousand years of British history, we returned to the hotel for cocktails and relaxation. We ate dinner at Trader Vics at the Hilton Hotel and, in a soft rain, walked back to the Lanesborough.
Before going to bed, (room #226) we watched highlights of the U.S. Open golf tournament on the BBC. Australian Greg Norman was leading after three rounds (-2) at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in New York.
Sunday, June 18, 1995
Hyde Park Corner
Trafalgar Square
St. Paul's Cathedral
Fleet Street
Abbey Road Studios
British Museum
At 7:20 a.m. we awoke to a cool, cloudy day and went to Hyde Park Corner to catch an early morning double-decker tour bus. We waited forty minutes when, finally, a bus arrived with a smart-aleck lady conductor who gave us a yard of crap before giving us two tickets. We boarded and sat up in the upper deck, by ourselves, for another thirty minutes before the bus took us to Marble Arch, the starting point of our tour of London. It was well worth it! We consolidated buses and were met by Rodney, our personal guide. This guy was hilarious! For the next hour we enjoyed London with a running comedy monologue.
Our tour started at Hyde Park, at Speaker's Corner, where people stood on boxes and ladders and spoke to the crowds in a sort-of sermon fashion. Everything under the sun was fodder except references to the Queen and inciting riots. A few minutes later, we rolled into Mayfair, the most exclusive part of London. It was in this section that we saw "Little America" a park that was home to the U.S. Embassy, Eisenhower's wartime headquarters, and John Quincy Adams' ambassador residence.
From there we entered Berkley Square and saw Nikky Clarke's Hair Salon, the place were Princess Diana got her hair done. Regular customers had to make appointments several months in advance. We continued to Trafalgar Square where we saw the statue of Lord Nelson, looking toward the Thames. We also toured Picadilly Circus, Downing Street, and the houses of Parliament. Better yet, halfway through our ride the sun came out ... making it an absolutely beautiful morning.
Tam and I disembarked at St. Paul's Cathedral. This was a much larger and more beautiful church than Westminster Abbey. This is where Prince Charles and Lady Diana were married in 1981. St. Paul's was easily recognizable by the large circular dome that rose 400 feet above the city of London.
We re-boarded our bus and toured Fleet Street (home to many Charles Dickens characters). It was also the starting point of the great fire of London. This blaze destroyed 80 percent of London; but fortunately, also brought an end to the black plague of the 1660's. The plague had killed more than 110,000 Londoners prior to the fire.
We also drove past Waterloo Arch, gateway to France. Rodney noted to us that on this day, June 18th, 1995, Britain celebrated the 180th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.
We were very glad to have taken the tour. It was a great start to a good day.
We returned to our room, cleaned up, and met Mom and Dad for Sunday brunch at the Lanesborough Conservatory. We ate and talked for two hours in a lovely and comfortable dining room, accompanied by soft piano jazz music.
After lunch, Tam and I jumped into a taxi to head one of my primary destinations, Abbey Road Studios. After a ten minute cab ride north, we arrived at a four foot tall, white painted concrete wall covered with heavy graffiti. Behind it was a small parking lot, large enough for about ten cars. The studio door was open, so hey, I walked in. Nobody was at the reception desk, so I made myself at home, and wandered around the lobby and down the hallway toward the recording studios. Several minutes later, I was accosted by the studio manager. He asked what I was doing there. I told him that I was visiting from the states and wondered if there were any tours available. He gruffly said, "No, this is a working studio and we have a VIP here recording right now ... get out." I thanked him for his time and left, but not before taking several pictures in the doorway.
Interestingly, there were relatively few people standing out front. But among them were two Japanese girls standing there giggling, taking photographs, and trying to catch a glimpse of somebody. They took pictures of Tam and me leaving the studio.
Our cabbie was very patient as we made him wait while Tam took several pictures of me walking across Abbey Road, a la the famous Beatles album cover. We then asked the cabbie to take us to the British Museum.
The British Museum, with its Greco-Roman architecture, was not at all impressive when we first saw it from the street outside … but we quickly learned that the real beauty was inside. The contents of the museum was basically the summation of all of the booty collected during the heyday of the British Empire. For example: the marble fascia had been peeled from the Parthenon in Greece and displayed prominently as the Elgin Marbles, named after the man who took them.
Down the hall was the famous Rosetta Stone, the famous granite tablet that enabled scholars to translate ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Incredibly, it sat out in public view and available to human touch. Having been to Egypt and an amateur student of Egyptian history, I knew how important that stone was in annals of history. I placed both of my hands firmly on that relic, just so I could say that I did it.
There were points where you could look down into the exhibition rooms and see hundreds of massive, priceless statues, obelisks, and tablets. It was a mind-blowing experience!!
Upstairs in the Mummy Room were more than fifty mummies and sarcophagi elaborately preserved and displayed for public view. Several mummies were accompanied by X-ray pictures showing how they died and how they were embalmed.
The famed British Library in the museum featured a pristine copy of the Gutenberg Bible, the first printed book in the world. It was in immaculate condition. Ten feet away was a display of William Shakespeare documents. There are only five certified Shakespeare autographs in the world. Two were in that display case! In another room are original documents of the English monarchy, famous artists, and various handwritten bibles. An entire section featured handwritten musical scores of Beethoven, Handel, Shubert, Mendelsson, and Bach.
There was even a special Beatles display including handwritten lyrics to Help, Yesterday, I Want to Hold Your Hand, and In My Life ... each by their authors, John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Tam and I would have stayed longer but it was late, the museum was closing. We returned to our hotel and enjoyed a gourmet meal in Mom and Dad's room. We all kicked back and enjoyed watching the final round of the 100th U.S. Open on the BBC. Corey Pavin won the tourney at only one under par with a fabulous four wood approach shot on the final hole.
Monday, June 19th
Windsor Castle
Eton College
Blenheim Palace
Oxford University
The Lanesborough Hotel has a long and colorful history. In 1731, James Lane, the second Viscount of Lanesborough donated his city residence to be converted into St. Georges Hospital. At that time it was a three story brick building. During 1826 a new hospital was built on the same site and it became St. Georges Hospital and Medical Center. It was at this hospital that Dr. John Hunter founded modern scientific surgery. Perhaps even more significant, is the fact that Dr. Henry Gray developed his original human sketches here which would become the famous "Gray's Anatomy" medical reference guides.
The hospital functioned until 1970 when it was moved to an outer district of London called Tipping. The building was then purchased in 1980 and was converted to a hotel in an extensive four year project between 1988 and 1991. During our visit, the Lanesborough Hotel was considered one of the top five in London. We truly enjoyed our stay there.
Our final opportunity to do so, Tam and I walked down to Buckingham Palace for a few pictures before rejoining Tom and Gloria at the hotel. However, in the lobby, Tam noticed a small article in the London Times that innocuously said:
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh
will attend a service for the Order of the Garter
at St.George's chapel, Windsor Castle, at 3:00 p.m
The Queen Mother will also attend.
At 10:00 a.m. we met our driver, Anne. She was an attractive 43 year old lady, who was dressed very smartly, and had a great knowledge of England and British history. We crowded into her blue Volvo 740 and proceeded to head west, out of town. We passed through Kensington, home of the Princess of Wales, Diana. Anne pointed out a lovely restaurant that Diana frequented. It is an Italian restaurant named San Lorenzo's. This was typical of many of the places we visited during our trip. Tour guides would tell us, Princess Diana ate here, got her toenails done there, played tennis over here, did aerobics over there … blah, blah, blah. England, like the rest of the world, was obsessed with Princess Diana.
For many miles we drove along the Thames River as we worked our way toward Windsor. During this drive, we talked about the Beatles and Anne's brush with destiny. In 1964, she met John Lennon. She said that he seemed like an angry man. Well, as far as I knew, he probably was.
As Windsor Castle emerged in the distance, we were detoured around its entrance. The bad news was that Windsor Castle was closed for the Order Of The Garter ceremonies. The good news was that we would be able to witness the ceremonial military parade to the castle. The bright red uniforms of the marching troops on this gorgeous day were wonderful. They paraded for several hundred yards through the center of town and up the ramp into the castle, where they disappeared into the ramparts. It all lasted about five minutes. Still, there were thousands of British locals who showed up for the all-too-brief event. They were cheering and waving flags. Actually, the nationalism they exhibited was very strong, and much more heartfelt than what can be observed back home during our parades.
The recipients of the Order of the Garter for 1995 would be Sir Edmund Hillary and former prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
A mile or so from Windsor was the village of Eton. It was home to the famous Eton College for young boys and girls. The college was a prestigious school of 1,262 students. Students must pass stringent entrance exams to attend. That was, of course, unless you were Prince William, who would be attending the next autumn. We drove north for approximately an hour to the city of Blenheim where we ate lunch at the Bear Hotel. This hotel was first built in the 1200's and still had the original cobblestone lobby floor. The dining rooms were full, so we went upstairs to the Churchill Room, where we were given special VIP treatment.
Right around the corner is Blenheim Palace, a massive structure completed in 1722 for the Duke of Marlborough. The Duke was given the Woodstock property and 240,000 pounds to build this palace by Queen Anne after winning several important battles (including the Battle of Blenheim) against the French.
It was a cold, almost military-looking palace. It was designed and built by Sir John Vanbrugh according to the Duke's specific wishes. Unfortunately, the Duke did not survive its completion, leaving it to his wife, who hated the place.
Blenheim Palace was also significant for another important reason. It was the birthplace of Winston Churchill. He was born here on November 30, 1874, during a party that his mother was attending at the palace.
Nearby, in the town of Bladon, Winston Churchill is buried behind a quaint hilltop church that can be seen from Blenheim.
A few miles south of Bladon is Oxford, home to one of the most prestigious universities of the world. Actually, Oxford University is comprised of 35 independent colleges all located beside each other. To attend here, one must pass rigorous standards. President Bill Clinton attended here in the 1960's. The 1995 enrollment at Oxford was approximately 12,000 students.
As we walked through the main campus area, we noticed a distinct anti-establishment air about the students who loitered around the pubs on this sunny afternoon. Many were dirty, sloppily dressed, and had long hair. Anne said this might be expected at such an intellectual school.
The prominent building on campus is the Sheldonian Theatre, where the graduation ceremonies are held completely in Latin. This building was the first design of famed architect/builder Christopher Wren (the same architect who designed many important buildings in London). Tam and I ventured into the campus bookstores. They were much larger than those at our colleges at home. We headed back to London at 4:30 p.m. By 6:00 p.m., we had arrived at the Lanesborough where we thanked and bid Anne farewell.
Later, the four of us headed out for our last big meal in London. We walked two miles (past Victoria Station) to Seafresh Fish and Chips. This restaurant was recommended by the hotel concierge. He did not disappoint us, the food was excellent. We walked back to the Lanesborough and packed for our departure into the countryside.
Tuesday, June 20, 1995
Bath
Trouble House Inn
Stratford on Avon
Chipping Campden
Well, let's just start out by saying that the day started out fine. It was a beautiful sunny morning and we left the Lanesborough on time at 9:00 a.m. The drive out of London and westbound into the countryside went fine too! I was able to maintain a steady 85 - 90 kilometers per hour (staying with the flow of traffic). But things got a little sticky, however, when I discovered that no one in the car could read a British map ... so I became both driver and navigator, while also trying to stay on the left side of the road. As a result we got lost in the famous and historic village of Bath.
After finally finding a parking space, we walked to the famous Roman Baths where we took a museum tour. Two-thousand years ago, the Romans discovered hot springs and built a sophisticated, complex of hot, warm, and cold water baths. It was surprising to see how the Romans used lead pipe to direct water into pools. They also ran the hot water under stone floors, creating an ancient version of radiant heating.
However, after the collapse of the Roman empire, these baths deteriorated and eventually became covered in silt and mud. It wasn’t until 1879 that the baths were discovered, when someone’s basement kept flooding. Once discovered, a ten year excavation project began and Bath became an important historic and tourist destination. The water still springs forth from two miles inside the earth at a rate of a million gallons per day. At the surface, the water is 146 degrees fahrenheit.
At one o’clock, we tried to depart Bath only to get caught in a major traffic jam ... and things really got ugly when we got lost again trying to find route A-46. I left a forty-foot long skid-mark on a curb on some far-flung country road when I hurriedly tried to speed through a roundabout. The roads in England are very tight. Trees and bushes and weeds often brush against your car on many primary roads. Several roads have a curb running along very narrow (or non-existent) shoulders.
Gratefully, we stopped for lunch at a place in the middle of nowhere called the Trouble House Inn. An appropriate stop on a day like this! The pub was called by that name for good reason. The first owner of the house tried to renovate it many years ago. Halfway through the reconstruction he fell into financial trouble and hanged himself in despair. The second owner took over reconstruction but similar money problems overtook him and he, too, killed himself in despair … by drowning. 120 years ago the inn was the location of a riot between farmers and the local militia over a hay-making machine. It has a well-earned reputation.
At 4:00 pm, we smashed our way into Stratford on Avon, inattentively crossing over the famous Avon River as we entered town. Almost everything in Stratford was Shakespeare-related … almost like a British ‘Graceland’. It was where William Shakespeare was born, married, and lived almost all of his life.
We blazed past by the Globe and Swan theatres on the way to Anne Hathaway’s house. The house was classic Cotswold architecture, characterized by a thick thatched roof. The house was built on a hill and the floors were not level, running up and down the hill. It was built in the 1500s and was where Shakespeare courted Hathaway before marrying her. He was 18 years old and she was 26 and pregnant.
Shakespeare's house was located downtown and was also a major league tourist trap ... and garden spot for intellectuals.
We drove south about 20 minutes to a lovely, out-of-the-way village called Chipping Campden where our hotel, the Cotswold House, was located. It was the definition of quaint. The whole area was jammed with bed and breakfast inns and small pubs. It was also home to St. James Church, one of the most beautiful places in all of England. For once in this hectic day, I was able to relax with Tam as we walked around the church grounds and civic gardens during a perfect sunset.
We had a lovely gourmet dinner at the hotel, took a nice stroll with Mom and Dad, and went to bed. Another thousand years of British history absorbed.
Wednesday, June 21, 1995
Warwick Castle
Wales
Synchnont Pass Hotel
Gwydir Chapel
Leolinus Magnus
Llandudno
This chapter should be called "The Longest Day", not only because of what we did; but also because it was also the longest day of the year, the summer equinox. Tam and I were quite uncomfortable during the night. The room was boiling hot (no air conditioning) and our open windows picked up all the street noise rising up from the neighborhood pubs, sidewalk strollers, and motor-scooters that zipped by late into the night. Furthermore, the sun popped up at 5:00 a.m., making it impossible to get any last minute sleep.
We ate breakfast at the Cotswold House and headed for Warwick Castle. We arrived at 9:45 a.m. and a large queue was waiting for tickets to the castle. At 10:00 a.m. the ticket booths opened and we shuffled in.
Warwick Castle was first built around 1015 A.D. and was subsequently enlarged several times into the masterpiece it is today. It is a classic example of medieval architecture.
The castle was originally built by order of William the Conqueror for the purpose of holding the recently acquired Saxon area of England. By the late 13th Century, Warwick Castle had attained prominence as one of great seats of power in the land. Between 1450 - 1471, the castle was home to Richard Neville, the "Kingmaker". Neville was particularly savvy in assessing and politicking with the leaders and royalty of England.
The next 500 years at Warwick would be much more civil than the first 400. During those years, the castle saw twenty-four Earls of Warwick. In 1978, David Greville, the last Earl of Warwick, sold the castle to Tussauds Group. The property had since been renovated and several exhibits featuring Tussauds famous wax figures were part of tour programs.
We entered the castle via the main gatehouse and just had to see the armory and torture chamber first. Inside the torture chamber was a Roman Rack which was set up and ready to go … perfect for any child that got out of hand. We also saw the two wax exhibits, Kingmaster and Royal Weekend Party. Speaking of torture ... it was somewhere along here that we ran into a guy with the worst body odor we had ever smelled!! And it seemed like this guy kept walking in front of us wherever we went. I didn’t know that the French traveled to England.
We ended our tour with a trip to the dungeon. The narrow, dark steps took us twenty feet underground into an arched room, about ten foot square in size. Hanging from the ceiling was a full-body hanging device. The floor had no drains so any human excrement would simply build up on the floor. For those people who needed "additional" punishment, they were shoved into a hole in the floor about three foot by two foot and locked in by a metal grate. Then they were simply left there to rot to death.
Warwick Castle was recently voted as the top tourist spot in England. It was indeed worth the trip!!
We drove through Birmingham and went up the M-6, headed west on A-54 to Chester and made our way into Wales. In no time at all, we were in Conwy. We stopped at the tourist information center and asked directions to the Sychnant Pass Hotel. We found it with little trouble.
After checking in, we headed south on B-5106 for Llanrwst. At 4:30 p.m., we arrived at Dad's genealogical ‘ground zero’ … Gwydir Chapel. We walked down the alley and found the gates were locked. In the window next to the gate was a sign that said that the chapel closed at 4:00 p.m. We tried to walk around several buildings to find a way in.
No way.
In desperation, I walked into the Post Office around the corner and asked the Postmaster if she knew who might be able to get us in. She said yes, and told me to go to the cafe on Station Road and talk to Mrs. Brown. She would have the keys. I went into the cafe on Station Road and talked to the manager. He said he did not know any Mrs. Brown... then suddenly he lifted an eyebrow and said, "you want Mrs. Bowne across the street at the Milk Bar." I ran over and found an elderly, white haired lady, washing dishes and wiping off the bar. It was Mrs. Bowne! She was closing up for the day. When I told her about our situation, that we were from the U.S.A. and wanted to see a distant relative in the chapel, she said she would help us.
Mrs. Bowne walked to the gate while we turned the car around and re-parked it. She told us that the previous sexton, an elderly man, had died last year while trying to repair the roof on the church. She was now in charge of the keys.
We entered the chapel and were struck by the size of the sarcophagus that lay in the center of the floor. At the head of it was a plaque that stated:
This is the coffin of Leolinus Magnus, Prince of Wales, who was buried at the Abbey of Conway, which upon dissolution was removed hence.
Dad stood there in all of his glory. He had taken us halfway around the world to show us this very spot. This indeed was the coffin of a distant but direct descendent ... at least according to him. Tam and I both had doubts about this “Leolinus” connection, but we went with it anyway, especially since Dad seemed so enthusiastic about it. Since we were there, we took many pictures and extensive video footage, just for the record. The setting sun pouring into the river-side windows gave the entire episode a magical and surrealistic feel.
Mrs. Bowne then led us to the church and handed us several documents on the church's and chapel's history. Dad gave her a sizable donation. Mrs. Bowne may not have realized it, but she really made his day.
We took A-470 back to Conwy and continued north to Llandudno. It was a fabulous little resort community on the coast of the Irish Sea. It compared favorably to places like Traverse City, Petoskey, and similar vacation destination cities. Its boardwalk and pier were particularly appealing. We took a toll road to the top of Great Orme Park, several thousand feet up a mountain and had a tremendous view of Llandudno, Conwy, and Colwyn Bay. People were hiking up the hills and others were repelling down some of the sheer cliffs.
We eventually returned to our hotel and ate dinner. It was ok, but not great. Tam and I then ventured up the hill across the street from the hotel, Mount Sychnant. It is part of Snowdonia National Park. We stood at the top with a handful of sheep and watched a glorious sunset.
We returned to our room and prepared for bed, pulling back the covers of our queen-sized bed. It was then that we discovered that a large bear had been sleeping in it ... and had obviously decided to shave every square inch of fur off of himself onto the sheets. It was so bad that Tam and I took the sheets off and turned them inside-out and re-made the bed. It did not help. It was the most disgusting night of sleep I ever had in my life.
Thursday, June 22, 1995
Hadrian's Wall
Scotland
Caledonian Hotel
We had driven almost six-hundred miles in the past two days. On this day we would drive nearly four-hundred, from Sychnant to Edinburgh by way of Newcastle. We started our drive at 9:00 a.m. Things went swimmingly for the first two-hours, but outside of Liverpool we got caught behind a wide load truck, escorted by police. The payload was, of all things, two wings from a jet airliner!! We suffered behind the truck for twenty miles because the police would not allow us to pass. Once we got on the multi-lane M-6, we were able to blow past that moving roadblock.
We headed north, through the outskirts of Liverpool. After refueling and picking up our daily copy of The Star (page three girl) we continued through extensive road construction to Carlisle. From there we headed east on A-69 and on to B-6318, finally arriving at The Roman Army Museum at Greenhead. There, we were given a briefing about the building of Hadrian's Wall. Constructed by the Roman Army between 120 A.D. and 128 A.D., the complex of frontier installations bisected England, more than 73 miles.
The Romans had occupied the wall area since 80 A.D. Much debate continues as to whether the wall was built to protect the Roman Empire from outside aggressors or to occupy the energies of the Roman Army at one of its farthest outposts. After the fall of the Roman Empire in the fifth century, the wall fell into disrepair and was raided by local residents to construct their own walls and homes. The walls were excavated in the 1920's and have been an important historical signpost along the road of world history ever since.
Hadrian's Wall is a protected landmark and runs for twenty to thirty miles in broken fashion. The best-preserved portions of the wall run between Greenhead and Hexham. Its height varies from four to fifteen feet. The width of the wall is approximately six feet. In some portions, the wall is grass-covered but in others it is solid stone. At intervals of 'Roman miles' were guard posts to provide additional security and entry/exit points to the north. The remains of these posts still existed although they had been significantly eroded to two or three feet tall.
We ate lunch at the Milecastle Inn, located along the wall. It was highly recommended in the Fodor's guide. The manager of the Inn said the building was constructed in the 1600's. The Inn was built, at least in part, with stones culled from Hadrian’s Wall hundreds of years ago. After lunch we toured the Steel Rigg portion of the wall. We also observed from a distance the Housesteads excavation and the Vindolanda site located south of the wall.
Dad made an interesting observation, wondering how many people in the world had ever seen both Hadrian’s Wall and the Great Wall of China in a six-month span. Good question. He was referencing the fact that Tam and I had been to the Great Wall during the previous October. Although I agreed with him that both were historically important landmarks, there was no comparison in size or scope when it came to the two walls.
Here are some statistics for Hadrian's Wall and the Great Wall of China. Consider the following:
- Hadrian's Wall was 73 miles in length. The Great Wall ran for more than 2,600 miles.
- Hadrian's Wall was twenty feet high at its highest. The Great Wall was forty to fifty feet high in major sections.
- Hadrian's Wall was generally six feet wide along its length. The Great Wall was two to three times wider along its length.
- Hadrian's Wall was built on gently rolling terrain. The Great Wall was built on treacherous mountains requiring vertical construction in some locations.
- Hadrian's Wall was constructed in 120 A.D. The Great Wall of China was built four-hundred years earlier.
While both of these walls represented important and significant chapters in the history of man, there can be no comparison in the size or scale of construction.
We continued east to Newcastle and then north toward Edinburgh on route A-1, along the North Sea Coast. We crossed into Scotland at mid-afternoon and, naturally, took a photo of the sign.
At 5:00 p.m., about twenty miles outside of Edinburgh we heard a news bulletin on BBC radio that Prime Minister John Major was stepping down as the Torie party head. This ultimately required a new series of elections for Prime Minister. Major said he would throw his hat back in the ring and could be re-elected as a show of confidence. Newscasters were saying that this was one of the biggest political surprises in British history.
We finally arrived at the Caledonian Hotel at 6:00 p.m. Tam and I walked along fashionable Prince Street, a boulevard that runs parallel along Edinburgh Castle. The setting sun and deepening shadows along the castle provided an awesome backdrop as we looked out the window of the local Burger King!!
I went to bed anticipating a wondrous trip to St. Andrews Golf Club; birthplace of golf and home to the 1995 British Open.
Friday, June 23, 1995
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews
Edinburgh Castle
The Caledonian Hotel was a ninety year old five-star hotel. It was considered the finest hotel in Edinburgh; a classic 238 room hotel that is polished but not pretentious. The building was located at the center of the retail district and directly faced the Edinburgh Castle. Our view was spectacular!!
The towels were plush and the bed was made with crisp new bed linens, something I could not say about our previous accommodations. What a great location to wrap up our trip! Unfortunately, I forgot to mention that the hotel, once again, had no air conditioning. At 3:00 a.m., the room was an oven and Tam and I were both struggling to stay asleep. Tam noted that at 3:30 a.m., the sun was up and yes I can attest to this. The sun was rising at 3:30 a.m.!!
At 8:00 a.m. I began my journey to an important religious mecca, a place of unsurpassed importance to millions of people around the world: The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews. It was here, on the rolling Scottish hillsides, that shepherds entertained themselves by hitting rocks with sticks into nearby rabbit holes. The true birth of golf.
Golf as a sport goes back at least to 1457 when King James II of Scotland banned it on the grounds that it was keeping his subjects from their archery practice. By 1687, golf was an accepted and rapidly growing pastime. In 1754, the Society of St. Andrews Golfers developed the first rules of golf. The golf course at St. Andrews had 22 holes at that time. By 1764, it had been winnowed down to an 18 hole course, essentially the same course that it is today!
We arrived at the old course at 9:30 a.m. on a sparkling morning and watched several groups tee off on the first hole, a wide, beautiful, manicured fairway that is shared with the returning eighteenth. Tam and I walked along the first hole and visited the new pro shop that served the old course and the Jubilee course that adjoined it. We returned to the original Royal and Ancient Clubhouse where we purchased several items for our friends back home.
Behind the original clubhouse was the new British Golf Museum. It was opened in June of 1990, and tells the story of the development of golf in Britain and British-golf influence abroad. The museum was nice, but from an American's point of view, focused too much on the early years of golf. Still, the overall presentations were excellent!!
I left St. Andrews reflecting on one major thought: I have to play it!!
We returned to the Caledonian Hotel at precisely 12:00 noon. We ate a delicious lunch at the Golden Dragon Chinese restaurant, just off of Prince Street. After lunch, Tam and I walked to Edinburgh Castle. Three-hundred-and-forty million years ago, a massive volcanic eruption created a solid rock formation known as 'crog and tail'. It is essentially a basalt mass several hundred feet high and a mile in length. It is on this outcropping that the impressive Edinburgh Castle is situated.
Origins of settlements at the hilltop location go back before Christ but the first construction of a royal structure date back to 1018. From that point forward it would be a primary residence of the Royal Scottish family.
As is common with many of the prominent castles in England, death played a major role in its colorful history. In 1341, the Scots attacked the English who had violently taken the castle six years earlier. Sir William Douglas led the Scots to victory, killing thousands of English militia and throwing their bodies over the walls.
In 1440, castle keeper, Sir William Crichton, had the Earl of Douglas and his brother executed after inviting them to a dinner party at the castle.
Mary Queen of Scots gave birth to her only child at Edinburgh Castle. The following year she would be ousted from power and flee to England where she would eventually be tried by her cousin, Queen Elizabeth, and beheaded.
The Castle sits brooding on the hill, dominating the city of Edinburgh. Punctuating this was the daily one o'clock cannon firing ritual that has occurred everyday at the castle since 1861.
Actually, the building looked more updated and modern than Warwick Castle or the Tower of London. Much of this was due to the fact that parts of it were still active military facilities.
The view from the castle ramparts was spectacular. Edinburgh and the Scottish countryside seemed to go on forever!
In the castle palace building were the Scottish Honors, Scotland's equivalent to the Crown Jewels. The Honours are comprised of a gold crown with red velvet fabric, a scepter, and a sword and sheath. These pieces dated back to 1507 when Pope Julius II presented King James IV with the scabbard and belt. After Cromwell's assumption of power in 1650, the Honour's were hidden in northern Scotland to avoid being destroyed. In 1707, they were locked in a wood box in the Crown Room and remained there for 111 years when they were rediscovered by Sir Walter Scott.
After leaving the castle, we boarded a tour bus for a sight-seeing trip around Edinburgh. Highlights were Holyrood Palace, and a monument to a named dog Bobbie, who upon the death of his owner sat loyally at his grave for fourteen years!
We ate dinner at Carriages, the 'less formal' restaurant at the Caldonian Hotel. The Mulligatawny Soup was delicious.
Back in our hotel room, we watched the O.J. Simpson murder trial, which was as hot over here as it was back home. A defense DNA expert from Edinburgh, Scotland was being cross-examined. General opinion over here was that Simpson was guilty but he would be acquitted.
Saturday, June 23, 1995
Holyrood Palace
UK Airlines Flight Edinburgh to Heathrow
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote in his personal notes of 1878:
"Holyrood is a house of many memories. Wars have been plotted. Dancing has lasted deep into the night. Murder has been done in its chambers... Now, all these things of day are mingled with the dust... But the stone palace has outlived these changes."
Holyrood Palace is the official residence in Scotland of Her Majesty the Queen. Four-hundred years ago, between 1561 to 1568, Mary Queen of Scots occupied the palace. According to legend, the Abbey at Holyrood was founded by King David I in 1128, who witnessed a cross, or "rood" on the site, appearing miraculously between the antlers of an attacking stag.
On this overcast morning, we were limited to the exterior of Holyrood Palace. Queen Elizabeth had aced us out again! We couldn't tour the inside as they were preparing for the Queen's visit in three days. First it was Windsor Castle ... and now the Holyrood Palace!! This was the second time the Queen interfered with our plans!!
Regretfully, and with much of Scotland still left to visit, we caught the 3:00 p.m. flight from Edinburgh to London on Air UK Airlines. Flight #520.
The city of Edinburgh differed from London in many ways. First, it was a less formal city. People were more casually dressed and adopted a more relaxed attitude. Second, the city was more rugged than London. This was probably based on the fact that it was a sea-town and it was located in a more rural and remote part of Britain. Third, there was a distinct western influence here. There were many more American-based retailers and restaurants here than in London. Residents in Edinburgh embraced western fashions and lifestyle more than Londoners.
Overall, it seems that London tries very hard to stay like “London”, or at least the way Londoners think that they should be. Often this means resisting change and appearing stuffy. Edinburgh seemed more flexible and aware of the changing world. As a result, it lives and breathes, like a city looking forward the future. We flew to London on a BAE 146 turbo-jet, the same kind that Air Wisconsin flew regularly from Chicago to Appleton. The seats were extremely tight ... tightest ever on an airplane. I roughly measured their width, 16 inches max!!
We landed at an overcast London Gatwick Airport and walked to the Hilton where Mom and Dad were staying. Tam and I confirmed our limousine to the Hilton Heathrow Hotel. However, the hotel concierge, Malcom, discovered that our reservations at the other Hilton had been cancelled and followed up to assure that we obtained a room at Heathrow. He was outstanding!!
Mom, Dad, Tam, and I ate at Amy's Restaurant and Bar at the hotel. It featured American food such as Caesar's Salad, fajitas, and burgers. It was a great meal until the waitress tripped and served guacamole to Dad's back.
After dinner, we said goodbye to the folks and caught our limousine to the Heathrow Hilton. A sleek, green Jaguar pulled up. Our driver was a balding, short man. We talked about his car during the forty minute ride to Heathrow. He explained that his Daimler Jaguar was better built and more 'poshly' furnished than regular Jags. He said it was worth the additional $16,000. When he pulled up to the Hilton, I asked if he had been paid. He said no and he didn't bill the hotel or accept credit cards. Tam and I pooled our money and forked over $150. No wonder he can afford to drive a Jag like that.
The Hilton Heathrow was spectacular. It was a massive modern glass structure with an atrium that looked like the Crystal Cathedral. We checked in at 10:00 p.m. Our room was small but well furnished. It wouldn't matter, as we would be up and out within eight hours.
Sunday, June 25, 1995
United Airlines Flights Heathrow to Chicago
A chilly, overcast morning greeted us as we shuttled to Heathrow Airport. We went to Terminal Three where United Airlines was located. We checked our bags, were ticketed, passed through customs and were in the Red Carpet Room within thirty minutes. Flight #901 was delayed twenty minutes and was scheduled to depart at 8:15 a.m.
On the flight back home, Tam and I reminisced about the adventure. We were struck by the beauty of London ... the preservation of great landmarks, literally thousands of years old. I admired the pride that the citizens had for their country, the amount of pomp and pageantry that still took place daily as Brits continued to step through centuries-old rituals. We were impressed too, by the way London was spread over the landscape like a giant woolen blanket. This was not by accident. Very stringent laws prevent ed the building of tall, modern structures in England. A ten-story building was considered a skyscraper.
The castles of Britain were each unique with rich histories that still lived within their ancient stone walls. Much of that history was bloody ... murders, kidnappings, and torture were commonplace. Names such as William the Conqueror, Richard the Lionhearted, and even Julius Caesar had helped shape the history of this great island. And there were also the great intellectual and cultural influences of Shakespeare, the British Museum and Oxford University.
England was certainly a country that cherished its past. This was, perhaps, because its greatest achievements were behind it. The British Empire, that once circled the globe from the British Isles, to South Africa, to India, to Hong Kong was fading like the finish on the Coronation Chair.
The Fortune magazine cover story we read on the way home featured a story the transition of Hong Kong from the British to the Chinese in 1997.
Life in England was full of inconsistencies: Butler service in your hotel room (but no air conditioning), an eight dollar bottle of Coke (but no ice to serve it with), a restrained social culture (but a nude page-three girl in the newspaper everyday). It all helped to create the perspective of England that we see as a quaint place with very unique people.
We landed in a steady rain in New York. Tam and I immediately ate a Pizza Hut personal pizza and a Diet Pepsi ... with ice! Within a few more hours, we were home, greeted by two excited kids and two exhausted grandparents.
It had indeed been a long and winding road.
Video Footage Of The Olin Family
Great Britain Trip
"I would like to thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves
and I hope we passed the audition."
John Lennon
January 30, 1969
Around The World With The Olin Family