London – June 10th
Jun 16th, 2019 by rallyadmin
We must have been very tired last night. We’re up but not as early as I expected with 5 hour jet lag. Mika checks the weather outside and reports back that it’s raining. Welcome to London.
We get out the rain gear and head out for a proper English breakfast. Good luck with that in this neighborhood. There doesn’t seem to be any cafes or restaurants that aren’t Muslim. Up to the main boulevard and head toward Aldgate. There was a small restaurant next to the pizza shop that we had lunch in yesterday but the menu is rejected. There’s a Starbucks (of course there’s a Starbucks) up the street. We settle for English breakfast tea, a hot mocha and muffins. So much for a traditional English breakfast.
Back on the street. The increasingly heavy rain now has a stiff with it. Meanwhile, the more bicycle rush hour is whizzing past us on the “bicycle superhighway” not seeming to care much about the rain. That must be an acquired skill.
Into the Tube again. The packed tube. It’s the morning rush for the 8 million people who live in London and we’re up the District line to South Kensington wedged in with the morning office drones who all seem to be reading a book and have a phone plugged into an ear.
Out of the tube at South Kensington and on the streets to the Churchill War Rooms. The rain has lightened up some and we wanted to get here earlier to get in line but that didn’t work out. The line is about an hour long and the rain is picking up again. The charm of London on a cold and rainy morning.
We eventually make it into the building. Stop at the toilets. Warm up. And down into the bunker that was Churchill’s headquarters for World War II.
It’s an amazing time capsule. The British war effort was run for 4 years down under a thick room of concrete and steel that would survive all but the most direct hit of the biggest bombs. It must have been terribly claustrophobic during the height of the Blitz. For the people who worked here and supported Churchill and his staff, work was a 12 to 24 hour a day effort only occasionally broken by a short visit above ground in the early evening between air raids. It’s hard to begin to appreciate the dedication of those people.
We and the tour and head back into the rain. We had planned to head off to the Tower of London today but the weather has given us pause. Change of plans: we head over to the London Eye, the giant ferris wheel, thinking that the rain will keep the crowds down.
Past Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. Big Ben is under renovation and shrouded with scaffolding and protective sheets. The clock is still visible and the bells still tolls. Across Westminster bridge and the nearly empty tour boats on the Thames below.
We get tickets for the Eye and the line to get on the eye is short and most of the queue area is under cover. Finally, out of the wind and rain. It’s only 15 minutes and we’re boarding the cabin that we will ride up and over the 135 meter (442 foot) high wheel.
The ride takes about 30 minutes and gives a wonderful, 360° view of London. Though it’s still raining, the clouds are quite high and don’t obstruct the view. Back on the ground and it’s still windy and raining.
Back down the promenade and across the Westminster Bridge. The wind is still howling down the Thames and the rain is getting us soaked.
We stop in a restaurant but the wait is about an hour. Back on the Tube and over to the Science museum which is literally next door to the Natural History museum that we visited yesterday. Along the way we stop in a pub that we saw yesterday that featured fish & chips which both Mika and I want for lunch.
We stop in, get a table and order our lunch. The fish and chips is quite good and even Talyn, fish hater extraordinaire, tries it and gives an approval. That’s hard to believe but it’s true. On to the museum.
The Science Museum isn’t the British Museum but it’s well stocked with displays of steam engines, rockets from the space programs, manufacturing machines and other sciency exhibits. After a couple of hours it’s out into the now diminished rain and back to the hotel.
A break at the hotel where we find that our bags have arrived. Clean clothes and then back out on the street for dinner. We’re searching for a “classic diner” named Moes Diner. It’s quite an attraction if we can just find it. The GPS is leading us in circles in the now driving rain but we eventually find it,
It’s very reminiscent of the fictional “Jack Rabbit Slim’s” in the Quentin Tarantino movie Pulp Fiction, starring Uma Thurman and John Travolta. The burgers are pretty good and the ice crean is great.
Back to the hotel is a very light drizzle. Turn on to Newark street and the huge porcupine scult is lit by multicolored spines which are actually plastic light pipes.
Back into the hotel and crash for the night. Finally, dry and warm.
Obi-wan