My wife and I were relatively newlyweds when we left Canada for Uganda, East Africa in 1972. The journey necessitated a weeks lay-over in London giving us an opportunity to see the sights of that historical city. After purchasing a five day travel pass on the London Underground, we had a cheap and easy way to get around.
The first thing I noticed about London was the age and durability of the buildings. In Canada, the average building rarely lasts past a century before it is torn down and replaced. This is largely due to the buildings wooden construction. In London, the buildings built of stone or brick, are hundreds of years old. St. Paul's Cathedral dates back to 1708. After a disastrous fire, the Houses of Parliament were rebuilt in 1840 but actually date back to Medieval Times. The construction of Westminster Abbey began in 1540. It was while touring through the Abbey that the durability of these old buildings left a lasting impression on me. I noticed that the doorway in The Poet's Corner has a deep groove worn in the floor from people passing through it over the centuries.
Another remarkable place steeped in history is The Tower of London. There, we toured the apartments where royal prisoners were kept and saw the place where so many famous people were executed. Even the block and axe are on display. But the most impressive sight in The Tower is the display of the crown jewels and words cannot adequately describe their dazzling beauty. They are kept in a vault beneath the Tower and displayed in well lit glass cases. You walk along a ramp in front of the display and you are not permitted to stop walking or reach out and touch the glass which would trigger an alarm that would automatically seal all the doors in the vault.
No visit to London is complete without seeing Buckingham Palace and we got there just in time to see the changing of the guard. After much walking down The Mall from the palace, I urgently needed to find a restroom. I saw a small building that looked to me like it could house a public restroom. I passed through a tall gate and as I did so, a London Bobby came running up to me. "You can't go in there," he said, "this is the entrance to the Queen Mother's residence." What I thought was a restroom turned out to be the Guard House at the gate. I was ushered out so quickly that I didn't get a chance to ask the Bobby if he knew where I could find a loo.
After visiting so many building and coming across many of the memorial plaques scattered around London that commerate historical events, Hyde Park was refreshingly different . It is one of the largest green spaces in London. We saw the famous Speaker's Corner where anyone can mount a soapbox and are sure of getting an audience. If speaking is not your thing, you can stroll through the park admiring the gardens or rent a pedal boat and go boating on The Serpentine, the large lake (river) that cuts the park in two. Since it was another hot day, we rented a pedal boat and a vendor selling cold drinks suggested we try a Lemon Shandy to quench our thirst. We took the drinks and went out onto the lake where it was pleasantly cool. It wasn't long before my wife asked me if I was feeling okay. I had to admit that I was feeling a bit woozy. It turned out that Lemon Shandy can be a potent beverage for those who don't drink. We brought the boat back to the shore and found a bench under a shady tree where we could rest and let the effects of the drink dissipate.
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