Westminster and BBQ

Big Ben

I woke up early for a Saturday.  Several people from Serena were visiting this week and we were all going to go into London today.  Ron and I had planned to have breakfast before we left at 8:30 and then meet everyone at the train station at 9:00.  As it turns out the Comfort Inn doesn't serve breakfast on the weekends until 9:00. 

Off to the train station we went.  We met Ruben, Olga, Vincent, and Kim at the station and to save money we got a group ticket for the day saving us about 3 pounds each.  We got lucky and got the express train from St. Albans to London, this would be true the rest of the day, I don't think we waited longer then 2 minutes for the train or Underground all day.  It only stopped once before arriving at St. Pancreas.

The underground station we got off for the abbey was right across from Big Ben and Parliament.  We headed past these to Westminster Abbey arriving just as it opened.  Even this early the queue (line) was still about a 15 minute wait.  I got in the cash only queue, and the rest joined the credit queue.  I actually got into the Cathedral a few minutes before the others.  Just long enough to get into trouble.  I didn't see the "No Photos" sign and started to take a picture with my phone of the entry stain glass.  Several of the volunteer's rushed me shouting "No Photo's sir".

Westminster Abbey

Westminster is impressive, especially when you see where all the King and Queens have been buried and read about all the coronations, weddings, and funerals for the Royal Family that have been conducted here.  Items like the Coronation Chair built by King Edward the 1st to hold the Stone of Scone from Scotland add to history.

Places like Westminster Abbey, British Museum, and Buckingham Palace immerse me in the history and tradition of England.  I know I blather on about it in most of my posts, but these places humble me whenever I think about it.

As I had just seen the Royal Wedding on TV, many of the places I saw in Westminster were at least familiar to me.  Seeing the exact spot where Prince William and Princess Kate got married was kind of fun.

After we finished at Westminster, Ron took us on a bit of a walk to a restaurant called Jamie's Italian in Covent Garden.  All the pasta and sauces are made from scratch in the restaurant.  I had the lamb ravioli and it was delicious.  Afterwards we headed to past the Royal Opera House where Olga made a quick trip in to grab a brochure.

We walked down to the waterfront along the Thames and strolled back towards Big Ben and Westminster.  Along the waterfront is a statue that looks like it has been defaced.  The marble block it sits on is chipped and the bronze statue has holes in it.  This is actual bomb damage from World War I, when a bomb hit the street nearby and damaged it ... incredible feeling standing there for me.

We headed over to Marble Arch and Hyde park catching the Central Line of the underground.  We didn't get to see much as it was getting on in the afternoon and we all were headed to Peter's house for his annual BBQ.

The BBQ was a lot of fun.  I had my first introduction to a Spanish Tortilla which is made with diced potato's, onions, and egg.  Apparently we were the second shift, as they had already had all of their neighbors and people from the girls school over (100+) in the early afternoon.  It was a good turnout and nice to socialize with people from the office.  I felt for Peter and Imma having to prep all that food.  The food was all delicious, and Peter having eaten at place like 5 Guys in the US knows how to BBQ a good hamburger.