U.K. 2013: Saturday 9/21/2013 - British Museum and Boat Tour

Carmilla went on a day trip to Brighton today.

Coincidentally, we had already planned a meeting with Shelly Lincoln.
She lives in the same building as us in Atlanta, and she is know living and working in London.
It is so much fun to meet someone you already know in a foreign city, and to sight see together.

We previously met Laura Green in Rome, and Carmilla had previously met us in Munich, and also in Berlin in separate years.

We met Shelly on the steps of the Nationally Gallery in Trafalgar square. A beautiful meeting spot! The entrance platform of the National Gallery looks out over Trafalgar square and you can sink in the entire landscape. Trafalgar square is a beautifully landscaped and architected public space.

We decided to do a few items which were on our 'must do' list, so we headed off to the British Museum to see the Rosetta Stone. We navigated the tubes with ease and in no time were standing in front of the Rosetta Stone, and other great artifacts from ancient Egypt and even major portions of the Parthenon from Greece. This museum is a must stop for anyone visiting London.

After the British Museum we headed over to see if we could get into Westminster Abbey. This was our second attempt to see this famous landmark, but again to no avail. The lines were just too long, and we decided to go for lunch instead. We found Alberts pub just down the street and Pat had her turn at fish & chips. It was good, but not as good as I had the night before.

After lunch we walked back past Westminster Abbey and the Parliament building and Big Ben, and crossed over the Westminster Bridge towards the London Eye. We decided on the river boat tour down the Thames, and what a good choice it was. The boat tour started just under the London Eye, and the tour went from the Westminster bridge down the Thames. It went past all of the famous bridges, including the Millennium bridge, London Bridge, and Tower bridge. The narrator pointed out all of the landmarks along the Thames. It was a great ride.

The last stop of the day was the 'Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub'. It is the oldest pub in London, and was rebuilt back in 1667. It has 5+ floors of small rooms and low ceilings. I really wanted to get the feeling of a seventeenth century pub.