Visiting the UK part 2

So here we are totally jet lagged standing near the Thames River. We basically skipped an entire night of sleep. My head was pounding, my eyes like sandpaper, and we were traipsing the streets of London. Actually, we did take a nap for an hour or two at our accommodations near the London temple before we went out sight seeing. It really didn't help much.

Some of the buildings lining the city streets...We absolutely had to do the total tourist thing and ride atop the red double decker bus. It was a nice alternative to trudging up and down the streets on fatigued feet.

This was the next day when we were a little more refreshed. To my right in this photo would have been the London Eye--this giant Ferris wheel that was built in 2000 to commemorate the new millennium. We took a ride on it after eating sandwiches in the park.

Dave (one of our resident tour guides and a professional photographer) took a picture of us in front if the Eye. I'll have to scan it and post it so you get a glimpse of the size of this contraption.

It was dusk when we took our half-hour spin on the Eye, so the light wasn't great, but you can see some of the lit up views from the deck.

And one of the most important purposes of out trip was to go with Val and Dave to the London LDS Temple. It was magnificent and beautiful. The grounds were vast and well-maintained (as temple grounds usually are) and while the day began a bit rainy, the sun came out after we emerged and it warmed our faces.

Actually, the sun did more than warm our faces...it sort of blinded us and made keeping our eyes open for the camera a little painful.

I was struck more than once at the affability of the public communications all around England. As you step off the London Underground, for instance, there is a painted sign on the ground saying "mind the gap" accompanied by a recorded woman's voice politely suggesting the same -- the gap of course being between the train and ledge where you wait or exit.

Note a few other examples of the solicitous signs:

"Sorry. I am not in service." "Cross with care."

Before you cross a London street you can't help but note the painted signs on the asphalt: "Look Left" or "Look right". We saw construction signs detailing the work being done, the time it was expected to take, and the concluding message, "Sorry for any inconvenience."

These are just not the sorts of communications we see in the U.S. Our messages are short, quick, without pleasantries, and sometimes even misspelled if they are temporary. We could learn a bit from our polite neighbors across the pond.





This shot was in London on the first day. I don't recall where or what the purpose was. I'm, again, blaming jet lag.

Some London chalk art below--pretty and conveying a pleasant message

Here is a view of Big Ben taken from the top of a red bus.

I must admit that London was busy and huge. It was almost too much to take in for the few days we were there, but what we saw was indeed worthwhile.

Bath was much slower. And only I have a few pictures that recorded the experience. Kathleen and I visited a fashion museum while Evan and Todd went to a contemporary "bath." Remember that the reason Bath has its name is because of the natural hot springs there that the Romans turned into huge hot mineral baths (more like swimming pools) and it became a place people sought out for rest and relaxation. It was beautiful. We went on a Bizarre Bath comedy tour in the evening and spent the days visiting the Bath glass blowing factory and all sorts of little shops.

We found Peter Rabbit and friends soft toys for Amelia as well as some tiny tea sets and dishes. For Dylan we found small die cast versions of the red double decker bus and a black London taxi. He also wanted airplane toys, so we sought out the various toys stores in Bath and found an orange airplane (currently, his favorite color) and a Continental Airlines miniature of the plane we flew across the ocean.

Here we are in Bath. Behind us was Sally Lunn's (the red sign), which is noted for its amazing buns and its longevity in the town. I think it has been there since the 1700s and the food was pretty tasty--the buns delicious. The "toilets" (not restrooms as we call them in the U.S.) were crammed into one back corner and there was a sink plumbed into the wall in the "hallway" (more like a corner) that was so small it only fit your two hands in the bowl. It was not a place for anyone who borders on the large side in any way.

In fact, much of what we saw in England was diminutive. It is amazing what the British do with space. And frankly, it made me think once again, that our desire for so much living space in the States is a little superfluous. But enough commentary from me...

On the way to St. Stephens, we stopped at Stone Henge for about 15 seconds. It was blowing sideways wind, and the tours were about to close. We ran in, walked around, took pictures with the Skinner's camera, had a "Stone Henge: The History" lecture in very brief from Todd, shivered at the wind, and ran back to the car.

While we were staying in St. Stephens, Cornwall, with Val and Dave, the Skinners, Val's sister Elizabeth, and Evan and I did some sight seeing.

One of the place we visited was this beautiful abbey in St. Just. The day was a bit rainy and overcast. And alas, Dave, the photographer had to work that day and couldn't join us, so we didn't get to see what he could do with the subjects and conditions there. I tried my hand a few photographs with my limited skill and camera.

On the very sunny days that predominated our visit, we visited some other places in Cornwall.

Once such place was the coastal town of Mevigessey (which I may have misspelled).

We visited the shops during the day and had a magnificent fish dinner in the evening.






Above are Evan and Todd near the coast. I was actually worried about getting a sunburn. The weather in England as you probably know is unpredictable by nature, but we must have unwittingly packed the desert sunshine with us, because the sun shone for most of our journey.

And if my trip highlight was the literary sights, Evan's had to have been the beach. He surfed at Fistral Beach with rented gear, exclaiming more than once, "I'm surfing in England!"

And as we walked through Nequay, another surfing town, in search of t-shirts for the kids we happened upon the Longboard House, which is a legendary surf shack in that part of the world, whose owner is buds with some of the most well-known and skilled long boarders on the planet. There were pictures and signed notes in his shop from Greg Knolls and others.

So that's what I have for now. I need to get a few more pictures from the Skinners and scan a few from Dave's work to post. But that may seriously not happen until November.