London Oct 13-20, 2015

Although it is difficult to leave the City of Paris, we had to say goodbye as we needed to head to London to kick off the second week of our holiday.

This trip we explored more of the London’s musical past which included a stop at the Bag O’Nails music club. This legendary club was a popular Soho meeting place for musicians in the 1960s. Some of the popular bands who played and hung out here included Jimi Hendrix, Tom Jones, and The Who. This is also the location where Paul McCarthy met his future wife, Linda Eastman, in May 1967.

On another day we took part in a tour of the highlights of the city. Part of the tour included Goodwin’s Court. We have likely walked past this lane many times over the years and missed seeing this charming courtyard. True to its past and steeped in history, this area is said to have remained relatively intact since the 1600s. A step back in time, its black doors have polished brass plates, there are three large gas lamps in working order that light the passageway and windows that are this old have a unique look to them.

One of our favourite stops in London is the British Museum. The building itself is a sight to behold, let alone the vast collection that it houses. This Easter Island statue was brought to England in the mid 1800s. Carved from volcanic ash in the 1200s, there are approximately 1,000 of these statues remaining. While this statue is only the head and only part of the body, on the Island they’ve been excavating the dirt to uncover their bodies for years. Who knew?

Another popular collection in the British Museum is the Elgin Marbles. Lord Elgin collected these ancient Greek ruins and brought them to Britain in the early 1800s. These sculptures originated in Athens in 440 BC and were used to adorn the entrance to the Parthenon. The British Museum is said to have the largest collection of sculptures from the Parthenon and rumour has it that Greece wants the statues returned to be reunited with the collection that remains there.

One of the oldest pubs in London is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Our tour guide told our group that there’s been a pub at this location since the 1500s and that its owners have made an effort to keep its original charm. We did return to check out the pub. Our guide was right, it was worth a closer look. We weren’t able to get a table, its only got room for 10 patrons at best. It’s dimly lit, has the smell of wood burning fireplaces that are still in use today, a couple of small rooms and a narrow counter for the bartender to serve a pint from. Absolutely fascinating to take this step back in time.

Another place we visit every time we are in London is Harrods. The ground floor of this upscale Knightsbridge department store is a food lover’s paradise. Anything you can think of is stocked in the various shops – from indulgent chocolates and candies to a variety of meats and cheeses. We also like to tour the electronics area of the store when we’re there, but if you had to choose between the two, hands down, its Food Hall is not to be missed.

No matter how many times you visit the Victoria & Albert Museum, there is always something new to see. While we were there we saw one of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks. While it isn’t unusual for great thinkers to record their thoughts, what makes these notebooks unusual is that da Vinci would write backwards. There’s much discussion on why da Vinci used mirror writing – was it to confuse his readers or was it easier to write this way when he’s left handed?

Another treasure in the Victoria & Albert Museum is this large scale choir book. Given its size, one can only imagine that this type of book would be shared among several people. The carefully, handcrafted book with musical notations and ornamental design is a work of art in itself. Speaking of choirs, we visited both St. Paul’s Cathedral where the boy’s choir sang during the service.

We also attended a service in Westminster Abbey. Besides being the nation’s Coronation church since 1066, it is also the final resting place of many famous figures including scientist Sir Isaac Newton, naturalist Charles Darwin, and poet Geoffrey Chaucer. This gothic style church is a place of worship that is owned by the royal family. This may explain why this church was the venue for the marriage of Prince William and Princess Kate in April 2011.

Our two week vacation is now a distant memory. We always enjoy our holidays to London and Paris, and we will look forward to visiting again really soon. Until then, au revoir!