LONDON AND CAMBRIDGE ENGLAND TRIP NOTES—NOVEMBER 5 TO 15, 1997

I left for Denver on Saturday the first of November to be there a few days early to visit with Larry and family. Jill and the children were very busy as usual but we had a good visit.

We left for the Denver Airport at 8 AM in the morning, checked in and boarded at 11:30. The plane took off right on time for Washington at 12:20 PM. We boarded early and I had an isle seat, no a window seat beside Larry. The flight was smooth and clear until we were nearly to D.C. The plane was a DC-10 with a middle seat and two on each side. Dinner was served along with cokes and peanuts. On board they had a movie for $4.00, which Larry watched. I didn’t watch it as I was reading a book.

We arrived at Dulles Airport in Washington about 4:30 PM. We had to deplane and change gates, but not concourses. It was still the A Concourse. We had seat 15 from Denver and 25 on the new DC-777. It was a huge plane and you could hardly see the end of the wing. It was night on rather 7:30 when we took off so each wing span was about 100 ft. our seat was again a window

And isle seat I took the window seat as it was dark and we would not be able to see anything anyway. The cabin had 40 rows back and was divided into five different compartments. They had first class, then the 100,00000° mile people and the economy the rest of the back. It had luggage bins above the heads of all seats I saw right away that I had too heavy a bag but it was too late then to change anything.

The flight from Dulles to London was very smooth and they came through the cabin with either drinks or food every few hours, it seemed we had drinks and peanuts first, then the dinner meal. After the dinner meal the lights went down and it was darker. There were two movies going to be shown

And we were given headphones and the TV screen was on the back of each seat in this plane. The other one had one big screen at the front of the cabin. On the headphones, you could listen to music or the movie. Occasionally the pilot would give an announcement to tell us where we were. There were 12 attendants, (we counted them as they went on the plane), and later we found out they had some trainees on the flight. The flight was not bumpy and I slept about two hours, Larry said. We both made use of the “lavatories” several times. The cokes and orange juice came too often. Larry watched two movies, but I didn’t.

We arrived in London just as the sun was coming up around 6:30 AM their time. We sere shuttled from the plane to the terminal by a bus and the airport terminal was HUGE! We had to get our luggage and then go through customs. We had to stand in line, but other than having to lug the luggage around it wasn’t bad. They just ask if we were on vacation or were coming in to stay.

With Larry’s maps we found the underground terminal and they call it the “TUBE”. We got on and rode it to the hotel having to change only once. It was a real experience as it went very fast on top of the ground and below ground. You had to climb down and up and down and up to get anywhere.

However. We made it to the hotel and they were expecting us. We had to wait at our room was not ready so we waited in the TV room downstairs. They told us our room was #5 so we happy it was on the first floor…but no the first floor in London is the second floor to us. We had to climb a big beautiful staircase but the bath was on the floor just around the corner from our room. We had to walk about 5 blocks from the underground station to the hotel, uphill.

 

The hotel is really Vintage. The furniture is all art décor-English Oak. There are two wardrobes and a dresser with triple mirror, a washstand, a table and two chairs. There is a balcony; we can open up and walk out on overlooking the street. We arrived about 9:30 Am and the room would not be ready till noon, so we sat and rested downstairs in the TV room. We got on the 1st floor, which is really the second floor, so had to climb some steps. It has the carpet (big flowered red) like Larry’s theater. The bathroom is just around the corner, With a shower and stool where you can close either one off from the other. We have a full size bed and a half bed. They let us leave our luggage in the room until noon so we decided to sightsee some.

Our first sightseeing was started on the rail ride (underground) again. We rode to Westminster to Parliament and Big Ben. We walked over to one of the bridges over the Thames River. Larry took my picture. Then we went to Westminster Abby where Princess Di got married and toured it. I couldn’t believe what was there. Some had been buried there since the 1200’s. There were life size cripts of people like Handle who wrote the Messiah, Charles Dickens, and Kings and Queens clear back to the 12th century. Unbelievable! It was something to see of the Christian History where the queens and others were punished and died for their beliefs in God.

 

Then we went tot he Tower Hill on the subway and into the tower of London complex. This goes back to where England first began. The moat around the castle and walls is green grass now. The Romans built the wall, some of it, in the 200AD area of time. Unbelievable it is still standing! The Tower Bridge is beautiful over the River Thames and is painted blue. It is a drawbridge. We stood on the bridge walk and saw the boats (tour boats and tugs to bring ships through, I guess). Then we went into the Tower part itself. The senior ticket was only $6.40 and regular was $850. I go in a bit cheaper than Larry I paid for our tour in there. There were 4th and 5th grade students with their workbooks touring with a teacher dressed in suits and ties. All the private schools must have to dress uniforms with coats and ties to attend school.

 

We saw the crown jewels (unbelievably beautiful), gold scepters, and cups back to the beginning of England and crowns completely in diamonds and rubies in glass windows labeled by; whose they belonged to.

We went through the restored medieval palace (no furniture) but replicas in cases of what they think it was from History. Up and down steps all day on our tour.

We had not eaten since breakfast on the plane so as we left the tower bridge area, we found a KFC. We called home, (Denver, Duncan, & Bartlesville, then went to get some KFC. We sat down and ate it there, then started for the “tube”. Came to the hotel about 5:30 or so. Took hot showers and fell into bed. This closed our day #1>

DAY #2

We slept 14 hours and Larry was up at 2 AM and I was awake an hour or so. Next time I heard him up, I said, “What time is it?” He said,”8:00 and we have to go to breakfast before 9 AM” We dressed promptly and went down two flights of stairs to the dining room. It was set with cereal and orange juice. Then we ordered bacon, eggs and toast. Jelly was on the table and they had coffee and tea available.

We left the bed and Breakfast about 9:30, caught the “tube” to Old Street to the John Wesley Chapel and home. We toured the chapel and took pictures. It was a beautiful place. The curator showed us around and told us the story of John Wesley. Also hoe and when it was restored to its beginnings. Organs and pulpit and all parts were lovely. We toured the museum in the basement of the church and then to his home next door. The cemetery behind the chapel was where Wesley was buried along with 2 other members in the family. His wife was not buried there. A large monument was built where he and his sister were buried.

There was a large cemetery across the street where Issac Watts, the musician and Susanna Wesley (John’s Mother) were buried. Charles Wesley, John’s brother was the musician who wrote many hymns that we sing today.

The lady who showed us around John Wesley’s home was a graduate nurse and was acting as a guide at the house. It was furnished in the actual furniture that was there when We4sley lived there. He was a single man at the time of his death as his wife left him early on in their marriage. He traveled much and she did not like his way of life.

We then took a bus across town to St. Pauls Cathedral, ate lunch at a French Restaurant (where Larry lost his camera). Words can hardly express the awe and beauty of this place. Diana and Charles were married there. (I was wrong previously stating they were married in Westminster Abby.) We toured the Cathedral and saw the memorial to the United States soldiers who died in England during World War II. Names were all listed in a big book in a glass case We spent quite a while looking at the things in the cathedral. The Rector came in and asked all the people there to sit down and say the Lords Prayer with him.

We then rode a bus to the “Cabinet War Room” and toured it. This is where all the planning with Churchill was done before and during the war. It was very interesting. It showed the radio and phones used from this central area.

Then we went to #10 Downing Street and observed where Winston Churchill Lived. We then rode the bus again to Victoria Station and walked around the Queen’s home (Buckingham Palace) it must cover a good 20 acres of ground right in the middle of busy streets and buildings. Hyde Park and Kensington Park were near by. It was dark by this time and we walked to find the tube to return here. We were both tired being on our feet all day. We ate snacks and candy; and watched news on the TV downstairs. You have to pay a license fee in England or they fine you for each TV. That is why there was only one in the whole house. We called home again and now it is midnight, so we called it a day!

DAY # 3 Saturday 11/8/97

We woke about 7:30 and both showered and went to breakfast same as the day before. We ate about the same every day. The others in the house were not eating as big a breakfast as we did. But we needed substance to make the long walks each day.

We left about 9:00AM to go to the Florence Nightengale Museum across town. It was a wonderful display showing her life before and after the Crimean War Nursing experience. She taught the first Nursing School Students in the St. Thomas Hospital next door to the museum. She died in 1910. We had to walk quite a way to get from the underground or bus to everywhere. I wore out sooner today.

We went to the Museum of England and ate lunch there. There was a café in the museum. Had mashed potatoes, sausage and pie. Then we went into the museum. It was awesome showing the beginning of people in England as far back as 200BC. The Romans were the rulers of all Europe and Asia. This was very primitive and showing things that archeologists have dug up plus history of the Royal Families to the present. Looked at Handle’s original Music score of the Messiah. The first translations of the K.J. Bible. So many artifacts of Britain history.

We walked again looking for the tube station.

There were so many people everywhere and at that station we had to wait for the 3rd train to come home. You have to climb or go down stairs. Occasionally there are escalators and elevators in some of the tunnels. We stopped and got a paper. I went to sleep in the TV room on the couch after I talked to Daddy. Larry woke me to come up and go to bed. He went back down and watched “Jaws” movie.

DAY #4, Sunday 11/9/97

We go up about the same time and had breakfast. It seemed colder today, but we decided to walk to the Kinsington Palace where Diana lived. We walked up the Embassy Row of houses that had the different consuls by country. We took pictures of the sides and front of the palace. There were still flowers put recently with cards to Will and Harry saying whey would pray for them and in remembrance of Diana. The park surrounding the palace and the gardens were lovely. We walked on up to the Albert Concert Hall and on around to the Museum of Science and Technology.

 

It was a very large building. It started out with the beginnings of engines. It had engines back to Isaac C Watts first basic piston engine. They were from the very small ones to fly wheels 20 to 30 ft high. The space museum had the limb replica and the Apollo 10 Module on display from NASA. It was full of missiles and satellites of all kinds. Then the fourth and fifth floors had beginning of medicine from the mid-evil days in Africa, China, and England. Then they had a complete operating room set up doing heart surgery. There were rooms set up with figures in dress for eye exams of 1800’s,dental offices, pharmacies and every phase of medical practice. Even had a Public Health display with things they did for the outbreak of the plague, polio,and (iron lung) Lung) and even the Infection Control beginning depicting the germ theory; an amputation of a foot and leg and of a severe infected leg and MRSA posters. Also there were food Poison displays. We ate lunch in the museum and then moved on about 1 PM

We walked on to the china shops and looked around. Larry got Jill a couple of pieces of her Botanic Garden and I got Sue’s Christmas present which was a small tea set. We looked in two different shops before we purchased anything. The prices were so high, I didn’t get much.

We decided we had seen all the museums we wanted and Harrod’s was closed on Sunday, so we decided to catch a bus and just ride on the top layer. So we took bus 52 which we knew stopped near our house. We rode past and on up to West London-about 30 minutes. The bus went into the garage and stopped. We had to get out and cross the street to catch one going back. For an instant we didn’t know if we were going to bet back or not. The driver, however, told us to cross the street and another bus would be along in about 15 minutes. So it did.

We saw a part of London we would have never seen otherwise. We rode in the top of the double-decker bus and could see out real well.

After we arrived home we rested awhile. It was 4:30 PM and we might go out later and find something to eat. Meals are high here. We have paid between 10 to 15 dollars for each meal together, so we have usually just eaten the noon meal and snacked here and there here in the room for the evening. We will make our calls later as it is only 6 PM here and 11 AM in the States.

DAY 5 MONDAY Nov 10,1997

We go up at the regular time. Ate breakfast and packed our bags for Cambridge. We left my big bag with our dirty clothes and clothes I hadn’t worn. We only took enough clothes in Larry’s suitcase for both of us along with my mall carry on.

We walked down to the Taxi stand and got a taxi to the train station. The fare was $9.20. The train tickers were $19.00 for round trip each. The train was not full and we left about 11:00 AM, arriving at noon. The county side was lovely and quaint little towns a lot like London, but smaller. The train stations s were much like our old stations in the States. Much like the ones in Ft Worth and Dallas. They had tile floors, big and airy waiting rooms. We got a taxi to take us to the Warkwork House. It seemed like a long way. Cambridge has 100,000 people so it’s not a small town. Mostly college students. Our Hostess, Pauline Dry, here was lovely and very helpful. She leases the house from the University and has a contract to keep about 5 students in off-seasons. She can also keep about 2 to 3 other travelers. She is a Christian and her husband is now on a mission trip to India. She just returned from America, New Hampshire, with people from Missouri on a mission trip.

We took off after a bowl of chili at the pub in the back of our house. First we walked down town about a mile or so to the tourist information place. We got signed up for a walking tour tomorrow at 1 PM. It will be a guided tour. We stopped in a mall and Larry called everyone at home. I sat and waited in the mall. Watched it get dark and it was real cool, as each end of the mall was open. We walked and walked to get home, as we were not too sure of the way and Map. However we just were one street over from where we should have been. We had to go around a park and back a block or so. I was so tired, I went to bed. I forgot to take my Motrin this morning. I slept till 10 PM, then got up and went to the bathroom. Larry went out and got something to eat at the nearby pub. We both read a while and went to sleep. Our beds had just bottom sheets and comforter for cover. Slept warm and woke about 7:30 AM

 

DAY 6 Tuesday November 11, 1997

I awoke and ate breakfast. I decided to take my Motrin and stay her until time for the tour at 1 PM. I don’t know how cold it is outside. Will finish this later. Larry has gone out for a couple of hours.

Larry came home at 11:30 and brought us a great cheese and bacon quiche and coke. It was a good lunch for us. We left here about 12:30 to go and take the walking tour. We had a young Oxford graduate as a guide. He was very good. Starting at the Kings College Chapel, we spent a full hour. He gave us all the information on the building of the chapel in 1421. He told us about the windows and their meanings. It was amazing to me how some things were here that date back to 200 AD when the Romans came.

From Kings College we went to Trinity College and saw the beautiful Chapel. We got the tour message on history and information on it and on the St Johns College. We finished about 3:30 on the tour. Then we looked around there and went to the Kings College to stand in line for about 45 minutes. This was to attend the “Evensong” by the Boys Choir and service. Time stood still during this service as the boys sang and read scripture. It was so inspirational; I will never forget it.

By the time we got home it was dark and we walked about one-half mile out of the way to get home. I was really bushed. No, I was out of business. Went right to bed and slept till about 10 PM. Larry went out to the “Free Press” (pub) and ate. I woke when he returned. Then I read for a little while, finished my book and went back to sleep. Slept till we heard a knock on the door. It was breakfast time!

DAY 7 WEDNESDAY November 12, 1997

Had a good nights sleep. We decided to see the museums and go on the Christian Heritage tour. So we were about 9 AM getting away from here. We walked to the path on the river Cam. It brought us to the front lawn of Kings College. It was so beautiful and we rested, saw the paddleboats they use for the cup races.

We got to the Round Church for the tour about 10: 45. It was built as one of the 4 left Round Churches in England. We made 3 colleges on the tour: Magdeline (Madlin, they call it), Jesus College and Emanuel College. The Magdalene was an original Nunnery for Benedictine Nuns. The original building of the Nunnery was still there. The Jesus College was where the first 30 preachers came to America from to evangelize the Indians. The Pilgrims had no time so they sent and word for their need. These were very young men right out of college who went.

We went from the Colleges to the Science Museum. In it was the beginning tools of engineering, surveyors and astrology. Very interesting how people in the 12 to 1500’s had drawn the universe with the solar system in design.

We then went to the Fitzwilliam Museum that was everything from Michaelangelo pictures and drawings to Victorian and earlier furniture, dishes-everything even Egyptian stone hieroglyphics. It was so interesting. We stopped somewhere and had a sandwich cheese, avocado, lettuce and mayo with a hard bread bun. Kind of like what we dip in something. All the bread here is very hard to eat. Breakfast toast is the only normal American bread. We also had some hot chocolate with cheese plate for the afternoon.

We came home and went tour room, rested awhile, watched the news. About 7:30 we went to the pub near the house. It was full of people so had to wait for a table. I had soup; vegetable and Larry had chili. Home and to bed.

 

DAY 8 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1997

After breakfast we started out looking for gifts for everyone. Larry said all Daddy wants is you home. We bought T-shirts for all the kids and a few more cards and books. So much choice on lovely books at the bookstore. Then we went back to Kings College Chapel.

A very large group of singers and orchestra were setting up to practice for the Brahms Concert tonight. We listened to them for at least an hour. It was great These were students from all the colleges coming together to put on the concert. They were singing in German. There were at least 300 young people, 4 deep in the choir and a full orchestra with at least 4-6 base strings and 2 harps. We decided to come back to the hotel and rest. Larry will go back for the Eucharist service at 5 PM. I don’t know if I will go or not. We did stop and eat at Dome’s

DAY 9, FRIDAY NOVEMBER 14, 1997

Ate breakfast packed and took taxi to the train station. Don’t know how we will get from London home with all this stuff. Got Larry and Sue Christmas presents. It took three hours to get from the hotel to the gate a Heathrow Airport. We were boarded on the 777 with the same seats. We had seats behind the big wings. The wings had a spread of at least 200-ft at least. I had Larry sit by the window to take pictures. We were given a big meal around noon. The flight went to Greenland, Iceland and Toronto and into Chicago. A man passed out two rows ahead of us and the doctor on board got to give CPR and finally revived him. When we got to O’Hare we had to wait for the Paramedics to pick the man up before we could deplane. Chicago was snowed in and we had to circle for 45 minutes in the clouds without seeing the ground. Finally we landed and deplaned. We were late, but our next flight to Denver wasn’t posted at first. Then they changed the gate on us and we had to wait again. In the meantime we called Jill and found out that Harry had gone to the hospital for his BP. Sue had gone to OKC and was on her way back to Duncan and Harry had already gone home by the time we called the hospital. He seemed OK when we talked to him. We arrived in Denver about dark around 7PM. We rearranged luggage and packed for my trip to OKC.  Jill had gotten me a 10:30 flight to come home. Bob and Gloria were to meet me at 1 PM and bring me to Duncan. Sue stayed till Monday and left. It was wonderful to be home.