We ended our London adventures on a great weather note at Westminster Abbey and the British Museum. We all enjoyed our private tour with Deborah Charles-- historian extraordinaire! I'm not sure how she retains all the information, but she constantly amazed me with her knowledge. AND, she's not just an expert on British history. When we were at the British Museum I was greatly impressed with her knowledge of the Egyptian history!!
But first, let's talk Westminster Abbey while I still remember some of the facts! First of all, it is THE most important church in England, and it is a working church! Actually, every hour that you are there, they ask for a brief moment of silence (hard to get with the hundreds of tourists) as they do prayers over a loudspeaker. The last major event most of you will have seen was the marriage of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Kate and William) in 2011.
The earliest history of the Abbey begins with Benedictine Monks in 960.. But, the importance of the Abbey began with the first Coronation, on Christmas Day, of William the Conqueror in 1066.. It was not until the middle of the 1200's that the present church building was begun by Henry III. There are so many famous people buried in the Abbey.. Just to name a few: Oliver Cromwell, Chaucer, Dickens, Isaac Newton, Rudyard Kipling, Tennyson, Lord Byron, Farraday, Charles Darwin (actually an ordained minister) and "Bloody Mary" buried underneath the casket of Elizabeth the First. One of the only reasons the Abbey still stands and was not destroyed during the reign of Henry the VIIII is because his parents were buried in the Abbey..Henry was determined to destroy all things Catholic....I have only a few photos of the exterior of the Abbey since no photos are allowed to be taken inside.
After the Abbey, Annette and Gaby took off for Princess Diana's playground where they had a great time as the rest of us went thought the ENORMOUS British Museum-- one of those museums you could spend months in and still not have seen everything! Deborah (our awesome Blue Badge guide) did this amazing speed version (fast track) of the museum where we saw the Rosetta Stone (yes, the original) and some of the ancient British archeological discoveries, as well as the ancient Egyptian section. Our fantastic driver, John, picked up Annette and Gaby and then retrieved us from the Museum. I have to give kudos to what a great driver he is!! London traffic and streets would be a challenge to anyone, but he navigates our bus with ease through the narrow streets !
One quick word about the staff at the Stafford Hotel. They have ALL been wonderful to us starting with "the best Concierge in the world", the incomparable Frank who made a lot of this trip possible. Also, a special mention of Luca, who is in charge of the dining room. He has been extraordinarily nice to our family -- and he's a tennis fan!!!
To summarize, I asked everyone at dinner this evening what was their favorite part of this trip.. Mimi and I chose Wimbledon followed by the tour through the Cotswolds and the English countryside . ( Though she added the best thing for her was being with all the family)! Bill picked our private tour of Parliament. Mary (Duffy) chose Windsor and Bleinham Castles. (She also loved our boat ride on the Thames.) Trey chose finding his wedding ring, but added Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park and our Faulty Towers dinner. Gaby chose the Princess Diana playground and the Aquarium. Annette liked the Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa in the Cotswolds..She also loved the Faulty Towers dinner. But she agreed with Bill that the tour of Parliament was awesome. We enjoyed our private guide there, Michael Skelton! Grant chose Wimbledon and (watching the Heat win the Championship at the American Cafe)! This was closely followed by The Cotswold House in Chipping Campden where we had a fun dinner at a pub across the street, (Noel House). This was the pub where Gaby had a great time giving out stickers to anyone and everyone in the Pub! We were all covered!!! He also voted Faulty Towers as a favorite!!
So, as you can see, there was something for everyone on this adventure!! A grand vacation that has created a treasure trove of family memories!! And now, it's off to celebrate the 4th in Washington!!
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