European Vacation

This is the online version of the travel diary I kept during my month in Europe from September 19 to October 17. I spent 4 days in London, took a 16 day Contiki Tour through England, Scotland, Wales and Southern Ireland and then spent a week in Paris.

Sunday Sept 19th This is mainly a travel day, left Albany NY, and went to Chicago. Plane is held up on the tarmac at O'Hare for 2 hours due to thunderstorms delaying my arrival in London.

London Landmarks In your opinion what is London's best known Landmark ? Buckingham Palace St. Pauls Westminster Abbey Tower of London Tower Bridge Big Ben Millennium Dome Current Results

The Tower Bridge

Monday Sept 20th Arrive in London, it is raining, something I find out is a common occurence. After collecting luggage and going through customs, I pick up my ride to the hotel. After checking in, I decide to head to the British Museum because it is close to the hotel. The British Museum is quite a collection of works, stuff from all over the British Empire is here. Admission is free, though they do ask for a donation. Some of the highlights include: Elgins Marbles, these are pieces of the Parthenon in Athens whch were brought back by Lord Elgin in the 19th cenury, recently there has been some controversy because the Greek goverment would like them back. The Rosetta Stone: this slab of rock helped, Thomas Young and Jean-Francois Champollion unlock the mystery of the hieroglyphs. While I was there, the Rosetta Stone was in a seperate exhibit, which did have a small entrance fee. The Walker Exhibit: This is included in the Museums fantastic Egyptian collection, several rooms of mummies. The Museum also contains thousands of exhibits from all over the Empire that can't all be writtten about here, including the Roman Empire, Islamic World, China, India, Turkey and Modern and Prehistoric Europe. Stay at the museum untill it closes, then head back to the hotel. I have an excurson included in my London package and have decided to take a Jack the Ripper Tour tommorrow When I call, Tuesday is the only day they don't do the tour. They say I can do it tonight, they will be picking up at a hotel around the corner in a little over an hour. Despite jet lag, I decide to do the tour. The tour and tale were quite interesting. We walk through the city of London, stoping at several of the points where the Rippers victims were murdered. We also stop for a pint at the 10 Bells which is a 246 year old pub (established 1753) across the street from the last Ripper murder. It has a lot of Ripper memorabilia, newspaper articles and a list of victims on the wall. We hear the list of possible suspects and pro's and cons of whether or not they could be the Ripper, including James Maybrick who was implicated in the Diary of Jack the Ripper which was published recently.

Tuesday Sept 21st Wake up early this morning, St Paul's Cathedral opens at 8:30, about an hour earlier than anything else in London so I decide to hit this first. St. Paul's is right in the middle of London so it is tough to get pictures of it from the outside, plus no pictures are allowed inside the Cathedral, what a bummer. The Church's interior is beautiful, lots of tributes to British heroes, many I have never heard of. The crypt down below is the resting place of 2 of Britains greatest war heroes Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington. It also is the resting place of Sir Christopher Wren who designed this cathedral and many of Londons other great monuments after the London fire. After touring the Cathedral, I head to the Tower of London, one of the places I was looking forward to visiting the most. One recommendation, I usually detest being in groups and being herded around like a sheep, but definetly take the Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) Tour. It is fantastic, and you learn a lot of little quirks about the history of the Tower. We walk by the Scaffold site where 3 queens of England, Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard and Lady Jane Grey, were executed. We get a tour of the Tower Chapel under which the dead of the Tower were buried, including the above 3 queens and 2 Saints of the Catholic Church, Sir Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher. After about an hour long tour, I wander around the Tower, visiting the armory's, the crown jewels and the ravens, Legend has said that if the ravens ever leave the Tower, than the monarchy will fall, so they clip their wings so they can't fly over the wall. In the Afternoon I head out the Greenwich to hit 2 things, the Old Royal Observatory, home of the Prime Meridian and the Britsh Maritime Museum. I vsit the Maritime Museum first, not particularly awe inspiring but it has 2 notable exhibits, they have an explorer exhibit which is quite good, dedicated to European explorers. The one I particularly wanted to see and it didn't disappoint was their exhibit on the life and times of Lord Nelson. This exhibit follows his career from his troubed begining to his legendary battles in Egypt and at Trafalgar. This is technically a temporary exhibit, it will be there until 2005. The Royal Observatory, really doesn't have much except the Prime Meridian where you can put one foot in the Eastern and one foot in the Western Hemisphere. That night, I venture out into London, if you are in London and homesick for something from the USA, head to Piccadilly Circus, Movie theatres, Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock, Mcdonalds, The Gap and Burger King, all the things you might be yearning for. See T-Rex back to the Cretacous in 3-D at the IMAX theatre.

The Tower of London

Big Ben

Wednesday Sept 22 Head down to Parliament Square first thing in the morning, walk by Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament on my way to Westmnster Abbey. Westminster Abbey is a little more gaudy and grandiose than St. Pauls. If St Paul's was the resting place for heroes than Westminster Abbey is the resting place for monarchs. The coronation chair, in which almost every British Monarch has been crowned is there, along with the tombs of Elizabeth I, Mary I, Mary Queen of Scots and Henry VII. After finishing up with Westminster Abbey, I head to Buckingham Palace, the line to tour the Palace Apartments is going around the corner. I sneak around and snap a picture of the gaurds through the fence and check out the gardens, statues and fountains around the Palace. I am surprised that they let traffic drive right by the Palace. The Queen isn't in resdence, she is in Scotland. I then head up to see Madame Tussards, I was a bit leery about going to MadameTussards, I had heard everyting from hated it to loved it. Here I encountered the longest lines of anything in London. They have several galleries of modern people, like Sean Connery, Brad Pitt, David Coperfield etc. Then an exhbit which shows how they make the figures. Then a film exhibit and then into a big hall with all sorts of World leaders from the past and present. You then descend into the Chamber of Horrors where they show scenes from Jack the Ripper and the French Revolution, including the guillotine. They then have a ride where they whisk you through London from the time of Elizabeth I to present day London. Went to Piccadilly Circus and then back to the hotel when it started to pour. That night, I am suppose to go see Miss Saigon with Lynn and Lisa, 2 people from my tour group, which leaves on Friday. We go and pick up our tickets, have great seats, the best I have ever had for a show, about 20 rows back and right in the middle. The show is tremendous, especially the Engineer, though it isn't quite as good as Phanthom.

Westminster Abbey

The guard at Buckingham Palace

Thursday September 23 Heading out to Hampton Court Palace this morning. With a little time to waste, I head down to see Nelson's Column down in Trafalgar SQ. Lots of pidgeons everywhere. Also a great photo opportunity for Parliament and Big Ben from a ways across the city. Afterwards, I walk down to the river to take a look at Cleopatra's needle, an Egyptian Obelisk down by the Thames. This is a misnomer, because the Obelisk dates back to Ramses II who was Pharoh 1,500 years before Cleopatra. It looks like the needle is used by winos because there are a lot of bottles and garbage littered around it. Then I head out on the train to Hampton Court Palace, this was Henry VIII's primary palace when he was monarch. The exterior of the Palace is quite beautiful, including Anne Boylens arch. The interior, has a lot of paintings and furniture though not too much of historical value. The gardens are extensive and gorgeous, especially when the staff says that they aren't in season. They also have a maze made of hedges, which you can walk through. After heading back to the city, I stop at the British Museum and walk through the Rosetta Stone unraveling the mysteries exhibit which follows how different and ancient languages have been deciphered over the years, including some languages and writings which still have yet to be deciphered. That night I have the meeting for my tour, the Contiki 16 day Great Britain and Southern Ireland tour. We leave at 7:00 tommorrow morning.

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