Winding Down

After what seemed like a really long day flying from Iceland back to London we settled into our very nice hotel for the night. After a whole string of interesting and historical lodgings, it was nice to spend our last few nights in a new, traditional hotel. It was right by the airport but had sound-proof window so it was a little surreal watching huge jetliners land right outside our window and not hear a thing. The next 2 days were planned to explore London. We had been though here a couple of time before but had never actually been to the city. The logistics were a bit different so renting a car was not really an option. We go some information from the hotel staff on the best way to get into London since the Airport is some 15 miles outside. A one stop bus ride and an hour on the “Tube” got us there easily. As we have in other cities we used the “Big Bus” hop on hop off system to get around to the major sites. Besides the most well-known icons of London, we especially wanted to visit the Churchill War Rooms and The HMS Belfast, a WWII era Light Cruiser for the British Navy.

Both are Museums that are part of the Imperial War Museums in the UK. When we went to the Duxford Air Museum at the start of our trip we purchased a family membership. This allowed us to save a little money while supporting the Museums. More importantly we found out, it allowed us preferred entry into the other Museums. When we arrived at the Churchill War Rooms there was a huge Que outside. A long line waiting for pre-purchased tickets and an even longer line waiting to buy them. We on the other hand, being members, were escorted to the front of the line and were literally let in through the velvet ropes with all of those people watching. “Priceless.”

The Churchill War Rooms is a historic underground complex that housed a British government command center throughout the Second World War, and the Churchill Museum, a biographical museum exploring the life of British statesman Winston Churchill. Construction of the Cabinet War Rooms, located beneath the Treasury building in the Whitehall area of Westminster, began in 1938. They became fully operational on 27 August 1939, a week before Britain declared war on Germany. The War Rooms remained in operation throughout the Second World War, before being abandoned in August 1945 after the surrender of Japan. When they were closed up they literally locked the doors and walked away. Most of the rooms are just how they were left in 1945. It was truly amazing to see the maps, phones, radios and documents that were handled during the crucial decision-making time during WWII. Commentary by people who actually worked there really made it all come to life.

We have toured a lot of military ships and the Belfast was a good example of a well-preserved war ship. It commissioned in 1938 and saw a lot of action including D-Day. It's quite a bit smaller than a US Battle Ship but was well equipped and armed. It also had some interesting differences such as the fact that the sailors slept in hammocks in nearly every part of the ship. We spent a lot of time walking and enjoying the scenery along the river Thames. All in all a good day.

On Thursday we again ventured into London. The transportation did not go as smoothly as the prior day. Our bus stop was closed so we had to figure out a different plan which ended up taking us nearly an additional hour to get into the City. We wanted to see the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We arrived in time fortunately but didn’t know what the best area to see the event would be. In the end we got to see the Bands and Guards march in and out but not the actual “Changing.” It was still an interesting sight to see. We also were in the right place at the right time to see the “Horse Guard.”

The traffic was much worse than the prior day so the “Big Bus” didn’t turn out to be me easiest way around town either. After several hours trying to see a few more sights we gave up and headed to the Hung, Drawn and Quartered Pub for a pint and bite on our last day. It is just down the street from the “Tower of London,” also known as the bloody tower because of the large number of executions done there. We were exhausted after 2 very full days and decided to walk back to the train station and make our way back to our hotel and re-pack for the trip home on Friday. On the way we walked by another old church.
We went inside and discovered Roman Ruins. Seriously, so many old structures are built on top of even older ones. We spent nearly an hour exploring and found that there was a WWI connection as well.

The Roman Ruins were discovered after working to rebuild the damage from bombing during the war. The new Pastor, Philip (Tubby) Clayton, had been a Chaplain during the war and had started the Talbot houses in Ypres, Belgium. A place where soldiers could go to talk, regardless of rank, about their experience in battle. They were referred to as TOC H, on the radio. The first real acknowledgement of PTS or "Shell Shock" as it was known in those days. There are even stained-glass windows in the church honoring the importance. A fitting end to an amazing trip. It feels like we have come full circle planning this trip in memory of Uncle Mort and all of those who fought during the “Great Wars,” and ending it in a place that payed tribute to a man who helped them cope with the ugliness of war. Another trip of a lifetime. Until the next adventure. Love to All….Good Night.