Westminster Walk
The group met up in the hotel lobby after breakfast and we departed at 9 am for the orientation on the Tube.
Throughout the tour, Steven would stop before we boarded the tube to explain to the group about which line(s) we were taking to get where we wanted to go, what stop we were going to, and how many stops we would pass until we needed to get off or change lines, just to make sure that no one got lost.
We had a walking tour through Westminster neighborhood. We saw Buckingham Palace and saw the guards marching down the street. Then we cut through St. James’s Park and saw the swans in the lake.
Westminster Abbey
At about 10:30am we split up into two groups and we were shown around Westminster Abbey.
It was surprising! We got to see the Coronation chair, the memorials of famous British people, like Sir Isaac Newton and Geoffrey Chaucer, and the tomb of King Edward III.
We also got in to see the tombs of Queen “Bloody” Mary and Queen Elizabeth I, which is not guaranteed because it can be crowded.
I would have liked to see the The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee galleries while we were there, but it wasn’t on the agenda. This is a gallery space in the upper level of the Abbey. The galleries contain a couple hundred artifacts about the building of the Abbey, life and prayer at the Abbey, and items of national interest.
Whitehall Walking Tour
After we regrouped, we walked through Parliament Square Garden to get close up views of Parliament and Big Ben. Steven knew just where to stop to talk to allow us time to snap a great picture!
We started our tour of Whitehall by walking down Parliament St. and passing the Cenotaph. We peered at 10 Downing Street on our way past. We watched the mounted guard change at Dover House. We also saw Nelson’s column in Trafalgar Square.
Afternoon Tea
Next, we headed north to The Montague on the Gardens hotel for afternoon tea, at about 2 pm.
They served three different kinds of tea (jasmine, earl grey, and English breakfast tea), with sandwiches, scones, and desserts.
The sandwiches were egg mayonnaise, smoked salmon, and chicken with celery and mayonnaise.
There were plain and fruit scones served with jam and clotted cream.
The desserts were tiny, but very rich, including macarons, cheesecake, and possibly something with gingerbread.
Afternoon tea led to several amusing moments as our tour members struggled transitioning between instant tea and tea that needed to be put through a strainer, including one person losing the strainer in their tea cup!
British Museum
Once everyone had eaten their fill, we were off to the British Museum!
Steven showed us the highlights we didn’t want to miss: the Rosetta Stone, the Elgin marbles, the Assyrian lion sculptures, and the bust of Ramses II.
Then the tour was over for the day, and we were free to explore the museum on our own. This gave us about an hour to explore until the museum closed at 5 pm.
I looked at the items in the Greek and Roman halls, and a special exhibit on historic coins and banknotes, right up until the museum staff started shuffling everyone out of the door.
My wow moment was seeing one of the super high denomination bills printed by Germany during their period of hyperinflation leading up to World War II.
There were far too many items to appreciate each one individually, and those are just the items on display! No doubt the museum has lots more items that they can bring out so that every visit offers something new.
But there was still so much I wanted to see, so I went back later in the trip!
Dinner and a Show
I went to Poppie’s for fish and chips takeaway. Mmm! So good! I had to cop a squat near a tree since there were no benches or tables anywhere that I could see.
Then I headed over to St. Martin’s theatre to see The Mousetrap, a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie that has the longest run of any play in the world!
Do yourself a favor, and don’t spoil the ending for yourself, but I would advise reading the first act of the play. If you’re like me, and can’t hear very well, reading the dialogue would give you an idea of who the characters are, and the premise, without spoiling the outcome.
Total steps: 17,797
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