Bike Ride in London

Saturday was a cool but sunny and clear day so we hired some bikes from the stations they have dotted all over the city and went for ride and it was
a great way to travel. We were riding with the cabs and buses and no one ever tooted or abused us. We rode to the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge and then on down to towards Greenwich. We had to walk under the Thames in the footbridge to get there.

Prime Meridian

At Greenwich we went to the Royal Observatory and took a tour which was great fun, took our photos standing with one foot either side of the Prime Meridian, and went in and saw the Harrison Clocks which were the first clocks that could be used to accurately measure time so you could work out your longitude or something like that! We then walked back under the Thames, picked up some new bikes then rode back into the city. We had a great day out. That night we went to the theatre in the West End, rode bikes there, past Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, down past Downing Street and past Trafalgar Square. We saw the 39 Steps, a comedy with 4 actors playing all the different characters, it was well done and we had a great night out for our last night in London!

London

After arriving in London around midday we headed out for a wander. It is amazing to walk past so many magnificent buildings. We walked passed Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and then sat and listened to a rehearsal in St Martins of the Fields. We went to Evensong at St
Paul's Cathedral which is certainly an occasion, then went to the British Museum and managed a few of the highlights including the Rosetta Stone

Old Warden, Ickwell and Shefford

Today we drove around the areas that Bill's grandfather would have been. We had a relaxing day and enjoyed the little villages. We even posted some postcards back home from the same village that Eric would have posted letters home to his mother.

Wallingford - Midsomer Murder Territory

We drove from Salisbury to Shefford via the country roads rather than the motorways. It does take forever but it was lovely driving through the countryside and all the little villages. We stopped at the village of Wallingford for a break about half way. It is a lovely little village on the Thames and one of it's claims to fame is that it is the fictitious village of Caulston in Midsomer Murders, a British TV show we watch. We did not witness any murders so we did not get a visit from Barnaby and we made it out the town safely. The town also had a castle that was built in 1066 by William the Conquerer and then pulled down by Oliver Cromwell, so lots of history!

Salisbury Cathedral

We stayed just across the road from the cathedral and each morning I would go for a walk around the grounds, it is just magnificent. We went to Evensong at 5:30pm and listened to the little choir boys sing all dressed up in their fancy costumes, the organ was playing, we sat in the wooden seats just behind the choir, it really was a wonderful experience. The cathedral also had the worlds oldest Magna Carta and the oldest medieval working clock.

Fighelden

Fighelden was a village Eric had photographed, we were able to find the village and the street and photograph it from the same spot. We chatted to a few of the locals who were all very helpful and interested. I just loved the thatched roofs on some of the cottages.

Stonehenge

We drove out to Stonehenge and arrived when all the tourist buses did, there were people everywhere! However once you got in the crowds thinned and you were able to get some lovely views of Stonehenge. Bill's grandfather had also photographed it 100 years ago.

France to Belgium to England in 6 Hours

We left France in the morning, drove to Brussels in Belgium then caught the Eurostar to London all in about 6 hours, pretty amazing! We then caught the train to Salisbury and made our way to our B&B just near the Salisbury Cathedral which is quite a sight! We had a lovely dinner in a 350 year old pub- The Cloisters, saw the Cathedral all lit up at night and went to sleep in a 400 year old house. Salisbury is a very pretty town.