I didn't see any Bobbies on bicycles two-by-two. But I did see Westminster Abby and the Tower of Big Ben. And the rosy red cheeks of the little children. (song lyrics)
Big Ben is a LOT bigger than I thought it was going to be!
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You gotta love the architecture in the area around Big Ben and Westminster Abby. They don't make buildings like this anymore. It's like time travel to be on the ground around these marvels.
Trafalgar Square picture taken at the National Gallery Art Museum.
On December 1st, I arrived in London from Victoria, B.C. via Vancouver and Calgary. I had a few hours of layover in Calgary, so met up with my son, Solomon and his son, Kevin for dinner. It was our family Christmas dinner, so we had some wine with our meal.
I had reserved a room at a B&B just outside of Heathrow, so I had to find the shuttle to get there. I thought it was going to be an easy walk off the plane onto a shuttle. I was wrong.
Going through customs was easy as pie. All you have to do is go into a little booth, put your passport into a slot and the door opens to let you into England. No questions asked. Not even the electronic scanner. However, even though your passport doesn't get stamped and there's no visible visa, you're on record. You get three months and no more. And it's not just three months for the UK, that includes all of Europe. Times have changed. And it's going to get even tighter in March, 2025. We have to leave the entire European community after three months and stay out for three months before returning.
To find the shuttle, I had to go on a shuttle to Terminal 5, then another shuttle, then up an elevator, through Arrivals and into a long, long walkway to the bus that would take me to the B&B. Since I didn't have an oyster card (the plastic card used to board local transport) I asked if I could use cash. The driver told me I needed to have exact change (6 pounds!) but all I had was a ten and he happily took it without giving me any change.
Six pounds doesn't sound like a lot but what I got for the Canadian dollar was TWO TO ONE. Plus! That's right folks, the Canadian dollars is in the sh*tter compared to the rest of the world's currency. Who can we thank for that? Don't get me started.
Here's some more of London's gorgeous architecture.
At the National Gallery, I waited for 20 minutes in a long line of people in the drizzling rain at Trafalgar Square where protestors were shouting and whistling in a huge crowd, waving Palestinian flags and setting off fireworks while Police surrounded them and then sirens went off as ambulances roared away from the crowd in the square.
