London
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Having more than a week of vacation days to take or lose before the end of January, I searched the web for a travel opportunity. I found London 'on sale', and so booked an eight day trip in mid January. Quite a bargain too I thought. The package included round trip US Airlines direct from Charlotte, hotel for 8 nights with breakfast and the "Discover Britain Card" for entry into many tour attractions. All for less than $800. So, off I went. It was a fabulous trip -- the whole city seemed a continual history expedition.
I drove up to Charlotte Thursday late afternoon without a hitch and bordered the US Airways jet leaving on the dot at 8:20 PM. Thankfully the flight was not too full and the 4-seat center section I was in only had on other passenger in it on the far left -- so when we were well settled in (and he was engrossed in a movie and did not seem inclined to sleep) I folded up the armrests and curled up on the three empty seats for a nice sleep that lasted through the night.
We
arrived, again on the dot, at 9 AM. A quick train ride /
subway / two block walk had me to the hotel by 11. The
neighborhood (Kensington) reminded me of that scene in
"Oliver" with the white-columned porches and small balconies
over them.
I stowed my bag in the hotel locker and went off in search of lunch. Two blocks from the hotel were several just-opening pubs. I picked a friendly-looking one and enjoyed a HUGE English breakfast -- egg, beans, bacon, sausages and 'chips' (fries). More than I could handle.
By the time I finished eating it was check-in time
at the hotel. After minor unpacking I set off to explore
the center of the city. I decided to combine 'getting
there' with seeing the sites of the city. So, my normal
travel routine in while in London was to buy a day pass for
the busses and subways. The day pass was a good deal -- about
$8 for unlimited travel on any bus or subway in the heart of
the city. Plus, it saved me having to battle with the
fare machines every time I wanted to go somewhere. Armed with
that and a really good map of the city (provided free on my
first day by the very helpful Traveler's Information Office at
Victoria Station.) I was off and about. Busses, of course,
were my first choice since seeing the sites is not an option
in the "Underground". By the end of it I had
gotten pretty good at the major 'underground' and bus routes.
The primary tourist stop this afternoon
was the Whitehall area. I wandered around Trafalgar
Square and the Lord Nelson memorial then
walked
up the block to get a 'peek' at 10 Downing. There is
heavy security at both ends of the street and you can no
longer get in. Only a stones throw from there were the
Cabinet War Rooms. These were the underground, reinforced
rooms that Winston Churchill used to direct the war effort
from 1940 through 1945. All has been faithfully saved /
reproduced.
As
the 'blitz' began in August 1940, with the bombs raining down
on London, Churchill, his Cabinet, his War Cabinet, his
Intelligence organization and his staff met below ground in a
fortified basement in Whitehall. They offered a shelter from
air raids, a place to work, sleep and live for as long as
necessary.
Included in the tour are nine historic rooms where the people Churchill valued most could eat, sleep and work in safety, while the Nazi bombers swept overhead.
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This sequence of rooms provided private chambers for Churchill's private office staff and his wife, Clementine, as well as a dining facility for himself and 'Clemmie' and a meeting room for his Chiefs of Staff.
It was a wonderful tour. I was most impressed by the detail that the restoration has accomplished. I loved it. By the time they were closing, I was finished. I then bussed back to the hotel for dinner and bed.
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