This is our last week in the UK so we are preparing to return to New York. It was a great trip, but it's always good getting home. Here are a few thought about our two month stay in England with a small side trip to Europe.

All of the train travel outside of London we did was on a BritRail Pass. There are many types of BritRail passes, but the one we choose was the England 15 day in 2 month Flexi Pass. This provided us with 15 travel days in a two month window. On any travel day, we could travel anywhere in England with no additional charge. These passes are not available in England or to residents of the UK. They must be purchased before arrival in the home country. We purchased them from Rick Steves. They were shipped overnight for no additional cost, plus we received a 10% discount on a subsequent purchase (we bought a pair of his carry-on bags).

Using the Britrail Pass, we saved about 1/3 of the individual per ticket price. But mainly, we travelled more by having it than we would have if we had made a ticket purchase for every trip. It's the convenience factor plus the committment to use up all the travel days that got us out and about so much.

To use the Flexi-Pass, we just had to write the travel date in the space provided and show it to the conductor. We never made a reservation and never had a problem boarding a train just before departure. Only one train was really crowded, but only for one or two stops.

The trains in the UK are great. They run between most cities two or more times per hour. They are clean and on time. The train personnel are helpful and friendly.

During the two month stay, we travelled about 2,200 miles on the BritRail pass. Most of our travel was in the south of England and under 100 miles one way, though we did get as far north as Durham for an overnight stay.

We saw a lot of churches. We love the architecture and history and being Episcopalian, it is fun to compare and contrast different practices even within the same religion. In all, we visited 11 cathedrals (most Anglican) and 12 chapels and churches. Some of these we just walked through, others we attended an Evensong or other worship service.

Here are the things we did our last few days in London.

Thu: We visited the Saatchi Gallery near Sloane Square. It's an eclectic mix of modern works.

We liked the Richard Wilson Site Specific Oil Installation: 1987, used sump oil and steel, dimensions variable. It's a large room with a steel container filled with used sump oil. The top half of the room reflects into the pool of oil making the room appear twice as high. At first you don't realize you're looking at a reflection, but as you stare at it the revelation occurs. It's fun to watch others make sense of this illusion.

We especially liked Nando Studios Thin Black Lines. It presented several objects made of thin black material. Some made shadows, some didn't. It was an interactive display so that as you move about the work, the view of the work changes.

Fri: We made a visit to the Tate Modern. It's in the old power station on the south bank of the Thames. The space is enormous. While very utilitarian, it is a great space. There are lots of open space and high ceilings, so the museum has lots of flexibility for large scale work. We saw some of our favorites such as Richard Serra, Anish Kapoor, Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and others. The museum is planning some building enhancement work, so that'll be interesting to check out on our next visit.

Walking along the Thames, we noticed that the tide was out and some stairs led down to the river bank. We went down to the shore line and walked along until we reached the next set of stairs, about 1/4 mile. Along the bank, we scavenged for artifacts. We read in our Rick Steves guidebook that loads of stuff is found on the bank. It's true, we found broken pieces of clay pipes, bricks, nails, ship iron, and pottery shards. Some of these will become souvenirs.

Sat: We went to the Notting Hill neighborhood and walked along the Portobello Road Market for several miles. There are sections for cloths, antiques, produce, fruit, prepared food and a flea market. We wandered in and out of various shops, only looking, not buying. We went into two excellent books stores: Books for Cooks and the Travel Bookshop. We returned to Victoria Station on a bus. It was quite a long ride, but it gave us the chance to see the scenery from the 2nd level of a double decker bus.

The last few days we spent in South Norwood and around the flat getting ready for our departure. As we said, it'll be good to be home after such a long time away.

We took photos of much of what is described in this blog. Be sure to check them out!

Thu: We made a trip about an hour south of London to Hever Castle. We arrived at the train station in Hever and walked about 35 minutes to arrive at the castle. The walk was across people's land, who must by law permit access. It was a scenic walk with views of country houses, fields and sheep.

We arrived at the castle and spent several hours looking around. It was the home where Anne Boleyn grew up and where Henry VIII visited during the brief time she was queen. More recently the castle was home to William Waldorf Astor.

The castle has been completely restored and has many artifacts related to the previous residents: Anne Boleyn's prayer book, dresses, models of Henry VIII's six wives and Astor memorabilia.

The grounds are among the most beautiful in Britain. The Italian Garden contains many Italian sculptures obtained by Astor and these are displayed along with the plants. The lake is a pretty feature, adjacent to the Italian Gardens. There are various paths and small gardens on the property. It was a fun day.

Fri: We took a day trip to visit Rochester about an hour east of London.

The first thing we saw was Rochester Castle. It is a shell of what is once was, but that made it all the more interesting. The only renovation work done was to provide access. So as the visitor walks up and views each floor, the frame of the building is visible. There are graphical displays which fill in the details about how the property might have looked when it was used as a castle. It provides a detail view into what life must have been like living in the castle during medieval times. We made it to the top, about 5 stories high. The views of Rochester, the Cathedral, and the River Medway are truly spectacular.

We walked up and down High Street in Rochester and saw various historic and scenic buildings. The Eastgate house was especially interesting. Charles Dickens grew up near Rochester. Eastgate appeared in Pickwick Papers as Westgate House. In Edwin Drood, it was the nun's house.

Next, we visited Rochester Cathedral. The site has been a Christian worship site for 1.400 years and its building has over 900 year's history. The architecture is a mixture of medieval gothic and Norman. There are also modern frescos, icons and works on display. The tiles are beautiful, both on the crossing floor and on the quire wall. Outside the Cloister Garth is a lovely garden among the ruins of the Norman priory. With views of the Cathedral and the Castle, it is quite scenic.

Sat: We visited Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens and had a great walk around the park. We ate lunch at the cafe on the eastern end of the Serpentine Lake. Then we walked around the perimeter of the Serpentine and enjoyed the sites along the way. Part way around we admired the Anish Kapoor Sky Mirror. At the Northwestern end of the lake, we walked through the Italian Garden. Continuing on, we saw the Peter Pan sculpture and the front side of Sky Mirror. Along the way we noticed unfamiliar birds, some of which we were able to identify from bird identification signs. We stopped by the Serpentine Gallery briefly to see the current exibit by Klara Lidén using discarded materials.

In the evening, we attended the London Welsh Male Voice Choir 2010 Festival at the Royal Albert Hall. It was a spectacular performance with over 1000 voices, a brass band, organ and solo voices. It was a great cultural, as well as musical experience.

Sun: We made a return visit to the British Museum. We went to the British several weeks ago, but it is so huge that there were many areas that we missed seeing. On this visit we saw objects in the Egyptian, European, British, and Middle Eastern sections. As before, there was much we didn't see, so we'll return again time permitting.

Mon: We made a return trip to Oxford, about an hour west of London. We visited Oxford about a month ago, but wanted to return for another visit. This time we toured New College. This is a remarkably beautiful campus. The old buildings combined with the gardens and medieval walls make a wonderful setting. We also toured Exeter College. Though much smaller, it too is a beautiful campus with stunning views of old buildings surrounding a lush green lawn quad. We returned again to the famous Turf Tavern for another delicious ale meat pie and some sausage. Then we went to the Evensong at New College, with the adult male choir performing. The chapel at New College is gorgeous. It is small, compared to the big cathedrals we've seen, but it was delightful to worship in this space, listening to the amazing voices of the choir.

Wed: We visited the National Portrait Gallery in London today. It has a collection of 160,000 portraits from the 16th century to today. We walked through all the galleries and surveyed the displayed works in a couple of hours. It was interesting to see portraits of all those persons, especially since we have heard so much about many of these historical figures in our travels around England. Afterwards, we had a snack in the nearby Cafe in the Crypt of St. Martin in the Fields. We had a chocolate gelato at Scoop near Covent Garden (40 Short's Gardens).

We took photos of much of what is described in this blog. Be sure to check them out!

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Thu: We made a day trip to Salisbury, about an hour and a half southwest of London. The main attraction is the Salisbury Cathedral. When we arrived, we first set out to find Old Sarum, the site and ruins of the old town before it was relocated to its current location in the 13th century. It was a lovely walk along the River Avon. However, we never reached Old Sarum and in the end turned around to allow time to see the Cathedral. The directions we had were incomplete and so was the town signage. We reached the Cathedral, which was wonderful to explore. It is a splendid example of Gothic architecture, built in just 38 years. The Close is the largest in Britain and claimed to be the most beautiful. The Cloister is also quite large, the largest medieval Cloister in Britain. Inside the building, the recently restored oldest working clock anywhere is on display. Built about 1386, it has no hands, but chimes on the hour. The Chapter House has on display a copy of the Magna Carta, one of the original four copies. We had an afternoon snack at the Refectory, a cafe built alongside one of the Cathedral walls, with a glass roof for a view of the amazing 400 foot spire, the tallest in England. The Evensong was a beautiful service and a nice way to end the day's tour.

Fri: We took a day trip to Brighton on the south coast. It was made a popular destination during the 19th Century by the Prince Regent and enjoys continued popularity to this day. The town and shore are well maintained and clean. The Clock Tower was the first landmark we noticed after arriving at train station, erected by Queen Victoria in 1887 in celebration of her 50 year reign. The Clock Tower is a work of art to some; to others it is likened to a salt grinder. See for yourself in the photos (link below). We then made our way to the beach and enjoyed lunch at The Plaza (43 Kings Rd), with an ocean view. We had the traditional Fish and Chips, which was among the best we've had on this trip. We walked on the beach for a bit. It is an unusual beach, having 1" - 2" round gravel instead of sand. It's hard to walk on and I'm guessing even harder to sit on. I understand that the reason is geological, in that the local rock and currents do not make sand, just round rocks. We walked out to the end of Brighton Pier, which has beach food and amusement rides along the way. It's the original Coney Island and Santa Monica Pier wrapped into one. We walked back into town to see the Royal Pavilion, now an art museum, but originally the residence of the Prince Regent. It is an amazing set of buildings, built in the Indian style popular in the 19th Century in India. We walked along a retail stretch, Brighton Lanes. They are in small alleys (no cars) with independent shops, restaurants, cafes, etc. It's an attractive and lively area. Then we did a bit of grocery shopping in Waitrose and headed back to South Norwood on the train.

Mon: We took another day trip, this time to Winchester, about an hour's train ride southwest of London. The town is full of medieval streets and old buildings and fun to visit on its own. But the main reason to visit Winchester is to see Winchester Cathedral. Those of a certain age may remember it from the Geoff Stephens pop song of the same name which was #1 on the charts for three weeks in 1966. The Cathedral has lots of interesting history and is a beautiful site. The outline of the previous 7th Century Oldminster is visible on the lawn near the Cathedral. The west stained glass window was broken by Parliamentary troops during the English Civil War. The present window was constructed of shards of the old glass. The quire is among the oldest medieval quires and has fantastic carvings in the wooden benches. For a time, Jane Austen lived in the town and her grave is inside the building. We took a guided tour of the building with a docent who was very knowledgeable of the Cathedral's history. After the tour, we attended a beautiful Evensong.

Tue: We visited the National Gallery for several hours. It is an amazing art museum and we were pleased with number of old master paintings we saw in a fairly short period of time. We started with an introductory guided tour which lasted about an hour. Then we set out on our own and saw about 15 "must see" works from our Rick Steves tourbook. We saw works by Michelangelo, Monet, Manet, Rubens, Seurat, da Vinci, Rembrandt, Turner, van Gogh, and others. While we didn't see the whole building, we saw the main attractions.

Wed: We traveled about an hour southwest of London to Fishbourne in Sussex to see the Fishbourne Roman Palace. The palace was discovered about 1960 while the town was putting in a water main. They discovered a remarkable Roman Palace built by a governor during the Roman occupation of Britain. Eventually, the palace burned down and went into ruin. But archaeologists have uncovered many high quality Roman mosaics and other artifacts from the palace. It was a fascinating visit to learn so much about the Roman presence in the area.

After Fisbourne, we walked about 30 minutes to Chichester. The main reason was to visit Chichester Cathedral. It is an old historic Cathedral, dating back to Roman and Norman times. We walked around the building on our own and explored the various areas. Then we went nearby to visit the Bishop's Palace Gardens, a beautifully landscaped space with many lovely plants. Then we attended the Evensong service before returning to South Norwood.

We took photos of much of what is described in this blog. Be sure to check them out!

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Fri: We came into London to buy tickets to attend the Festival of the London Welsh Male Voice Choir at the Royal Albert Hall. More about the concert after we attend next Saturday. While in the area, we walked in Kensington Gardens and saw the Albert Memorial. It was an amazing sight to see, especially since we had previously seen a model of it at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Sat: We took a short trip from South Norwood to the Crystal Palace Museum. The museum is located on the grounds of the Crystal Palace, its second and final location before fire destroyed it in 1936. Its first location was Hyde Park, but it was moved after the Great Exhibition in 1851. The museum had some interesting exhibits about the building, the Exhibition, the move to the final location and the fire. After touring the musuem, we walked the grounds and were surprized to find a number of artifacts still intact, such as foundations, the Sphinx, and some of the landscaping. These are included in the photos, shown in the link below.

Mon: We took a tour bus to see Stonehenge. While we had heard about and read much about this historic site, we really didn't know what to expect. We were not disappointed. While there is some limitation to access to the site, as we had heard, it was modest. No, you can't go up to and touch the stones, but that limitation didn't detract. At one point in the path, you are close enough to get a good photograph and see the details of the stones. The site is large enough so that you get an unobstructed view in spite of a fair number of tourists. The labeling and voice narratives are instructive, although the internet research we had done made much of that redundant. The National Trust is planning a renovation of the site and it will be interesting to follow those changes.

Tue: We took a train trip to Bath, to see the Roman Spa. This was a fantastic trip. The spa itself made the trip well worth the effort. The baths are in remarkable condition, as are the subsequent additions made by more recent inhabitants. The museum material was well done, using audio guides as well as audio-visuals along the way. After seeing the baths, we walked around the town and enjoyed seeing the other attractions, such as the Assembly Rooms and the amazing Royal Crescent. After all this walking, we enjoyed a Sausage Roll and a Steak Pasty at La Baguette (Cheap St & Union St).

Wed: We spent several enjoyable hours at Wesley's Chapel in central London. This is the area where John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, spent many of his years. The center contains the Chapel which Wesley built, his house, his grave and a small museum. The museum had many interesting objects pertaining the Wesley himself (including his pulpit), the Methodist movement, and textual narratives about both. The museum was well done and quite informative. After touring the museum, we got a personal tour of the Wesley house from one of the volunteers. Then we attended a short mid-day service given at the chapel. The people associated with the museum and chapel were very welcoming and gracious to us during our visit.

We took photos of much of what is described in this blog. Be sure to check them out!

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We took the Eurostar to spend a few days in Paris. When we left Paris, we traveled to Brussels and Bruges for a few days, before returning to London.

The Eurostar was a really fun way to travel. London to Paris takes about two hours.

In Paris we stayed near the Notre Dame Cathedral across the Seine on the Left Bank.

Thu: When we arrived we set out to explore the neighborhood. We walked a circular path around our location, walking the Boulevards of Saint-Germain and Saint-Michel. Then we visited Notre Dame and explored its various chapels and interior features. It is a memorable building with many beautiful features and art objects. We also enjoyed walking along the Seine with its scenic riverside paths. We had dinner at a small bistro on rue de la Harpe nearby, ordering Duck Confit and Raclette. Both were outstanding dishes. In the evening, we enjoyed seeing the lights of Paris come on from our Hotel's rooftop terrace.

Fri: First thing we headed out and picked up coffee, juice and a crepe (egg, ham and cheese) and sat at the plaza in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was fun to enjoy our french breakfast and people watch in this wonderful space. We walked a few blocks and admired Saint-Jacques Tower and then headed to the Louvre Museum. At the museum, we saw the following pieces:

• Cupid and Psyche
• Dying Slave - Michelangelo
• Mona Lisa - Leonardo di Vinci
• Rebellious Slave - Michelangelo
• Venus de Milo
• Winged Victory of Samothrace

After the museum, we continued west and walked through the Tuileries Garden, a beautiful space. We paused a few minutes at the fountain, then continued on Place de la Concorde. We happened to arrive just at the same time as some runway models so we stopped for a photo op. We admired the obelisk in the Place, as well as its juxtaposition with the Eiffel Tower a mile or so away. We took a slight detour and viewed the Madeleine Church, a very imposing ediface resembling a large Roman temple. We walked around the square and visited Fauchon's, a luxury food establishment, where we gazed at some really high priced goodies. We continued our walk onto the Champs Elysees and immediately spotted a crepe vendor. We had one with banana and chocolate (well actually, Nutella). It was yummy. We admired the non-commercial part of Elysees and then got into the commercial part (some of the most expensive real estate in Europe). We arrived at the Arc de Triomphe and admired its grandeur. We walked south-east through the diplomatic section and arrived at the Eiffel Tower. It was as beautiful as we had imagined from our rooftop view the night before. We remained until well after the dark in spite of the slight drizzle coming down. We walked through the Champs de Mars and took some more photos as the lights came on. After that we headed back (on the Metro) and ate another meal on the rue de la Harpe in the Saint-Michel area where we stayed.

We covered a lot of ground on our first day in Paris and were able to see all the major sites by foot.

Sat: We again had our breakfast in front of the Notre Dame Cathedral, a beautiful way to start the day. We studied the exterior of the Cathedral and took more photos, especially of the gardens. We crossed the Seine at the Pont de l'Archevêché bridge and noticed the love padlocks adorning the bridge side rails. We then walked south a few blocks to the Latin Quarter. There we saw some buildings pertaining to the Sorbonne University, as well as other features of the neighborhood: students, bistros, shops, etc. We stopped at a bakery and bought a madeleine to try; it was delicious. We saw the Pantheon, an elaborate 18th century mausoleum for the famous. Next, we visited Luxembourgh Garden, a beautiful garden space. Even though we were there the first week of October, the plants were still in bloom and gorgeous. Continuing, we visited St Sulpice Church, a huge church, only exceeded in Paris by the Notre Dame. The organist, Daniel Roth, is famous, as were some previous holders of that position (for example, Dupree and Widor). We met Mr. Roth at a New York concert a few years ago. Later in the day, we went out for dinner at the Le Gaspard (6 rue des Tournelles). We had duck and lamb, both excellent dishes. The meal was simple yet delicious. After dinner, we walked around the surrounding neighborhood, Le Marais. We found a Gelato shop, Amorino (rue Vielle du Temple and rue St Croix de Bretonnerie), which had a delicious Argentine chocolate.

Sun: Preparing to leave Paris, we went to Paul patisserie for a quick breakfast. Paul was our favorite coffee shop, one of the few places in Paris (except for the ubiquitous Starbucks) where we could get a coffee at a counter. After breakfast, we headed to Gare du Nord to catch a train to Brussels, Belgium.

We arrived in Brussels by train and walked from Gare Midi to our hotel near Grand Place. There was a glitch checking in, but another guest helped us work around it. We then walked to Le Pre Sale restaurant, near the fish market, recommended by Rick Steves. There we had Brussels' signature dish, a pot of mussels and fries. It was a delicious treat. Afterwards, we walked around the Grand Place, Brussels' City Square and main attraction. We admired the architecture and energy of the night life in Brussels.

Mon: We went to Brussels Central train station and caught a train to Bruges. We weren't familiar with Bruges, but it was highly recommended by the couple we met at St Mary's Bourne Street in London, so we decided to check it out. They were right! It is a gem. Bruges is a medieval city where the rich and famous once lived. It slipped into oblivion and for several centuries was ignored, but never destroyed. It is one of the few places in Europe to see an undisturbed medieval city. It has loads of great old buildings, narrow alleys, canals and cute houses, now restored to their appearance in their glory days.

We walked around Market Square and Burg Square, the two main squares. The Bell Tower can be seen all over town, being almost 300 feet tall, most of it built in the 13th Century. Church of the Holy Blood was built to contain a vial of blood, said to be from Jesus. For a contribution, one can view the relic. Bruges has many, many chocolate shops. We picked up a few samples to bring back and have been enjoying them since. We returned to Brussels after a long day of sightseeing.

Tue: We saw a few more sights before returning to London. The most famous public statue in Brussels is Manneken Pis, a 24 inch bronze statue of a small naked boy urinating in a fountain. It was created around 1618 for a public water fountain. Though usually naked, outfits are sometimes used to dress the little guy up.

We also did a walking tour of the Upper City of Brussels. This is where the more magnificent buildings, churches and museums are located. Later in the day, we caught the Eurostar back to London.

We took photos of much of what is described in this blog. Be sure to check them out!

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Thu: We took a day trip to Windor Castle. It was well worth the trip. We found the grounds and the many buildings interesting to visit and a good lesson in British history. The presentation was well done and informative. We took the optional kitchen tour and were shown the undercroft and kitchen where the state meals are prepared. This too was well done. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside the buildings so the photos are of the grounds only.

After Windsor, we visited Eton College, a short walk from the Castle. This charming little college town was a joy to explore. It is full of ancient but well kept buildings and preppy boys in pin-stripe suits and tails. Unfortunately, the college was closed to the public so we only got photos from the street. It was a full but enjoyable day trip. After a day of exploring, we enjoyed some pasta and pizza at Zizzi, then headed back to South Norwood.

Fri: We spent an afternoon exploring the south bank. There we saw the Royal Festival Hall and National Theatre, both in the post war concrete box style, not very attractive. We returned to Borough Market and bought cheese at Neal's Yard and some coffee at Monmouth. Then we attended the Southwark Cathedral Evensong. The service was beautiful, with some great sounds coming from the small choir. We will return here when we can.

Sat: We took a trip to Greenwich for the day. There we explored Greenwich Park, the National Maritime Musuem and the Royal Observatory. Both were great. The Observatory is so famous and it was interesting to be where time and location measurement were developed. The have a great exhibit on the Prime Meridian of the World, where you can have a foot in both the East and West. In another exhibit, an entire small building is setup as a demonstration of Camera Obscura. Unfortunately, no photos of indoor exhibits were permitted. After we left the Observatory, we walked under the Thames via the Greenwich Foot Tunnel. From the opposite bank, we got great views of the Royal Naval College, originally designed by Christopher Wren. We caught an underground and stopped at Canada Place, a shopping center in the London Docklands, a huge development where the docks of the Ports of London were once located when this was the world's largest port. We explored this huge complex and had a meal at Gourmet Burger Kitchen before heading back to South Norwood.

Mon: We made a day trip to Canterbury, where we visited the Canterbury Cathedral. You might say we made a pilgrimage, since we started in Southwark, followed the traditional route, visited the Cathedral and returned to Southwark, just like the pilgrims in Chaucer's book. The main difference is that we traveled in a 140 MPH high-speed train, instead of walking. The Cathedral is just magnificent. See the photos. We toured the building for an hour or so, left for a coffee, then came back for the sung Evensong, which was beautiful. We returned to London early evening on the high-speed train and to South Norwood on the Underground.

Tue: We stayed in London today, visiting two museums. The first was the Courtauld Gallery, the second Sir John Soane's Museum. The Courtauld is small, but very high quality. The museum is renowned for the unrivalled collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings. We spent some time looking through the Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Seurat and Gauguin. The Soane is also small, over-filling an 18th Century house. Soane was a famous architect and collector. He put the two together and built a house to show his art. It is a fascinating intimate look into how the Brits love to collect.

We took photos of much of what is described in this blog. Be sure to check them out!

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Fri: We took a train for a day trip to Cambridge. We walked the historic market town streets and visited some of the colleges. We spent the most time in King's College, started in 1441 by Henry VI. The chapel is especially beautiful, noted for its Gothic architecture. There were no services offered, but we had a good time exploring the chapel. The grounds were also spectacular with wide open green spaces surrounded by the huge Gothic buildings. We walked the length of "The Backs", a park on the other side of the Cam River, offering more rural views of the campus. We admired the Wren Library at Trinity College, though the college was not open. We had lunch at the Anchor (Silver St), a traditional pub. For Tea, we stopped at Aunties, near King's College, where we shared a sandwich and scones before returning to South Norwood.

Sun: We made a visit to the British Museum, which was a delight. We saw the Elgin Marbles and the Rosetta Stone, two of their famous objects. We stayed in the museum several hours, but still didn't see a fraction of what was on display. We will make a repeat visit soon. After the museum, we walked through Soho and reviewed that neighborhood again. Unfortunately, many of the shops were closed since it was Sunday.

Mon: We visited the V&A Museum, which was a pleasure. We enjoyed the Plaster Cast room, containing plaster castings of famous pieces, such as Michelangelo's David and Moses, and Donatello's David. We saw a display on the Crystal Palace which was very interesting, since we are Crystal Palace buffs. After several hours, we left the V&A, having seen only a fraction of the collection. We will return another day. After the museum, we walked through Chelsea and Belgravia. We had dinner at Jenny Lo's, an Asian place on Eccleston St (near Victoria Station), which was very good. We ran into and ended up having dinner with some people we had met at St. Mary's Bourne St. Church the first week we were here.

Tue: We went out of London for a day trip to the Isle of Wight. We went by train to Portsmouth, took the Hovercraft to Ryde IOW, took a bus to Newport, another bus to East Cowes, a chain ferry to West Cowes, a catamaran to Southampton, and returned to London by train. Of these conveyences, the chain ferry was the most unusual. It was an old ferry which propelled itself from one bank to the other by pulling a large chain, using an internal motor. It was an enjoyable day outing and we saw many beautiful things, both on the island and getting there and back. Check out the photos to get an idea.

Wed: We went to the Marylebone neighborhood and walked some of the streets in that area, stopping in some shops. We also enjoyed viewing some of the Wallace Collection, housed in the posh Hertford House on Manchester Square. We ate lunch at the Woodlands, a vegetarian Indian place, and dinner at Diwan, a Lebanese place. Both are located in the Marylebone neighborhood and were excellent.

We took photos of much of what is described in this blog. Be sure to check them out!

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Thu: We went to Kew Gardens early during our visit to London knowing that the plants would be fading fast during the coming weeks. We were glad we did. It seemed the perfect time to visit - not many tourists and many plants were still in good condition. The garden is impressive. The buildings, presentation, programs, special gardens, guided talks are all top quality. In addition to the historical gardens, Kew is really into conservation and research, which we learned about during the tour. They are doing plant discovery and seed preservation on a large scale.

Fri: We took an out of town trip to Oxford on the train. The trip lasted only about an hour, so we did it as a day trip. Once we arrived on the train, we walked some of the streets in the town and admired the beautiful buildings. We were soon hungry and were able to find the famous pub, Turf Tavern. We shared a cottage pie and it was delicious. We went on a self guided tour of Christ Church. The grounds, buildings and history are an amazing experience. A bit later in the afternoon, we returned for the Evensong at Christ Church Cathedral. It was a beautiful service with very good music. Before our return to London, we stopped for dinner at Yo Sushi. While not inexpensive, the food was tasty and the concept of a conveyor belt of food passing within reach is attractive.

Sat: This was a shopping day. We went to Croydon and found our way to Ikea and Costco, by foot. Costco had excellent figs, green beans, apples, blackberries, strawberries, and of course a rotisserie chicken. Both had the usual economical meal, Ikea fish, Costco cottage pie and jack potato (baked potato) with chili and cheese. We returned on a bus.

Mon: We did the touristy thing and visited the Tower of London. It exceeded our expectation. We made a day of it and enjoyed the Beefeater tour, the armor exhibition in White Tower, and generally wandered around the extensive and beautiful grounds. The food on site was actually good and inexpensive. Though pricey, it is a full day's entertainment and well done. They've certainly had many years to work out a good program.

Tue: We traveled to the north-eastern part of England and spent a day and night in Durham. It was a three hour train trip from London, with a transfer in York. As soon as we arrived we headed to the Durham Cathedral, the main reason for our journey. Jim visited the Cathedral on his first visit to the UK and wanted to return. We had an enjoyable few hours exploring this historic and beautiful site. The Cathedral is a wonderful example of Romanesque (or Norman) architecture. It is not so cluttered with markers as Westminster Abbey, some say because it contains the remains of St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne and those of the Venerable Bede. At 5:15 we attended the Evensong. It was a beautiful service, with a small but good sounding choir. In the evening, we enjoyed an Indian meal at Shaheen's (N. Bailey). The Lamb Korma and the fish Machli Malayan were excellent.

Wed: We spent the night in Durham. The next morning we visited the Durham covered market, bought some emergency sewing supplies and had a full English breakfast at Cafe Cenno. It was delicious and enough to share.

We boarded the train and headed south one hour to York. When we arrived, we headed to York Minster, one of the largest Gothic cathedrals in Europe. We spent an hour or so wandering around the enormous building and marveled at the architecture and stone carvings. We explored the undercroft, where excavation has revealed Roman and medieval layers of prior building. We left the Minster and had lunch at the Oak Tavern, not far away. It was a traditional pub meal, with a delicious meat pie. Then we walked on top of the old city wall which encompasses part of the modern center city. It has remarkable views of gardens, houses and the Minster. We returned to the Minster for the Evensong and totally enjoyed the service. It was a large choir with men and girls that made a wonderful sound. We returned to London and South Norwood late evening.

We took photos of much of what is described in this blog. Be sure to check them out!

Continues...