After the house-hunting trip, I went with my lovely friend back to her roots to Croydon and London in England for the first part of this tale of two cities. We stayed with her dear friend in Croydon, whom I really enjoyed getting to know, and did some sightseeing in London.
In a marathon day, we went from London Bridge (yeah, I know, the original is in Arizona) to get a great view of the Tower Bridge (seen below) down to the Tower of London.
Along the way, we passed this interesting modern bit of architecture that Londoners refer to as the "Gherkin", or rather, the cucumber.
The Tower of London is actually a complex of buildings that make up the original strong-hold and fortress, the current location of an impressive display of armaments, as well as the Crown Jewels of England. The inner White Tower has served as a royal palace as well as a prison. Here, certain unfortunates were also tortured and/or executed, such as wives of Henry VIII. Across from the tower is also the location of the Royal Mint where Sir Isaac Newton once lived as the Master of the Royal Mint. Another area that is often a feature in movies and ghost stories is Traitor's Gate where many of the famous prisoners were brought into the compound. It was the water gate that provided an entrance by barge.
After touring the impressive tower complex, we headed towards Big Ben and the famous London Eye, a sightseeing ride created for the Millennium party for New Year's Eve, 1999. Big Ben actually sits atop the Palace of Westminster, or better known as the Houses of Parliament.
After that, we popped over to Westminster Abbey. What an amazing church!!! I hear the inside is also breathtaking, but the very high entrance price combined with the long line encouraged me to skip it.
Our next stop was Buckingham Palace. I even got to see the changing of the guards, although it was nothing much to do since I was there off-season. As you might can tell, the Queen was not in residence based on the flag atop the building. Although we did not have enough wind to show it flying when I took the picture, the Union Jack flies when she is not in and the Royal Standard flies when she is in.
After a day with friends, I went out on my own to Wimbledon, or should I say The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. I absolutely enjoyed this tour to the fullest. I got to see Center Court and the Royal Box area, Henman Hill, and the press room, where I got to hold up a trophy and sit in the very spots where the famous winners and losers of past Wimbledon championships have had to meet the press. I also got to see the new Court 3 that they are building to manage future competitions as well as the 2012 Olympics, which will be played here a frighteningly short 3 weeks after the Championships of that same year. I sure hope they can get the lawns ready!! Our tour guide was absolutely delightful. She had been giving tours since the 1980s and was a wealth of interesting tidbits.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The second part of my tale of two cities was a trip scheduled to see Strasbourg, France, the important site of the current European Parliament for the European Union. We stayed with friends, whose company we always enjoy, in Karlsruhe in Germany for the weekend. The palace below is in Karlsruhe. It is currently used as a government building. Karlsruhe was fun and YOUNG. Everyone there looked to be 40 or less and very adept with a bicycle.
The second part of my tale of two cities was a trip scheduled to see Strasbourg, France, the important site of the current European Parliament for the European Union. We stayed with friends, whose company we always enjoy, in Karlsruhe in Germany for the weekend. The palace below is in Karlsruhe. It is currently used as a government building. Karlsruhe was fun and YOUNG. Everyone there looked to be 40 or less and very adept with a bicycle.
Our second day with them began with a lunch in Colmar and a delightful journey along the rue des Vins. Here we saw my favorite cute town so far in Europe, Kaysersberg, complete with a nesting stork. My hubby's favorite was Riquewihr, which was a living embodiment of medieval Europe with the close streets and cellar shops. Along the way, we stopped at a few vineyards and sampled the amazing wine of the Alsace region. Heaven!!!
At the end of the day, we returned to savor our french bread and cheese for dinner with a delicious salad, and of course, the wine we had bought along the way. What could be better? Needless to say, a good time was had by all!
And now, here comes the somewhat comical part: we never did make it to our destination city that was the whole point of the weekend. The weather on Sunday, our day for Strasbourg, was just yucky, so we did the American tour of Karlsruhe (Starbucks and Pizza Hut) before heading back home. But honestly, I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we enjoyed what we did see of France far better than had we seen only our target city.
Our next event will be a visit by my mother and step-father. We are really looking forward to showing them around. After that, we have our trip to Italy, and then we return home on June 20th. I know I sound like a broken record, but I sure can't believe the time is nearly over. It is definitely true that it flies when you are having fun.
Love to you all!
Amie
