After an overnight flight from Houston to London, Bill arrived in the United Kingdom for the first time. New country, check! Though elated to be in London, that soon wore off as the chaos that is Heathrow International Airport fully set in. Deplaning took place on the ground and everyone was taken in a bus to the terminal. Once inside, a cue was entered that puts a Disney line to shame! The line to get through immigration wound around the terminal for an hour and a half before a passport could be checked and a person released to go find their bag. The backlog at immigration meant there was a backlog at baggage and there were piles of luggage from various flights bunched up all over the floor of the claim area. The newspaper in London reported a “mountain” of baggage serving as a nightmare for passengers earlier in the week. Twenty more minutes devoted to searching for a bag then it was out of the airport! It was a lot of work for less than a day in the city, but it’s part of the adventure!
Once the luggage was deposited securely at the central London hotel, it was off to the races to see what a person can see in London in 8 hours! The reality was that a person can see a lot of landmarks and iconic locations in a short time, but it is hard to experience them appropriately in such a rushed circumstance. Anyway, that was understood coming in and in true Chevy Chase fashion (though I walked and rode a bus rather than drive), it was off to see the city. The hotel was near Trafalgar Square, so that was the first stop and that is where I hopped on a sightseeing bus to be more efficient. We began then right away a couple of the biggies appeared. The first glimpse of Big Ben was a real “welcome to London” moment then all of Parliament came into view. It was as good as I had hoped, so much so that I later went back on foot to get some better photos. Near there we took in 10 Downing Street, Whitehall (the main government offices), and Scotland Yard. As the bus tour continued we crossed London Bridge, which is pretty ordinary, but gave great views of both Parliament on one side and Tower Bridge (the one people think of when picturing London) on the other. By the time the tour wound around and crossed the iconic Tower Bridge and its recognizable profile and pulled up next to the Tower of London, I was ready to get off and see things more closely.
I exited the bus and went on foot the rest of the way and captured some great 360 images for VR activities in class and got to experience London at street level. I have to say, the Tower of London seems imposing today and I can’t imagine how intimidating it must have been back in the day! It seems like as good a place as any to lock away the crown jewels or for Henry VIII to lock away his estranged wife. I retraced most of the bus route and even added a few more stops and ended up getting great 360 pictures, as well as others, of Westminster Abbey, Parliament and Big Ben, St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower Bridge, Tower of London, as well as some streetscapes. I took in some fish and chips at a pub called The Wellington under a huge portrait of the Duke of Wellington himself, and explored the West End in the evening. London is a vibrant, diverse, and historic place that definitely deserves more time than I was able to give it this trip. But this “long layover” allowed me take in a new city and country on the way to Berlin where the actual work of the fellowship begins. I certainly anticipate there being a “next time” in London and the UK. For this trip though, it is on to Deutschland!
There will be a few other images from my phone later but I’m having upload trouble at the moment. For now, here are some from the camera. Enjoy!
Bill and Jeff's Historical Travel Blog 