London Vacation March 25th

London - Monday March 25

France Trip 2003

Part 1

Date: 25 Mar 2002 08:01:50 GMT

I'm quite happy with my room at the Park International Hotel. It is small but well equipped with a double bed, small refrigerator, safe, hair dryer, trouser press, deep bathtub, morning paper and a full English breakfast. Actually, I don't think that the trouser press does much good.

I haven't figured out how to turn on the TV, but probably won't bother. There is Internet access available from the room, but at $14/night I will pass. I am connecting through a coin operated computer in the hotel lobby.

flowers near Saint Paul's Cathedral
Street near Saint Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cahtedral statue
St. Paul's Cathedral dome and statue

View from the St. Paul's Cahtedral dome
From the spire above the dome. 530 steps about the cathedral floor.

Written in the Crypt Cafe beneath St. Paul's Cathedral on Monday at 10 AM: St. Paul's Cathedral is magnificent. They ask that no photos be taken inside & I honored it. There were many tour groups, half of them from Asia.

I walked up to the Whispering Gallery at the bottom of the dome (I couldn't hear the folks on the other side), 259 steps, than on to the Stone Gallery where you can look out over the city. Than farther on up to the Golden Gallery for a view from 280 feet up. A total of 530 steps!

It was over 560 steps back down to here in the Saint Paul's crypt.

Well, I am cooled off now. Had homemade lemon lime squash and shortbread. And bought a CD of the choir.

Tower of London beefeater tour guide in uniform
Beefeater giving tour at the Tower of London

Traitor's gate at the Tower of London
Traitor's gate

The Tower Bridge as seen from within the Tower of London

Ravens at the Tower of London
Tradition is that if the ravens ever leave, the Tower of London will fall and the King will die -
so their wings are clipped. In the 1960s they were surprised when a baby was born to the
ravens. It was believed that ravens only mate while flying. A national school contest named
the baby raven "Ronald Raven."

Tower of london uniformed guard

Tower of London - White Tower
White Tower, the oldest part of the Tower of London. Almost 1,000 years old

Keith Stokes and beefeater Teddy bear
Me with a beefeater Teddy bear

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2004 Trip to London and Blackpool France trip 2003
Keith's other trips Kansas Travel web site Mackinac Bridge & Mackinac Island web site