For our last stop on the trip we flew from Barcelona to London, England, arriving at Heathrow.
We had pre-arranged for a driver to meet us and of all things he showed up in a Tesla, so this
was our first ride in a Tesla. We stayed at our usual hotel, the Melita, in Pimlico (we have
stayed there on all five trips to London). Like many hotels in this area, it is a couple of tall
London townhouses converted to lodging, with small rooms and often without lifts and AC. (We
would have liked some AC, the London days were hotter than usual (in the 80's) and the sun was
beaming against our windows.) On the first night (and once more) we ate at our favorite London
spot, Grumbles, just a couple of blocks away (and indoors, for the first time on the land trip).
On other nights we ate at two other favorite restaurants, at a Thai restaurant and at a seafood
restaurant named Seafresh. We also found a couple of nice places nearby for breakfast (one we
had visited on a previous trip). The next day we wandered around the area we were staying at,
exploring some of the places in that area. We had pre-arranged timed tickets to go to
Westminster Abbey on the next day. Still, there were large crowds of people. There were plaques
and memorials everywhere, including for Charles Darwin, David Lloyd George, David Livingston,
and on and on. The Victorians did like their sentimental monuments. The Poets Corner is always
popular, including some plaques to American authors. The Abbey itself is sensational, and for
history buffs like us (and particularly Susan who is also an Anglophile), seeing tombs of Henry
VII and Queen Elizabeth of York, Richard II, Edward V, and the joint tomb of Elizabeth I and her
half-sister Mary I, etc., is a real draw. We also had timed tickets to the Houses of Parliament,
which we had never entered before. Unfortunately, very limited photography was allowed inside.
But we could photograph the great Westminster Hall, built in 1090 and not damaged by the fire
that destroyed much of the building in the 19th century. We were able to visit both the House
of Lords and the House of Commons, very familiar from news programs, and very impressive from
an historical standpoint. The very good audio tour provided the history and the procedures of
Parliament. We walked back partly along the Thames, stopping on the way to get a bite to eat.
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