London Day 1

No Time to Blink!

 My trip to the UK was utterly fantabulous. A person may be inclined to say, two weeks would be plenty of time...but in all actuality, literally, I barely had time to blink. Seriously...sleep??? what is that? There were several nights of just 3-4 hours of sleep, if that much! I went a week early, before class in Bath, to spend some time in London with Dear friends~ our townhouse was just a block behind me here~ half way between the V&A Museum and Harrods. Good grief! A person could spend a week in Harrods alone and not see everything, and I am really not joking a bit here. Harrods encompasses an entire block, is 5 or 6 floors high, and each one of them jam packed with the finest of everything ~ from a 15GBP tin of loose leaf tea, to a 99,000GBP handbag...all in one spot. I loved Harrods, absolutely.

 Of coarse Harrods is directly at the entrance to the Knightsbridge tube stop...so we walked by it and the above store, Al~Hamidiah, anytime coming back to the house from the tube...or Harrods.... I left the pictures large today so you can click on them to really see whats in this window! YES! That is a tower of freshly baked baklava. The most amazing baklava I have ever tasted. The store clerks here were so friendly, every time I would walk by,  one would zoom out with a tray asking me to have a sample. I cant find it anyplace online~ so if anyone knows of a website for them, let me know! They are from Damascus in Syria~ the. most. fabulous. baklava. E.V.E.R.  I brought a kilo home with me and it was gone within 2 days, not kidding.

 Everywhere in London & vicinity had the most beautiful window boxes~

   After landing at Heathrow at noon.twenty, getting thru customs and out to the house, it was nearly 3pm I guess. After a trip to Harrods, a friend & I were off to see Westminster Abbey, just a short tube stop away. It was too late in the day for a tour, but I got to lay my eyes on it, and magnificent just doesn't describe it.  It was magical~, and yes, Big Ben could be heard in the background chiming away!

  The 'London Eye' can be seen behind the square

 Behind Westminster Abbey is Big Ben~ he is having restoration works done~ the scaffolding can be seen at the base. I was so lucky  to hear the beautiful chimes ringing out~ I took this pic on 15 Aug~ the chimes were paused at noon on Monday, 21 August, for the next four years, until 2021 when the conservation work is sched to be completed.

 There are no words to describe seeing something in person, that one has held in their hearts for so long

 By the time we reached the Tower of London it was nearly 8pm. I would have liked to see the Crown Jewels...but being so popular, one need get there first thing in the morning...so this is on my list for next time in London!

 Just beyond the Tower of London, on the Thames,  is the magnificent Tower Bridge. As beautiful as it is in the daytime, its even more spectacular at night.

 Walking across it made me feel small and insignificant, but at the same time, to me, its big arches resembled a big, wide open mouth, and the suspension cables two long, outstretched arms. It reminded me of a Grandmother welcoming me home

  We arrived back at Harrods late, which is a spectacle in itself to see it all lit up at night. London truly never sleeps, and I can totally understand why~ there's just too much to do to want to sleep!