London 5-16-2009

The Chandos Pub is on Trafalgar Square near St. Martin-in-the-Field. It was recommended by Rick Steves as a non-touristy, inexpensive place to eat. We overheard spirited political commentary by dart players and watched the place fill up between one and two. Briton's are very quiet on the Tube, but not in Pubs. Ted said that the beef and suet pudding was excellent.

The British Museum is like walking through history behind rope or under glass. It is the nearest thing to being there as you can get. There is no way one visit can satisfy. We hit the highlights and were exhausted. The Rosetta Stone has grown in size since I was last here; I swear. I remember it much smaller. Well, 31 years is a long time. The Great Court is Europe's largest covered square. It is bigger than a football field. The Reading Room is inside the round inner space seen to the left. It is the place where Karl Marx formulated his ideas leading to the publication of Das Kapital, the communist manifesto.

The Elgin Marbles, now known as the Parthenon sculptures (museum literature shows small s), are worth reading every label or listening to the whole audio tour.

This is the room that houses the marbles. It was a Saturday and the crowds were much heavier than during my last visit. Many languages were being spoken. London is so diverse that it is hard to tell the tourist from the resident.

This reconstructed Assyrian temple entrance is pretty impressive.

This is one of a pair of Assyrian man/bulls that once guarded an entrance. There is a newly discovered board game scratched into the base of one. It was an ancient Assyrian board game used to while away boring guard duty centuries ago. Note the third front leg behind the other two. The sculptor wanted you to see two legs from the front or from the side.

Easter Island figure.

The last time I visited, I spent the majority of my time among the Egyptian antiquities, especially the mummies. At one time I wanted to be an archeologist. My dad discouraged me, saying it wasn't practical for someone who would one day be a wife and mother. I did buck him eventually and get a doctorate, which he was also against, but did it in the practical area of education. I am still fascinated by archeology. It has grown into many specialized fields that don't require digging in remote locations. The mummy exhibit is dramatically different than it was 31 years ago. It is much smaller, but far more interesting.

There is a diagram on the wall near this mummy showing the stages of mumification - well done.

I was impressed that this tankard was reconstructed around a cylinder of plexiglass. What a wonderful use of modern technology.

We had dinner at another pub. I had a salad, not easy to find in London. Everywhere we have eaten, they serve peas and carrots with the entre. I haven't retained the English gene for liking peas, it seems. After dinner, we got our second wind and walked down Whitehall. The Household Guards was closed and we were on the wrong side of the street to see much of #10 Downing Street. We will be back because we want to see Churchill's WWII Underground Headquarters nearby.

These Bobbies were part of a huge contingent protecting the public and protesters at a protest rally near Parliament. It was the second protest we had seen in one day. Ted and I have gotten a kick out of the "breaking news" on TV about the members of Parliament receiving expense money on their second homes in London that exceed the intent of the law. Sounds just like the USA.

This is Parliament. Big Ben is outside the photo and to the left.

This is another part of parliament. There wasn't space to get back far enough to get the whole thing in one photo. The protesters were where I needed to be.

Big Ben is more impressive in person. The light shines off the gold decorations and makes it magical.

This is a sample of the buildings on Whitehall just north of Parliament.

We wondered how old these pavers are and what they have witnessed over time. They are near West Minster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey is the largest Catholic church in England. It is across the street from Parliament. It doesn't have much historical significance, probably because England has been officially Anglican since King Henry VIII.