Friday July 8 - a full day

Yesterday we were up and at it earlier than we needed to be so were able to sit by the window and read for a bit. Breaky was going to be in a small coffee shop that Dave found near the hotel. It opened at 9. What an adorable place! Very small - seating almost 20 with very little room to walk. The couple that owned it were very friendly. Shortly after we arrived, the place was full. Such a great atmosphere.

We drove to Leicester (pronounced Lester) to catch our 10:30 train to London. A lovely lady from the university gave us some tips for the train station in London. Our tickets were for "off hours" but the train was packed. We had to stand for the entire one hour trip. At least there weren't any stops. Dave thought we were traveling 80 - 90 miles/hour.

Once in the very upscale train terminal (lots of expensive shops), we got our subway to our first stop - the Twinings Tea Shop. The original factory started up on this location in 1710. Just recently the factory moved but the shop remains. It's a tea drinker's paradise! There's a tea bar where you could sample teas - quite an elaborate affair. We didn't experience this but two young American couples did so we could see part of the process. Choosing a box of tea to take home was a bit challenging. I stuck with Earl Grey - my favorite.

On our way back to the subway, we grabbed something to eat while we traveled to the next stop - the Tower of London.  When we were in London in 2013, we ran out of time to go there and I was most disappointed so it was a "must do" this time round. We arrived at 1:30 and left when it closed at 5:30 and still didn't see it all. What a place! It's really a small village. The first building went up in the mid 1000s and it was added onto for about 600 years. There's so much I could say about it. Just a few things.

We saw the Crown Jewels - what kings and queens are crowned with when they become the king/queen. The oldest one there was from 1660s. The vault type door to get into the area is about 14" thick and then there's a 3' wall. The value of all the crowns, gold "dishes", jewel encrusted swords/staffs etc. has to be astronomical. The crowns were "nice" but it all seems way over the top and some pieces, I thought, were gaudy.

There are 20 towers, a chapel (Chapel Royal of St Peter and Vincula), lots of housing (130 people live within the grounds), two small patches of grass (used to execute people), a moat (no water anymore), two sets of outer walls, and six royal ravens. Legend has it that if there aren't any ravens living within the Tower, the place will fall to pieces. They've been there for 100s of years. These birds are massive with 1.5 meter wing span.

Some of the towers were used as prisons - actually as recently as the end of WWII when Rudolf Hess was held there for four days after the end of the war. In one of the towers (Beauchamp), that we were allowed into, you can see "graffiti" on the walls dating back to the 1280s. I have a picture of a coat of arms done in 1599 and under it is a long written piece by another prisoner. We took a tour with one of the Beefeaters - the guys who were originally hired to be body guards for the King Henry that won the battle against King Richard III (nice how all we're seeing is tied together). This is a serious job these days - and a great honor. They and their families live within the Tower walls.

By late afternoon I was done. I couldn't take in one more historical fact, no matter how interesting. My brain was saturated with information and nothing else was computing. Two weeks of learning is great but it ended in the chapel even though there was a lot more to see. We quickly breezed through an amazing display of armor both for kings and horses. (Actual amor belonging to King Charles 1I and II, King Henry VIII etc.) A quick trip through one tower that was part of the palace as well as seeing a variety of torture apparatus. Wretched!

We found an outdoor cafe and had a drink. This afternoon was the first time in our entire trip when we could have worn shorts. Much of what we packed never came out of the suitcase. We've had rain almost everyday and very little sun. Today was about 75. Only once did the weather impact our trip so we made out well.

We walked along the Thames River and back and forth across the Tower Bridge - an incredible structure. Then off to the subway and the train station. The train ride back to Leicester took 90 mins (arrived at 9) but this time we had seats. Still lots of people standing for the whole trip though. The entire trip couldn't have gone better. Lots of prep made it go very smoothly.

We were looking forward to one last meal in England but getting back to the car after 9 changed that. We were tired and still had a 30 minute drive ahead of us. So we ate sandwiches and cherries in a grocery store parking lot. Our one and only "outside" dinner.  Back in the hotel room by 10, I was so glad that I had done most of the packing last night. What a full, but great, day!

Tomorrow we head home with mixed feelings. It's been a great holiday, we've loved being together so much, and have really enjoyed the slow pace (compared to the speed at which our normal life is lived). We miss the kids and grandkids. We're not excited about getting back to work and everything else that takes up so much of our time. Oh well.

One thing I learned today: The grocery store that we've been shopping at in all four countries (The Co-operative), has been in business for over 165 years.

One new thing I experienced today: Standing on a train for an hour.

Most powerful moment of the day: Being at the Tower of London. I've read so much about it and to actually be there and see the different buildings/area I've read about is amazing!

One pleasurable experience: On the subway ride back to the train station, a guy got on with a guitar and started singing right beside us. We both smiled a lot while he sang. We thought this was terrific.  Just about everyone around us didn't even acknowledge that he was there. I guess it's just "normal" for them.