Pachot is going to work today. I met Cecil at
the Epsom station, dropped there by Ashley, Lizette's husband. Since
it's still early, we had to buy the peak one-day unlimited Travelcard
for
£11.60 (compared to £7 for off-peak, sold after 9:30am). We took the BritRail in Victoria
and transferred to the Underground Tube and got off at the Tower Hill
station.
We met Mon & Nola and their boys at the Tower
of London, where we saw the Crown Jewels and the White
Tower, among other exhibits. The entrance fee is £11.50 but
Cecil and I shared a 2-for-1 coupon. Mon got a much cheaper family-pass,
for two adults and two kids. Jamie got in for free, since he's less than
10.
Jamie took his time reading all the captions and started asking us
questions, most of which we were not able to answer. It seemed that this
young boy took a lot more from the exhibits than any of us.
Inside the Tower, we encountered this Royal Guard
by one of the doors to the towers and we took pictures with him.
The Guard is not supposed to move or talk but I think I saw him smile
when Jamie made faces and funny gestures to get his attention.
Right behind the Towers, we could see the Tower Bridge
over the River Thames. But we did not have the
time to walk thru it.
We then all took the Tube to Westminster.
We saw the London Eye, right across the River Thames.
This is also known as the Millennium Wheel, a huge ferris-wheel
that gives you a good view of the entire London area and which takes
around 30 minutes to go all around. It moves really slow, allowing
people to enjoy the view. The passengers get to go around only once.
We first went to the Houses of Parliament,
with the tower of Big Ben right in front. There were a few
war-protesters camped right in front. I was actually expecting a lot
more protesters and more military personnel, just like what we have in
NYC, but what they have is a lot tamer, though the newspapers and TV are
dominated by news about the war.
We went inside the Westminster Abbey
(for £6 each), where the coronation of the Queen, and almost of all the
other monarch, took place. It also
houses several tombs and monuments for royalty and prominent people,
like William Shakespeare, George Frederick Handel
and Sir Lawrence Olivier. We were all
wondering how much it would cost to be buried here.
From there, we all took the bus to Piccadilly
Circus and then to Mon's hotel to rest, at the Hilton Kensington in Holland
Park. Along the way, we passed by Notting Hill, just
a few blocks away.
In the evening, we took the Tube to Victoria and
a BritRail train to Carshalton Beeches (also in Surrey,
just right outside London), to have dinner at Lizette's house. We were
picked-up at the train station by Ashley and their son, Ryon.
On the way
to their house, we mentioned that we have been looking forward to sample
Lizette's cooking and Ryon divulged that they actually ordered the food
from Gino's, an Italian restaurant nearby.
We were met by a very slim Lizette and
her adorable little boy, Liam. We also met Ruby Magat-Bautista and her family (husband
Boots and kids Michael and Claudia). She's Lizette
and Nola's HS classmate at SSA.
We really had some great fun reminiscing about
our college days and sharing stories (gossips actually). I really
can't remember much coz Ashley kept on pouring us white wine and I got
drunk. But I will never
forget hearing Lizette say "Would you like some tea?"
in her perfect British accent!
We also met Laura, Ashley's grown-up daughter
from a previous marriage. Ashley also has a son, Mark, who's
currently in Basra, Iraq, serving with the Fusiliers, UK's
equivalent to the US Army.
Cecil and I stayed over for the night. Cecil
slept on the guest room while I slept
on Liam's bed, with the Woody and Buzz-Lightyear
bedsheets. Mon and
family were driven back to the hotel by Ashley. Ruby and family also got
a ride home with them.
|