Recently my parents made a trip across the pond to spend
some time in rural France. At the end of
their trip, they stopped by to spend a couple days with their favorite
international son and daughter-in-law. We met up with them for dinner and the
evening in Bath for the Bath Comedy Walk. It had been a few weeks since our
last group of guests had left us and Amanda and I were both looking forward to
seeing some family again.
After picking my parents up from the crowded Bath train
station, making a pit stop at the fudge shoppe, and grabbing a bite to eat at
one of the local dining establishments, we made our way to the comedy walk.
Like many other sights we’ve seen and activities we’ve engaged in, this
recommendation came from the annals of Rick Steves’ travel guides and PBS shows
we’ve seen over many years. I never can recommend his guidebooks and programs
enough. On the night we did the walk, there was a rather large cadre of German
University students who spoke very little English and were the source of
constant irreverence from the tour guide. All in good fun of course.
It really is an interesting way to see the city, especially
if you’re like us and can recite the historical tour from start to finish.
The next day we made our way into London where Mom and
Amanda went shopping and toured the National Portrait Gallery where the Queen’s
Diamond Jubilee display was still featured. Meanwhile, Dad and I spent the
afternoon at the Imperial War Museum.
I had been to the War Museum a few months before on a
weekend trip and was really impressed with the WWI and WWII displays as well as
the Holocaust exhibit. Unfortunately the WWI and WWII displays were closed the
day Dad and I were there, so we chose to view the secret service exhibit,
holocaust exhibit and wander through the displays of military equipment that
was present throughout the main lobby. The holocaust exhibit is always very
sobering and requires a great deal of reflection but well worth the time.
For dinner we met up at our favorite Moroccan restaurant,
Leon, for Moroccan meatballs and garlic chicken with a falafel and hummus.
The next day Mom had reserved tickets for a morning tour of
Buckingham Palace. The Palace is very impressive and in my mind out shines the
much heralded Versailles in terms of grandeur and opulence. This is saying
something considering it is far smaller in both building and estate size.
Perhaps it’s mostly due to the more contemporary nature of Buckingham Palace
which was first constructed in 1706 and later expanded to its current size in
the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Versailles on the
other hand was opened more than 200 years prior in 1632. One of the more
impressive rooms at Buckingham Palace was the East Gallery at the top of the
Grand staircase. Of the notable artists found in the Gallery Sir Peter Paul
Rubens was perhaps my favorite of course several of Rembrandts works were also
quite amazing.
There was also a display of royal diamonds that contained
numerous crowns, ceremonial swords, broaches, and even a gilded and jewel
encrusted fan. I think Amanda preferred this room. Unfortunately we weren’t
able to take any photos inside but we did manage a few of the exterior grounds.
Upon finishing the tour of Buckingham Palace we took the
train out to Windsor Castle which is the oldest and largest occupied castle in
the world. It sits, like everything else in this country, at the top of a hill
and encompasses over 5 hectares of surrounding hilltop which afford it great
views of the surrounding landscape. Many of Windsor’s rooms and exhibits were
closed for the season all though we made sure to get a few pictures of the all
important battlements and towers that make up any proper castle.
We even tried our hand a standing guard for in the name of
Queen and Country.
Still open to tourists, St. Georges Cathedral where many
past monarchs are buried including Henry VIII Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
and King George VI. It is also the home of the Order of the Garter which was
founded by Edward III shortly after the renewing hostilities with France in his
quest to secure the French crown which he believed to be an integral part of
his birth rite.
The collection of royal dishware was also still on display within
the castle and featured several stunning sets of Wedgewood and fine china.
When the day of touring was done it was time to part ways
and bid a fond farewell to Mom and Dad until their next visit.
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