Travelogue VII: London 3

 Our Thames float took us to the Tower region.

lunch was near the HMS Belfast

wild to think that a crossing here or near here
has been around since Roman times in the 2nd century

one of many world heritage sites we would visit
in this trip

one corner of the tower, to get a sense of scale
our terrain master will be keen to study these ...

We had another show to go to, and along the way we found the TARDIS in London.

Up next:  travel by self-drive motor car in UK to the west country and Glastonbury

Travelogue VII: London 2

 This day was to include a trip to view the changing of the guard at Horseguards

We arrived at Horse Guards in time to view all the actions in the square

the day before there had been a marathon, and the bleachers and other barricades were all still up, as there would be an 80th anniversary parade for the end of WWII in the same area in the next week.

we discovered this wee fox, taking in some sun and staying out of the way

he did not appear to be in tip top shape

these are only a selection of the shots we took

while the uniform has changed a bit since the Napoleonic era, this is certainly a good representation of the Household cavalry uniform.

 We got the last of instructions from our impromptu guide and headed out onto the Thames

the 'eye' by daylight is less impressive

Travelogue VII: London 1

 Upon arrival we took in a theater show, Wicked, the setting is one that I have done some role-playing games with and more than once considered having 'armies' based upon the realm.

stage for the show

fun lighting on the map fly

the Victorian heritage is evident all over the city

Travelogue VI: Douth

 Another of the stone age mounds, similar in age to Newgrange.

the entrances have all collapsed and been left that way

the white stones are evident everywhere

even the church and 'recent' graveyard is in a collapsing state

just some good images of the Irish countryside

lastly there was an opportunity to connect with some fellow fire fighters in Northern Ireland

Our travels next carried us into London ...

Travelogue V: Battle of the Boyne

 The Boyne Battlefield has been converted into mostly a pastoral walking and picnic area.

I think it was a wonderful way to both preserve the field and keep it alive at the same time.

There was a 4 minute film in the interpretation center about the battle, along with a few more display items that were kept in cases in the tea house next to the center.

We had limited time, so not so much exploring around the grounds, yet still it was neat to see them alive with so many people - with dogs all off leash!  Excellent living history place.

Then a visit to Douth