You Are Never Too Old To Dream-Part III

OUR TIME IN ENGLAND

We woke up on Tuesday, May 23, 2017, to the news of a mass shooting at a concert in Manchester, England. Because of this, my son, David, warned me that there would be many armed police at the train station. When we arrived at Glasgow Central Station, I was actually quite happy to see all the visible security. We only had to wait about 45 minutes before we boarded our Virgin Train for our next stop-Coventry, England.

When David and I first started planning this trip, Coventry was not even on the radar. However, I got to thinking about the English pen pal my younger sister has had for over 50 years. I texted my sister and asked her just where in the UK her friend, Chris, lived. She texted me back that Chris lived in Coventry, England. I knew David and I would be taking the train from Glasgow to London so, asked him if we would be going anywhere near Coventry. Then, I told him why. His response was that we could make that as part of our route. I was elated and began private messaging my sister’s friend about our plan. We exchanged cell phone numbers and I gave her David’s as well. Since David was planning the trip, he and Chris made all the necessary arrangements. We would take the train from Glasgow to Coventry. Chris would pick us up at the station, take us to our hotel and then give us a tour of Coventry and then return us to our hotel.

Our Virgin Train left the station right on time at 10:00 a.m. We sat back in our seats to enjoy the beautiful countryside and cities we traveled through. At about 2:30 p.m. we pulled into the Coventry Rail Station. Since we had all become friends on Facebook, it was not hard to spot Chris in the crowd. I was so excited to finally meet my sister’s pen pal and friend. The only thing that would have made it better was if my sister had been there. Chris drove us to our hotel so we could drop off our things and then took us to city central and parked the car.

• 

• 

Chris had a special treat for us. She was taking us to an afternoon tea. We walked to a charming little café called the “Rising (from the rubble) Café.” It was located in the historic area of the ruins of Coventry Cathedral and tucked away as part of the Priory Visitor Center. Chris had arranged for us to be served an afternoon tea. At that time, I was not a hot tea drinker so opted for coffee. Chris, of course, had tea and I believe David ordered sparkling water. I really didn’t know what to expect and was quite surprised whey they brought out a three tiered server that contained our goodies. The bottom tier held our small crust-less sandwiches, the middle tier held scones, butter and jam, and the top tier our sweets of three different types. The three of us ate and talked and got to know each other better. However, it did not feel like I was meeting a stranger. It felt more like meeting up with a long lost friend.

• 

• 

• 

I must admit, I knew very little about Coventry before we went there. It was founded in the Middle Ages and is located 94 miles northwest of London and has a population of over 300,000 people. As Chris took us on our historical walking tour, both she and David filled me in on some pretty interesting information. Coventry had always been quite the industrial center. It was for this very reason that the Luftwaffe carried out the fire bombing during World War II on the city.

Our tour began close by our café at the ruins of Coventry Cathedral. The Cathedral, St. Michael, had been built in the 14th century. On the night of November 14, 1940, the Coventry Blitz and fire bombing caused severe damage to the city center. St. Michael was all but destroyed as the roof and other parts of the structure were mostly made of wood. As workers were clearing the rubble, one worker found two charred wooden beams lying in the shape of a cross. They were tied together and placed on the original altar. They were replaced by a replica in 1964. It was an awe inspiring experience to stand amid the ruins and try to imagine the grandeur the cathedral, built in the 1300’s, once had. The beautiful bell tower was completed in 1394 and the spire was added in 1433. However, rising up from the ashes is a new St. Michael next door to the ruins. They are only separated by a covered walkway and steps leading up to the ruins. 3/4 of all industry in Coventry was destroyed as well. Over 400 hundred homes were destroyed by the fire storm that followed the bombing.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

As we continued on our tour, we went just a couple of blocks to the Coventry City Council building. This Tudor style building was begun in 1913 but due to WWI was not completed until 1917. Prior to this, the mayor and city offices were housed in the 15th century buildings of St. Mary’s Guildhall. Chris took us inside the city council building and to our luck, a gentleman was just getting off work and offered to give us a tour of the building. My favorite part was when he took us through a covered walkway that led to the second floor of the guildhall. There were several rooms there but the one that caught our eye was a very small one that had been one of the jail rooms of Mary Queen of Scots when she was imprisoned. Queen Elizabeth I kept moving her about so that Mary’s supporters could not find her and had moved her to Coventry in November of 1569. We stood on the balcony and overlooked the great banquet hall that is still used today.

We saw a few more sights such as Medieval buildings that had been spared from destruction and the statue of Lady Godiva. All too soon, our day came to an end and Chris returned us to our hotel. It had been a wonderful day with a wonderful hostess. I am so very glad we got to meet her.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Now, every once in awhile, when you are traveling blindly, you end up with accommodations you might otherwise pass up. That was the case with our hotel. The Hylands Hotel had seen better days. In its hay-day it must have been quite the place to stay, but no more. David and I had both read the reviews and they were not great. Therefore, we knew what we were getting into. The two things it had going for it was it was budget friendly and within walking distance to the train station. So, although the hotel was old and dated and could definitely use some major upkeep, I did have a clean comfortable bed and bath.

As always, we were up early and ready to go on Wednesday morning. I was really looking forward to getting to London. It was only a short walk to the station and we had time to grab a cup of coffee before the train arrived. Our tickets took us to London Euston Station. From there we took the overground to Victoria Station and then boarded the London overground to Crystal Palace, London, where we were staying. David chose that area as it was away from the hustle and bustle of city center.

Crystal Palace is located south of the city center and occupies parts of four different boroughs. It gets its name from a structure that was built in Hyde Park, London, for the Great Exhibition held in 1851. The exhibition was scheduled to last only six months. At that time, the building was dismantled, moved and enlarged to what was to be called Crystal Palace Park and sat upon Sydenham Hill. It sat there in a park setting for over 80 years and held many more exhibits, performances and the like but started to fall into disrepair just before WWI. On November 30, 1936 it burned to the ground. What remains today is a sports park, part of the remains of the foundation and entrance of the original Crystal Palace, along with the Crystal Palace Football Club and the stadium, Selhurst Park where the football team plays.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

When we arrived at the Crystal Palace train station, we noted that it was less than a mile to our hotel, but since it was all uphill we opted for a taxi. We were both glad we did. Our hotel, the London Queens Crystal Palace Hotel, is a beautiful Victorian hotel that sits on a tree shaded street. It has been totally remodeled and has all the amenities. My room was very lovely. After checking in and getting settled, we walked a few blocks back to the shops and eateries to find something for our evening meal. We chose an authentic Italian pizzeria. It was a great meal and the end to a great day,

• 

• 

Thursday morning we were up bright and early to walk to the train station and head into London city center. We had only been on the train for about five minutes when we were told we would all have to leave the train at the next station. It seems an unidentified package had been left at London Victoria Station and with the bombing in Manchester two days before, they were taking no chances. However, we only had to wait about twenty minutes when the all clear was given and we were allowed to board the next train to Victoria Station.

When we arrived at Victoria Station, we set off on foot to enjoy as many of the traditional sites of London that we could in one day. London is a huge ( 8.9 million people and 32 boroughs) modern city with traditional architecture of the Victorian Age intermingled with modern-design towering skyscrapers. Two of these modern buildings are “The Shard of Glass” and “The Gherkin.”

• 

• 

We decided to walk and take in all the sites that people associate with the city of London. First stop was Westminster Cathedral, located just a few blocks from the station. It is the mother church of the Roman Catholic Church in Wales and England. It was built between the years 1895-1903 and is constructed from just brick with no wooden framing. It was consecrated in 1910.

It was about a fifteen minute walk from there to Westminster Abbey. The Abbey has been the setting for every coronation since 1066. There was a very long line so we did not bother to go in.

• 

• 

Across the street from the parklike setting of the Abbey and Parliament Square is the Palace of Westminster-better known as the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the Great Bell Clock Tower at the north end of the palace. These buildings were built in 1859. As we walked by Big Ben we were treated to the 11:00 clock chimes.

• 

• 

• 

We made our way past Big Ben and took some time to stand on Westminster Bridge and take in the scenery. We had a great view of “The London Eye”, the riverside observation wheel opened to celebrate the millennium in 2000. We also viewed the south bank of the Thames and observed some of the tour boats that would take those interested on a river trip from Westminster to Greenwich.

• 

• 

We left our view from the bridge to walk down Whitehall Street to see what other sites we could take in. As we turned the corner I managed to get a side view of the Sir Winston Churchill Statue located in Parliament Square. We soon came to “The Cenotaph”, a war memorial that was erected in 1920 to remember the fallen soldiers of WWI. It has now become the official national war memorial of the United Kingdom. A few more blocks found us in front of the Horse Guards. This area houses a large museum, parade grounds and two horse guards that stand in front of the structure. We had missed the changing of the guard but I was able to get a photo or two.

• 

• 

• 

• 

By then, we were getting a little hungry and sought out a local pub. We were in luck. Another block found us standing in front of the Silver Cross, so we went in. It is a charming British pub. We found a table and then went to the bar to order what we wanted. They took our order, table number, gave us our drinks, still water for me and sparkling water for David, and then we sat down. Of course, we both ordered the traditional fish and chips. You can’t visit London and not have that to eat at least once. The food soon came and it was delicious. We had a relaxing lunch and talked about all the wonderful things we had already seen. Of course, this was David’s third time to London so it was not new to him. But as always, he made a wonderful tour guide.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Filled with nurishment, we continued on. Less than a block from where we ate we found Trafalger Square. This is a large plaza-like square that was constructed in 1843 to commemorate Lord Nelson’s victory in 1805 at the Battle of Trafalger.

• 

• 

It was only a ten minute walk to our next site we wanted to see. I am sure that many of you remember the movie Mary Poppins. One of the well known scenes took place on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. It is a beautiful structure and I am afraid my photos do not do it justice. The lines were very long there as well, due to added security, so I opted for a few photos. The current St. Paul’s was designed by architect Christopher Wren to replace the 4th St. Paul’s that was gutted by the great London fire of 1666. Construction began in 1675 and the Cathedral was consecrated in 1697, but was not completed until 1710. The Cathedral sits on Ludgate Hill, the highest point of London. From 1710-1967 it was the tallest building in London. In one of the Cathedral’s courtyards there is a statue of Queen Anne, who was the ruling monarch of Great Britain when the Cathedral was completed. This statue was built in 1886 to replace a former one.

• 

• 

• 

David had a few more things he wanted me to see so we headed down Fleet Street. Fleet Street has long been known as the journalist and news area of London. From there we moved on to Haymarket Street. Today, Haymarket is part of London’s theater district. We passed one such theater, Her Majesty’s Theatre. It is a British musical theater and is the fourth structure of that name to occupy the site. It was built in 1897. The Phantom of the Opera has been running there since 1986. Finally, we came to Piccadilly Circus. I know when I was a child, I thought it got its name because you could find a circus there. However, as I grew older I realized circus, in this case, was a road junction with a public square. It was opened in 1819. I enjoyed sitting by the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain, constructed in 1892-1893, but was disappointed that no ads were running on the iconic video display; they were all static that day . You can find the London Pavilion there but it is no longer a music hall. It now contains a Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museum. Many of the large Victorian Era buildings surrounding the fountain are now part of a shopping center and full of retail shops.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I had a reader ask me after Part I if I ever bought the book that I mentioned. It was on our walk to St. Paul’s that we stopped at a wonderful bookstore called Waterstones, near Trafalgar Square. We must have spent at least 30-40 minutes there and, indeed, I did buy a book. In fact, I bought two. The first was Capital Crimes, a book of short stories of London Mysteries by many different British mystery writers of the late 19th and early 20th century. The other book was London then and Now, by Diane Burstein. It is a short pictorial book that compares many famous and iconic sites of London from the Victorian Era to present day. It tells the history of the area and how it has changed. I enjoy both books and re-read them often. I bought myself a set of notecards that I will probably not use but save for the places they depict. I also purchased two children’s books: one for a teacher friend of mine and the other for my great-great nephew and niece.

• 

• 

• 

By now, we had a full day of touring so made the 1.5 mile walk back to Victoria Station. When we arrived back at Crystal Palace we decided that we could make the .7 mile walk back to the hotel as we had no luggage with us. It was all uphill so we took our time. I did stop to take this photo of city center just to get an idea of where we had spent our day. We opted for a light dinner and then turned in.

I awoke Friday morning with a bad cough. Since we were flying out early the next morning, I opted to spend the day in my room and sent David back to the city center on his own. I regret that I missed seeing Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park but that is how it goes.

By Saturday morning I felt much better and was ready when the taxi picked us up very early to take us to Heathrow Airport. We checked through security and then had only a short wait before boarding our plane for our flight home to the United States.

It was a memorable once-in-a-lifetime trip and I am glad I dared to dream and dared to fulfill it. Would I go again if given the chance? You bet I would. With all that is currently happening in the world, I am glad I did not pass up this chance. My son and I made memories that will never be forgotten. I cannot thank him enough for giving me the opportunity to fulfill my dream. He was an awesome tour guide and companion.

As always, “Don’t save today for tomorrow.”