Page Title
(Part 3-Conclusion)
By Susie “Chie” R. Cuňada
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is an intriguing place to explore. The audio guide
is very informative even if it doesn’t talk so much about all the tombs of
famous people. However, the “No photos policy” pulls the grade one
step down. Kings, queens, statesmen and soldiers, poets, priests,
heroes and villains – the Abbey is a must-see living pageant of British
history. Since the crowning of William the Conqueror in 1066, the Abbey
has been the nation’s Coronation church. It is also the burial and
memorial place for many famous historical figures from the last
thousand years of British history.
King Edward’s Chair, the throne on which British sovereigns are
seated at the moment of coronation, is housed within the Abbey and has
been used at every coronation since 1308. Likewise, most kings and
queens of England were buried here, although Henry VIII and Charles I
were buried in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, as are all
By Susie “Chie” R. Cuňada
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey is an intriguing place to explore. The audio guide
is very informative even if it doesn’t talk so much about all the tombs of
famous people. However, the “No photos policy” pulls the grade one
step down. Kings, queens, statesmen and soldiers, poets, priests,
heroes and villains – the Abbey is a must-see living pageant of British
history. Since the crowning of William the Conqueror in 1066, the Abbey
has been the nation’s Coronation church. It is also the burial and
memorial place for many famous historical figures from the last
thousand years of British history.
King Edward’s Chair, the throne on which British sovereigns are
seated at the moment of coronation, is housed within the Abbey and has
been used at every coronation since 1308. Likewise, most kings and
queens of England were buried here, although Henry VIII and Charles I
were buried in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, as are all
A Travelogue
My UK impressions
My UK impressions
Nicole's wedding photo with family
monarchs and royals after George II. The remains of Princess Diana lay in state at the
Abbey.
What amazed me about Westminster Abbey was that touring it felt like walking right
through the last thousand years of British history. The people who are buried therein are
not all Anglicans. In fact, many of them were not even good Christians, but they all
made a contribution to British government, society, or culture in some way that bears
remembering. I love that about this place I suppose a visit to this vast church could be
a religious experience for some, but I just found it to be spiritual in that it offers a
profound sense of the continuity of human history and achievement. I was moved by
the opportunity to stand at the grave of Elizabeth I, one of the most remarkable women
of all time. I was also impressed that the Abbey proudly houses the tombs of several
scientists whose works are considered by some to be in conflict with Christianity. That,
to me, was the ultimate beauty of this place. Come to this place to be impressed by a
connection to history, and you will not be disappointed.
To facilitate your tour of the Abbey, you are handed an “Acoustiguide audio” as soon
as you enter the Abbey. The audio guides are the best I’ve seen. Narrated by Jeremy
Irons, they conveniently correspond to the numbered areas to view. It has an of/off
switch, so you can pause when you want or travel at your own direction. No need to
follow a planned route. I couldn’t help but think of Princess Diana’s funeral there and
wished there was some recognition of it. The Gardens are beautiful and well worth a
walk through and sit. It was a very educational and interesting tour for me. I really,
really liked it.
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace serves as both the office and London residence of the Queen.
It is one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today.
Originally known as Buckingham House, the building which forms the core of today’s
palace, was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1793 on a site
which had been in private ownership for at least 150 years. It was subsequently
acquired by George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte, and known
as “The Queen’s House.”
Buckingham Palace finally became the principal royal residence in 1837, on the
accession of Queen Victoria, who was the first monarch to reside there. Following the
Queen’s marriage in 1840, her husband, Prince Albert, concerned himself with the
reorganization of the household offices and staff. By 1847, the couple had found the
Abbey.
What amazed me about Westminster Abbey was that touring it felt like walking right
through the last thousand years of British history. The people who are buried therein are
not all Anglicans. In fact, many of them were not even good Christians, but they all
made a contribution to British government, society, or culture in some way that bears
remembering. I love that about this place I suppose a visit to this vast church could be
a religious experience for some, but I just found it to be spiritual in that it offers a
profound sense of the continuity of human history and achievement. I was moved by
the opportunity to stand at the grave of Elizabeth I, one of the most remarkable women
of all time. I was also impressed that the Abbey proudly houses the tombs of several
scientists whose works are considered by some to be in conflict with Christianity. That,
to me, was the ultimate beauty of this place. Come to this place to be impressed by a
connection to history, and you will not be disappointed.
To facilitate your tour of the Abbey, you are handed an “Acoustiguide audio” as soon
as you enter the Abbey. The audio guides are the best I’ve seen. Narrated by Jeremy
Irons, they conveniently correspond to the numbered areas to view. It has an of/off
switch, so you can pause when you want or travel at your own direction. No need to
follow a planned route. I couldn’t help but think of Princess Diana’s funeral there and
wished there was some recognition of it. The Gardens are beautiful and well worth a
walk through and sit. It was a very educational and interesting tour for me. I really,
really liked it.
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace serves as both the office and London residence of the Queen.
It is one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today.
Originally known as Buckingham House, the building which forms the core of today’s
palace, was a large townhouse built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1793 on a site
which had been in private ownership for at least 150 years. It was subsequently
acquired by George III in 1761 as a private residence for Queen Charlotte, and known
as “The Queen’s House.”
Buckingham Palace finally became the principal royal residence in 1837, on the
accession of Queen Victoria, who was the first monarch to reside there. Following the
Queen’s marriage in 1840, her husband, Prince Albert, concerned himself with the
reorganization of the household offices and staff. By 1847, the couple had found the
| BuckinghamPalace |
palace too small for court life and their growing family and,
consequently, the new wing was built enclosing the central quadrangle.
The large east front facing The Mall is today the “public face” of
Buckingham Palace and contains the balcony from which the Royal
Family acknowledges the crowds on momentous occasions and
annually after Trooping the Colour. Adjacent to the palace is the Royal
Mews where the royal carriages, used in royal ceremonial processions,
are housed.
The palace, like Windsor Castle, is owned by the British state. It is not
the monarch’s personal property. Many of the contents from
Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Kensington Palace and St. James’
Palace are known collectively as the Royal Collection. Owned by the
nation, they can, on occasions, be viewed by the public at the Queen’s
Gallery. Unlike the palace and the castle, the gallery is open continually
and displays a changing selection of items from the collection. Thus,
Buckingham Palace is a symbol and home of the British monarchy, an
art gallery and a tourist attraction.
consequently, the new wing was built enclosing the central quadrangle.
The large east front facing The Mall is today the “public face” of
Buckingham Palace and contains the balcony from which the Royal
Family acknowledges the crowds on momentous occasions and
annually after Trooping the Colour. Adjacent to the palace is the Royal
Mews where the royal carriages, used in royal ceremonial processions,
are housed.
The palace, like Windsor Castle, is owned by the British state. It is not
the monarch’s personal property. Many of the contents from
Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Kensington Palace and St. James’
Palace are known collectively as the Royal Collection. Owned by the
nation, they can, on occasions, be viewed by the public at the Queen’s
Gallery. Unlike the palace and the castle, the gallery is open continually
and displays a changing selection of items from the collection. Thus,
Buckingham Palace is a symbol and home of the British monarchy, an
art gallery and a tourist attraction.
The London Eye.
| The Tower Bridge |
The Tower Bridge
From Buckingham Palace, we walked past the Tower of London since we were unable to get in due to the lateness of the hour….
….until we reached the Tower Bridge, which looks amazing at night. Over 100 years ago, the Victorians built a bridge that has
become one of London’s most famous landmarks. High level walkways were built to allow people to cross the Thames while the
Bridge was lifted to let tall ships sail past. Today, these walkways act as viewing galleries, giving visitors the most spectacular
views across an ever-changing London skyline.
The Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London,
which gives it its name. It has become an iconic symbol of London. The bridge consists of two towers which are tied together at the
upper level by means of two horizontal walkways which are designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended
sections of the bridge on the landward sides of the towers. The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections of the
two walkways is carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each
tower. Its present colour dates from 1977 when it was painted red, white and blue for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Originally, it was
painted chocolate brown. The Tower Bridge is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the London Bridge, which is actually the next
bridge upstream.
The next day, Irma took us through the streets of London via the “Original Tour Bus” which offers guests a hop-on, hop-off tour
that includes a live and sometimes digitally recorded commentaries about the city, and a free river cruise.
Taking an organized tour of the city is a great way to explore London. You can learn new things about the capital, take in the
culture and soak up a bit of history at the same time. I was simply enthralled and captivated! London’s historic attractions can
seem endless to a new visitor. In fact, they are pretty awe-inspiring that even locals sometimes have a hard time choosing which
their favourite is.
After the tour, we picked up our tickets for the show, “The Lion King”. Yes! This was the day I was waiting for. When Irma
asked me that morning if I was interested to watch a show, my face just lit up with excitement.
As you know, the theatre is a part of everyday life in England. After all, this is the home of Shakespeare. A West End show is a
“must” for any trip to London. I can barely contain my anticipation of a wonderful evening ahead. To say that I was beaming with
excitement would be an understatement.
River Cruise
Since we haven’t used our “free” river cruise that came with our bus tour the day before, we immediately took advantage of it.
The trip along the Thames River is like looking at London’s family photograph album. You see the young and the old, the churches
and the offices, the smart and the grungy. The boat trip is one of the best in the world and there’s always something new to see. In
fact, not many people realize that London is tied together by canals. They’re not always immediately visible, which make them
“lovely” (as the English would often say).
The London Eye
The London Eye isn't just one of London's top tourist attractions; it's an extraordinary piece of engineering design and
architecture.
• You can see around 40km (25 miles) from the top as far as Windsor Castle on a clear day
• The London Eye welcomes an average of 3.5 million customers every year. You would need 6,680 fully booked British
Airways Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets to move that number of fliers!
• The London Eye can carry 800 passengers per revolution - equivalent to 11 London red doubled-decker buses
• Each of the 32 capsules weighs 10 tonnes. To put that figure into perspective, it's the same weight as 1,052,631 pound coins!
• Each rotation takes about 30 minutes, meaning a capsule travels at a stately 26cm per second, or 0.9km (0.6 miles) per hour -
twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting; allowing passengers to step on and off without the wheel having to stop
• The circumference of the wheel is 424m (1.392ft) - meaning that if it were unravelled, it would be 1.75 times longer than the
UK's tallest building - One Canada Square in Canary Wharf
• The total weight of the wheel and capsules is 2,100 tonnes - or as much as 1,272 London black cabs!
• The height of the London Eye is 135m (equivalent to 64 red telephone boxes piled on top of each other) making it the fourth
tallest structure in London after the BT Tower, Tower 42 and One Canada Square in Canary Wharf
• The spindle holds the wheel structure and the hub rotates it around the spindle. At 23 meters tall, the spindle is around the size
of a church spire and, together with the hub, weighs in at 330 tonnes: over 20 times heavier than Big Ben
Piccadilly Circus
At the Piccadilly Circus, a large crowd was gathered around a street performer. We watched animatedly and after having been
entertained, we decided to entertain the crowd ourselves. I was the first to try it out. The street performer asked me if I was
Japanese. (What??? Again??? This was the 2nd time I was asked while in London.) I answered in the negative and didn’t offer any
more information. He told me that I will be a “dancer”. Then he prepped me up for the “act”. Look at the sequence below:
I really, really enjoyed it. It was so cool! I can’t believe I had the nerve to do this in the heart of London! I must say - this “act” at
Piccadilly Circus was truly one of the major highlights of the trip. I had so much FUN that I will always remember this memorable
evening for a very long time.
Well, my trip to this part of the world has come to an end. Seeing UK with relatives and spending some quality time with them
was indeed a bonus that I am so grateful for – for without them, my holiday wouldn’t have been as exciting and worry-free as it had
been. And to each of them, a big THANK YOU!
The flight was a smooth one, and I stepped out of the plane to a brisk but comfortable Vancouver weather into the waiting arms
of my hubby, Ricky. As I often said in the past, it’s always great to be back home.
From Buckingham Palace, we walked past the Tower of London since we were unable to get in due to the lateness of the hour….
….until we reached the Tower Bridge, which looks amazing at night. Over 100 years ago, the Victorians built a bridge that has
become one of London’s most famous landmarks. High level walkways were built to allow people to cross the Thames while the
Bridge was lifted to let tall ships sail past. Today, these walkways act as viewing galleries, giving visitors the most spectacular
views across an ever-changing London skyline.
The Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London,
which gives it its name. It has become an iconic symbol of London. The bridge consists of two towers which are tied together at the
upper level by means of two horizontal walkways which are designed to withstand the horizontal forces exerted by the suspended
sections of the bridge on the landward sides of the towers. The vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections of the
two walkways is carried by the two robust towers. The bascule pivots and operating machinery are housed in the base of each
tower. Its present colour dates from 1977 when it was painted red, white and blue for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Originally, it was
painted chocolate brown. The Tower Bridge is sometimes mistakenly referred to as the London Bridge, which is actually the next
bridge upstream.
The next day, Irma took us through the streets of London via the “Original Tour Bus” which offers guests a hop-on, hop-off tour
that includes a live and sometimes digitally recorded commentaries about the city, and a free river cruise.
Taking an organized tour of the city is a great way to explore London. You can learn new things about the capital, take in the
culture and soak up a bit of history at the same time. I was simply enthralled and captivated! London’s historic attractions can
seem endless to a new visitor. In fact, they are pretty awe-inspiring that even locals sometimes have a hard time choosing which
their favourite is.
After the tour, we picked up our tickets for the show, “The Lion King”. Yes! This was the day I was waiting for. When Irma
asked me that morning if I was interested to watch a show, my face just lit up with excitement.
As you know, the theatre is a part of everyday life in England. After all, this is the home of Shakespeare. A West End show is a
“must” for any trip to London. I can barely contain my anticipation of a wonderful evening ahead. To say that I was beaming with
excitement would be an understatement.
River Cruise
Since we haven’t used our “free” river cruise that came with our bus tour the day before, we immediately took advantage of it.
The trip along the Thames River is like looking at London’s family photograph album. You see the young and the old, the churches
and the offices, the smart and the grungy. The boat trip is one of the best in the world and there’s always something new to see. In
fact, not many people realize that London is tied together by canals. They’re not always immediately visible, which make them
“lovely” (as the English would often say).
The London Eye
The London Eye isn't just one of London's top tourist attractions; it's an extraordinary piece of engineering design and
architecture.
• You can see around 40km (25 miles) from the top as far as Windsor Castle on a clear day
• The London Eye welcomes an average of 3.5 million customers every year. You would need 6,680 fully booked British
Airways Boeing 747-400 jumbo jets to move that number of fliers!
• The London Eye can carry 800 passengers per revolution - equivalent to 11 London red doubled-decker buses
• Each of the 32 capsules weighs 10 tonnes. To put that figure into perspective, it's the same weight as 1,052,631 pound coins!
• Each rotation takes about 30 minutes, meaning a capsule travels at a stately 26cm per second, or 0.9km (0.6 miles) per hour -
twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting; allowing passengers to step on and off without the wheel having to stop
• The circumference of the wheel is 424m (1.392ft) - meaning that if it were unravelled, it would be 1.75 times longer than the
UK's tallest building - One Canada Square in Canary Wharf
• The total weight of the wheel and capsules is 2,100 tonnes - or as much as 1,272 London black cabs!
• The height of the London Eye is 135m (equivalent to 64 red telephone boxes piled on top of each other) making it the fourth
tallest structure in London after the BT Tower, Tower 42 and One Canada Square in Canary Wharf
• The spindle holds the wheel structure and the hub rotates it around the spindle. At 23 meters tall, the spindle is around the size
of a church spire and, together with the hub, weighs in at 330 tonnes: over 20 times heavier than Big Ben
Piccadilly Circus
At the Piccadilly Circus, a large crowd was gathered around a street performer. We watched animatedly and after having been
entertained, we decided to entertain the crowd ourselves. I was the first to try it out. The street performer asked me if I was
Japanese. (What??? Again??? This was the 2nd time I was asked while in London.) I answered in the negative and didn’t offer any
more information. He told me that I will be a “dancer”. Then he prepped me up for the “act”. Look at the sequence below:
I really, really enjoyed it. It was so cool! I can’t believe I had the nerve to do this in the heart of London! I must say - this “act” at
Piccadilly Circus was truly one of the major highlights of the trip. I had so much FUN that I will always remember this memorable
evening for a very long time.
Well, my trip to this part of the world has come to an end. Seeing UK with relatives and spending some quality time with them
was indeed a bonus that I am so grateful for – for without them, my holiday wouldn’t have been as exciting and worry-free as it had
been. And to each of them, a big THANK YOU!
The flight was a smooth one, and I stepped out of the plane to a brisk but comfortable Vancouver weather into the waiting arms
of my hubby, Ricky. As I often said in the past, it’s always great to be back home.