***** DAY 5 *****

Another day in London meant my parents learned even more facinating history about the great city. On Day 5, they visited....

Tower Bridge

Tower of London

Westminster Abby

London Dungeon

Here are some photos of Tower Bridge which crosses over the famous River Thames to the Tower of London. It is often mistaken to be "London Bridge." (My mom sings the song to me about "London Bridge is falling down....") My parents were told that the actual London Bridge was bought by a man in Arizona. Rumor has it that he purchased it by mistake and thought he was getting this Tower Bridge instead. The other bridge was bought, shipped to America, and reassembled in Oct 1971 at Lake Havasu City as the centrepiece of a theme park in English style. It's second-biggest tourist attraction in Arizona, after the Grand Canyon. Just goes to show, you better know what you are buying before you pay.

Harrod's

Harrods is a department store in London that was established in 1834. "The store occupies a 4.5-acre site and has over one million square feet of selling space in over 330 departments. This makes Harrods one of the largest department stores in the world. Several of its departments, including the seasonal Christmas department and the Food Hall are world famous." As you can see it's not only large, it's extravagant.

Since it's so famous, it was only right that my parents enjoyed something at the Harrod's foodcourt. My parents decided on Italian Ice cream. Here is a photo of the delicious Chocolate Hazelnut Fudge Sundae....can't you just see the excitement on my mom's face?!? It cost 8.5 pounds, which in American money translates to almost $20. (Everything in London was expensive, but what a splurge!) My parents decided to share it celebrate their anniversary. Afterall, how often are you in London to enjoy $20 ice cream at one of the world's most famous foodcourts? Once the ice cream was gone, they headed back towards the hotel for a very cheap dinner.

Fun Fact: In 1898, Harrods installed what is claimed to be the world's first moving staircase --an escalator.

The Gardens

One of the luxuries guests and residents had while staying at Hampton Court would have been the 60 acress of beautiful gardens that lay around the palace. From rose gardens to pond gardens to mazes to the oldest and largest grape vine in the world, it is easy to see that nature abounds. Here are some of the things my parents saw:

The Great Fountain Garden made by William III and Mary II that originally held 13 fountains. However only one remains today.

The Tiltyard was a place for tournaments during the reign of King Henry VIII. Jousting, wrestling, and other sports were played on this site.


The Great Vine was planeted in 1768 and continues to produce crops every year.

The world-famous Hampton Court Palace Hedge Maze was planted sometime between 1689 and 1695 by George London and Henry Wise for William III of Orange. It covers a third of an acre and contains half a mile of paths. Some say that the maze in Alice and Wonderful was designed after these hedges.

Can we get a yard like this?

My parents thought it was so fun hanging out in the Hampton Court Gardens. This palace was filled with an abundance of things to do, see, and learn. If fact, there was so much to see that it had 4 jam-packed brochures . There was so much to learn that my parents decide to just kick back and have a blast in multitudes of gardens.

Here is dad posing with a statue of a English King. He looks like he could fill the part, don't you think?

Mom at the Vineyard covered breeze way leading to the oldest and largest vine in the entire world. Can you "see the light at the end of the tunnel?"

Dad trying to decide which way to go in the human-size maze. Mom said dad was super smart and found his way around the maze in no time! Go Dad!

Doesn't playing in the gardens look fun? Maybe we can landscape our backyard to look like this. What do you think? If you think we should, add a comment to this blog by clicking the blue COMMENT button below.

Life at Hampton Court

The visit to Hampton Court was full of things to see including King Henry VIII's State Apartments, the enormous 16th-century Tudor Kitchens that fed over 800 people a day, and the fabulous variety of gardens. The best part of all is that the palace looks and feels like it did over 500 years ago. As my parents toured the site, they were greeted by people who may have worked or lived on this royal estate long ago. Here are a few of the characters they meet on their journey:

Elizabeth Billingham - The "Mother of the Maids" who took care of the Queen's young maids of honour.

Dr Richard Coxe - Official tutor to Prince Edward, King Henry VIII's only son.

John Cheke - Fello fo St Johns' Cambringe who was brought in to teach Greek and Latin to Prince Edward. Note: In the picture, they are providing a lesson in jousting to the many vistors at the palace.

The Royal Sheep Dogs - My parents didn't see many dogs in London, except for those at the palace. I think it goes to show that dogs belong only to true royalty. My parents should feel lucky to have me!!!

***** DAY 4 *****

My parents 4th day was spectacular. It included one of their favorite sites that took a half-day trip to get to, but was definitely worth the train ride. Here's the exciting things they did on their 4th Day in England....

*Hampton Court Palace

* British Museum -- Part 1 (which you will see in later days to come)

* Harrod's -- Shopping Center

In the next few entries, you will see Hampton Court. It is a former royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon the Thames River. While there, my parents were able to discover one of the most well-known English monarchs of all time, King Henry VIII. Though many know him because of his 6 wives, others knew him to be flamboyant with his money and associate him with his majestic palace. My parents were so intrigued by the story, that when they returned home they started watching the TUDORS series on Showtime that my Grandma Diana recommended. That way I, Sawyer the Dog, can also learn about this King too. Sometimes my mom makes me close my eyes as he was a real "ladies man", but overall it is very inter sting. Check it out to see beautiful costumes and learn more about this famous king. http://www.sho.com/site/tudors/home.do

By the way, on this page are a few of the photos taken at Hampton Court. It includes the architecture on the outside as well as the inner courts filled with fountains that only guests could see. There is also a photo of the 16th century astronomical clock, which my parents got a rare up-close and personal view of due to the maintenance of the tower in which it stands. This clock is tells "the hour, month, day of the month, position of the sun in the ecliptic, 12 zodiac signs, numbers of of days that have elapsed since the beginning of year, phases of the moon, its age in the days, the hour in which it crosses the meridian, and therefore, the time of high water at London Bridge!"

If you want to learn and see more about this place, you can go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampton_Court as well as stay tuned for more blog entries to come.

Phantom of the Opera

For my parents second anniversary, they took a trip to London. To celebrate their special day, they went to the Phantom of the Opera at Her Majesty's Theatre. It just so happens that this was the original site of the play's release with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It has been playing there since Oct 8, 1986. During that 21 years, every performance has been sold out.

Here is a photo of the theatre, which is being renovated on the outside, as well as my parents at Piccadilly Circus afterwards. Photos were not allowed inside and it was strictly enforced. According to my parents, highlights of the show included:

Sitting in the second row near the middle.....adoring the beautiful and quaint historical theater......Seeing the Chandelier lifted above their heads (my dad could have stood up and touched it as it was so close) and later crashing down as if it was going to fall on them......seeing all the details of the elaborate costumes and make-up close up.....watching the smoke-illusioned lake fade away into the orchestra pit....and being together to celebrate their special night in such a special way!!!

National History Museum

With about an hour and a half of time, my parents thought they could rush through The Natural History Museum as it is "an international leader in the scientific study of the natural world" according to it's website http://www.nhm.ac.uk/index.html

Upon entering the musuem, you come face to face with an enormous dinsoaur.The musuem has a huge exhibit of dinosaur fossils. It just so happened that London has year round school and the children were out on "holiday." I think everyone in England thought to take their children to this particular museum to see all the dinosaurs. My parents say it was an unbelievable amount of children in one place all screening.... "dinosaurs, dinosaurs." Here are a few of the cool dinosaurs.

Leaving Windsor

Like I mentioned before, there are a lot of photos of Windsor. It was one of the highlights of my parents trip to London. Here are a few other things you can see in Windsor, the town:

From the Castle, you can see The King's College of Our Lady of Eton, commonly known as Eton College, founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. It's Princes William and Harry's college.

Just between the castle and train station is a small town and an outdoor shopping mall. My parents stopped to reflect on the beautiful town and the special acknowledgements of the Royal family like the family seal above the archway and the train dedicated to the Queen.

Though they had a wonderful time on their Anniversary trip to the Royal families home in Windsor Castle, they headed back on the train to Paddington Train Station to get ready for their anniversary dinner and show. They did take a few seconds to take a photo with Paddington Bear who originated from this very train station.

The Church at Windsor

Attached to Windsor Castle is St George's Chapel. It is suppose to be one of the most beautiful ecclesiastical buildings in England. Ten monarchs are buried there, including Henry VIII and Charles I. It is the official chapel of the Order of the Garter, which is "a medieval English order of chivalry or knighthood, and the pinnacle of the British honours system."

More Windsor Castle

While at Windsor, parents learned that the Queen was present. You can tell my looking at the flag that flies high above the castle. My mom was hoping to see the Queen, but the Tour Guide said she's worked there for years and rarely ever see her. My parents did get to see the lavishly firnished State Apartments that has some of the most beautiful paintings in the world by some of the most famous artist. They also got to see the Semi-State Rooms which were created by King George IV. My dad's favorite part was the entry room where royalty around the world enter when they come to visit the Royal Family. It had armour and weapontry displayed everywhere. My dad wanted to take a photo, but he was afraid of the Beefeaters that guarded the castle. He thought they might sieze him as they did in the olden days with their bow and arrows. (See the photo of the cross to the right...that is really a place where Beefeaters protected the castle)

Unlike my dad, my mom was not afraid of Beefeaters. Since she is somewhat of a princess herself, she realized that it was great time for a photo opp. Here she is with the guards and King George IV...well his statue that is.

***** DAY 3 *****

Day Three was my parents SECOND anniversary, which was Oct 22, 2007. The were able to do some very special things on Day 3 to celebrate such as....

Train trip to Windsor Castle

National History Museum
Phantom of the Opera

Windsor was one of the most exciting parts of my parents trip....in fact it will take at least two entry to show you all they saw. Windsor Castle is the Official Residence of Her Majesty the Queen. It is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. It was first established in the 11th century. The Queen is often there on weekends as well as for ceremonial and State occasions.

Here are a few views of the enormous castle and my mom at the train station that dropped her off outside. Stay toned for more photos of Windsor!!!

Jack the Ripper Walk

"He came silently out of the midnight shadows of August 31, 18888. Watching. Stalking. Butchering raddled, drink-sodden East End prostitutes. Leaving a trail of blood and gore that led...nowhere."

This excerpt is taken from the Jack the Ripper pamphlet that my parents showed me. They said that he is one of the most notorious serial killers of all time. My parents went on a tour in dark hours of the night to hear the stories, discover evidence, and check out the exact spot where the crimes took place. All of the evidence is gone, but one thing remains is that Jack the Ripper "got away with murder." If you want to know more details, you'll have to ask my parents because they didn't tell me because I'm still too young to learn about all the horrible things. Come on mom and dad...I'm a big dog....I can take it. I won't get scared. Well....okay I get scared at everything, but just try me.

The National Gallery

Noted as the 3rd best Museum in the World, The National Gallery is definitely a site to see in London. My parents stopped by the famous museum and saw works of art by Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh, Rembrant, Raphel, Michelangelo, and Monet. My parents were very familiar with these paintings, but were amazed by the paintings. Copies of the painting do not do justice for the details that can be seen in person. You can see each brush stroke along with all the dimensions planned and created by the artist. Since you can't take photos once inside since it would harm the painting, my parents had to take them outside. If you want to learn more about this site, go to www.national gallery.org.uk