{"id":2857,"date":"2015-11-30T01:32:55","date_gmt":"2015-11-30T04:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/?p=2857"},"modified":"2015-11-30T01:32:55","modified_gmt":"2015-11-30T04:32:55","slug":"happy-72-to-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/?p=2857","title":{"rendered":"Happy 72 to ME!"},"content":{"rendered":"

A decade ago Donny took me to Paris via London for my 62nd birthday. We covered a lot of ground in the two nights and one day that we were in London. I decided it would be fun to title my LiveJournal post about it all London in Six Hundred and Sixty-Two<\/span> minutes which of course we didn’t pace quite that fast but almost.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>

The London Eye makes a great halo!<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The condensed version<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Struggle out of bed
\n2. Eat complimentary hotel breakfast at 7th floor restaurant \u2013 great panoramic view looking west over the city
\n3. Buy bus ticket around the corner
\n4. Hop bus to London Bridge
\n5. Get bus map (finally) at London Bridge Station\/ big and bustling
\n6. Leave station; Donny asks about old cathedral close by; I say it must be a lesser place as it is not noted on my walking tour guide
\n7. Walk down Nancy\u2019s Steps (from Oliver Twist) to cathedral
\n8. Discover cathedral is Southwark, very important; Shakespeare\u2019s brother and John Harvard (university founder) both worshipped here
\n9. Get nice private tour talk from Welcomer lady
\n10. Walk to St Mary Overie Dock where replica of Golden Hinde (Sir Francis Drake\u2019s ship) is docked; very small, intimate place
\n11. Pass by rose window; remains of Bishop of Winchester\u2019s Palace
\n12. Pass by The Clink, BofW\u2019s personal prison
\n13. Continue walk along Thames, this whole area called Bankside; then outside London proper so not subject to city regulations
\n14. Have coffee at Starbucks next to Globe Theatre; not impressed with Globe
\n15. Finish coffee; walk round the corner; see real Globe; now impressed
\n16. Amazed at the three 17th century houses next door rather tucked away in the middle of all this commerce; they are for let; Provost Lodging
\n17. Note Cardinal\u2019s Cap Alley; very narrow walkway typical of the 1500\u2019s
\n18. Overwhelmed by Tate Gallery of Modern Art (will go inside another trip), partially housed in first London public power station; it is huge; we walk through garden
\n19. Cross Millennium Bridge; called wobbly bridge as it had to be closed for a year to fix constant wobbling that resulted from too many people on it at same time
\n20. Wonder about odd look of St Paul\u2019s; as we get closer discover we have been looking at cloth fa\u00e7ade covering sand blasting
\n21. Get city map from Tourist Information; at last a guide to the rest of London
\n22. Do not chose to pay fee to see St Paul\u2019s inside; walk through garden
\n23. Head back toward Thames; pass St Andrew\u2019s By-The-Wardrobe
\n24. Pass Blackfriars Bridge; walking is fun but the levels and lack of pedestrian crosswalks in places make it challenging; I tell Donny we need a 3-D map too
\n25. Find the river walk; pass many war memorials
\n26. Pass Somerset House
\n27. Pass Charing Cross Station
\n28. Marvel at Obelisk and history of it; make friends here with a lone tourist that we photograph on his camera phone in front of the adjacent Sphinx; he takes our picture
\n29. Pause across from the Eye; Donny takes my picture with it as my halo; see our friend and take his picture with Eye; decide not to cross over to find out why it is not running (even at night we never catch it running)
\n30. Approach Big Ben and House of Parliament
\n31. Turn away from river at Westminster Bridge
\n32. Circle Parliament Square noting protest signs
\n33. Walk around Westminster Abbey; do not pay to go in
\n34. Pass Jewel Tower which looks interesting but it is getting toward dusk and we have more to see
\n35. Confused about where Diana got married (I think St Paul\u2019s as the steps are better for showing off the gown) we also cannot decide where her funeral service was held; Donny thinks he remembers a walk from Buckingham
\n36. Walk on to Westminster Cathedral which I have noticed on the map near Buckingham so maybe the service was here
\n37. Arrive at this Roman Catholic place of worship so beautiful in its red Byzantine style after walk down Victoria St
\n38. Photo interesting huge (wider than the church) flag spread out in cathedral outside entry courtyard (it is gone by the time we leave)
\n39. Happy there is no fee we go in; contributions to offset the daily operating costs (L3000) are welcome
\n40. Stop at adjacent McDonald\u2019s (at the separate \u201cMcD\u2019s Caf\u00e9\u201d inside) for bathroom break
\n41. Need to shop for some gloves for Donny; we are in a shopping district and it flows toward Buckingham Palace; but no gloves are found here
\n42. Reach Buckingham Palace as a car is entering; much searching is going on; it is now dark and the whole scene is very clandestine-like
\n43. Have to backtrack on ourselves to simply cross the street to walk down The Mall
\n44. Walk down The Mall past St James Park toward Trafalgar Square; it is dark
\n45. Intend to see the tree in Trafalgar Square (which was lit yesterday) by night we come upon it just as we planned (it is tall but skinny)
\n46. Go inside St Martin\u2019s in the Field which is diagonally across from the square
\n47. Hungry, we dine amongst the dead in the Crypt Caf\u00e9; we have stumbled upon the best in London for church meals; it is equal to a five star restaurant
\n48. Hustled out (but we did get to eat at a nice pace) because a sold out concert is about to start and the cafe is closing
\n49. Buy expensive StM\u2019s academy and chorus Christmas cd in the bookstore as it is closing (the partially pulled down metal security doorway, literally, on Donny\u2019s head as he walks into it leaving \u2013 nice bruise, no blood)
\n50. Head for Covent Garden which is supposed to be beautiful at night
\n51. Climb Duke of York steps
\n52. Consider theater tickets at Leicester Square
\n53. Would go to Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart but starts 6\/12 (6 December)
\n54. Have been stopped three times(including once by a bus driver) for directions; we pass for Brits
\n55. Find gloves at a shop (Next) in Covent Garden
\n56. Weave our way through narrow cobblestone walkwaysinto the square
\n57. Photo tree from good side; side without garishly lit Santa (note Covent Garden literature also photos non-Santa side)
\n58. Aim for bus stop
\n59. Board bus to Shoreditch (Globe Theatre originally in this district) and hotel
\n60. Arrive at St Gregory
\n61. Shower and pack for early departure
\n62. Happy Birthday #62<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A decade ago Donny took me to Paris via London for my 62nd birthday. We covered a lot of ground in the two nights and one day that we were in London. I decided it would be fun to title … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[70,266],"tags":[423],"class_list":["post-2857","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family","category-travel","tag-london"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5CT4u-K5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2462,"url":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/?p=2462","url_meta":{"origin":2857,"position":0},"title":"Castle in the Clouds and an Irish Jig or Two","author":"sandy jett ball","date":"October 1, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Ireland Day 6 September 2005 So far today I have managed to sleep in again. Becki has a school trip on her schedule with John and Chris. The guys are not due at the theater until 1:30. The madrigals will sing before the matinee show of Elizabeth R. Donny wakes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ireland"","block_context":{"text":"Ireland","link":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/?cat=337"},"img":{"alt_text":"dressing room","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandybeachgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/dressing-room-300x200.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2492,"url":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/?p=2492","url_meta":{"origin":2857,"position":1},"title":"Kissing THE Blarney Stone","author":"sandy jett ball","date":"October 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Ireland Day 8, September 2005 Today we are venturing off on our own. There is a bus with room for us on it going to Blarney and Cork, the same places we are headed for, but we have rented the car for the week and we want to get some\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ireland"","block_context":{"text":"Ireland","link":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/?cat=337"},"img":{"alt_text":"more cork","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandybeachgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/more-cork-300x218.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2406,"url":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/?p=2406","url_meta":{"origin":2857,"position":2},"title":"Y’all would LOVE Youghal","author":"sandy jett ball","date":"September 28, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Ireland Day Four September 2005 It\u2019s a typical Irish day today, cloudy and rainy, although we are told the weather is still unseasonably warm and has been all summer. But no one is complaining. Winter in Ireland is hard and that will be here soon enough. Becki & I have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ireland"","block_context":{"text":"Ireland","link":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/?cat=337"},"img":{"alt_text":"top of youghal","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandybeachgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/top-of-youghal-300x218.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2298,"url":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/?p=2298","url_meta":{"origin":2857,"position":3},"title":"Happy Birthday Bill One Decade AGO","author":"sandy jett ball","date":"September 24, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I started this post with the intention of highlighting the trip to Ireland that Bill, Becki, Donny & I took in the fall of 2005. But then trying to recall facts, Donny reminds me that it's all in my LiveJournal entries about the trip. I tell him that I'm not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ireland"","block_context":{"text":"Ireland","link":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/?cat=337"},"img":{"alt_text":"red bag of courage","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandybeachgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/red-bag-of-courage-300x218.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1110,"url":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/?p=1110","url_meta":{"origin":2857,"position":4},"title":"We TRIP Through Germany","author":"sandy jett ball","date":"April 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\"The suitcase. We left it on the bus!\" Stephen rushes up to the bus door pounding on it before the driver can pull away. We, Mom, middlemost child Stephen and myself, are in Germany only a few hours and already the comedy of errors is in full swing. We have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Bavaria"","block_context":{"text":"Bavaria","link":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/?cat=269"},"img":{"alt_text":"plans","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandybeachgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/plans-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2757,"url":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/?p=2757","url_meta":{"origin":2857,"position":5},"title":"JUST One Mile LEFT","author":"sandy jett ball","date":"November 24, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Do not let that bus through!\" Suzanne and I are in Manteo, the high school track is within reach of our bone tired bodies. As we approach the last intersection, we both silently beg the traffic officer to let us pass before allowing the bus to cross. We cannot bear\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Running"","block_context":{"text":"Running","link":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/?cat=123"},"img":{"alt_text":"us marathon","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sandybeachgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/us-marathon.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2857","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2857"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2859,"href":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2857\/revisions\/2859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sandybeachgirl.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}