After an amazing trip to Barcelona, it was time to head back to London for Ben and I. Having a full week in London for Ben meant we could actually get to do a lot of sightseeing of the city and beyond. The next day after getting back from Barcelona we decided to take it easy and see some not so touristy sights. Being one of the biggest soccer teams in England, Ben really wanted to see the Chelsea Football Club stadium which is right near my house in Fulham. So, we walked over to the stadium (which is literally a 10 min walk from where I live) and took pictures with the "team" as well as visit the club's store..which has about everything Chelsea that you could ever imagine, from shirts to dog bowls. From there we headed over to Regent's Park, one of the largest parks in London containing the Queen's gardens and the London Zoo. It was an absolutely beautiful park, like most here in London, with its beautiful floral gardens. Ben and I ended up just hanging out on one of the park benches just people watching which is always fun. After a little bit we took a stroll around the park and headed home for some serious sightseeing the next day.
Unfortunately I had to work the next morning but afterwards Ben and I headed to Westminster Abbey where rumor had it that Ben's great great grandfather was buried somewhere in there. Upon arrival though, we quickly found out many people were buried in the amazingly huge Gothic cathedral...about 3,000 actually. It was unbelievable the amount of crypts and tombs that laid everywhere around the Abbey. From the various tombs of Kings, Queens, writers, etc crypts we saw Queen Mary of Scots, Jane Austeen, T.S. Elliot, etc. as well as the coronation chair in which every royal has been crowned on since 1066 of William the Conquerer and the Poet's corner where many literary dignitaries are buried. We snapped a couple of pictures of the beautiful interior (although it was completely illegal and had to hide it from a man in a red cape going around yelling at people) and headed to an area of the Abbey called the cloister where a courtyard is that brings light into some of the Abbey's corridors. As we were walking, to my disbelief I pointed down at the ground to Ben where the words "Here Rest the Remains of James Lupton", Ben's great great grandfather. I think we had about given up at this point that we would ever find his name, but there it was with the sunlight coming in on it in the middle of the Abbey. It's an overwhelming feeling of emotion to see something like that and to know that Ben is the first in his family to actually see it in person. Later on in the day, we obviously googled James Lupton of Westminster Abbey and he was actually a choralier for the Church and a respected Reverend who did a lot for the Abbey. After giving Ben some time there, we left the Abbey after hearing the choir for a little bit and walked past St. Jame's park to Buckingham Palace. From there we ate at the pub I went to on my first day in London right in the middle of Westminster where we observed all the old men in suits and briefcases who were coming directly from work for drinks....only in London.
In the next couple of days we ventured to the Natural History Museum (which I was obviously excited about), Kensington, and Notting Hill. The Natural History Museum was nice with a lot of stuff dedicated to Darwin and tons of dinosaur stuff which I loved. The human body part had some very explicit pictures which we couldn't help but laugh at. But in all honesty, no where near as good as the Natural History Museum in New York City. Just the quality of the exhibits and stuff just didn't have the importance like most exhibits in New York. It was still fun and we definitely still enjoyed ourselves though.
One day during the week we decided to take a tour of Stonehenge and Bath, which is about two hours outside the city. I was really excited to see the Roman Baths and Stonehenge and felt like it was one of those things that you have to do while your in England. Our first stop was Stonehenge, which is literally in the middle of no where in the midst of the English countryside. The weather was windy and cold, which for some reason seemed like that's how it should of been when you see Stonehenge. We got an audio tour that explained how the project started about 5000 years ago and how the first stones were bluestones brought on rollers and sticks from Whales a little over 200 miles from the site. The thing about Stonehenge is although they seem to know a lot about how it was made, it still remains a mystery as to what its actual purpose was. Some believe it was a mix of science and religious use, due to how the sun hits the stones and the many burial sites around it. When you see it though, you can't help but wonder if its even something more than all of that...I mean it took heck of a lot work back then to just build a sun dial or gift to the gods when it seems like their were other ways of doing it. I also loved the fact that it was so prehistoric and that at home you can't find anything as old as that. After a half hour of circling Stonehenge in the wind and rain we headed back on the bus to go to Bath, the city of Britain's only hot springs and the Roman baths. On the way there we passed through the English countryside which is actually quite beautiful and makes you want to escape to a cottage out there for a week or two. Coming into Bath I was pleasantly surprised at how nice of a town it is with its old architecture and simplicity. Our bus took us around the city pointing out various sites without failing to mention that both Johnny Depp and Nicholas Cage have flats there. From there, we were brought to Bath Abbey and the entrance to the Roman Baths that were once used by the Romans for healing purposes...they even drank the stuff. Supposedly the hot springs healed the Duke of Canterbury's dogs skin disease and his leprosy, and therefore established it as some healing wonder. The museum to the baths was actually really cool with remnants from the original baths, Roman artifacts, and much of the original flooring. The actual bath still had to steam coming off of the water and if you got close enough to it you could feel the heat from it. After exploring the Roman baths we had free time to see the rest of the city so Ben and I just walked around and had lunch by the river. We both agreed how beautiful and quiet the city was, so different from the bustle of London. It was a nice getaway from it all and we were both glad decided to do it.
On Ben's last day in London it just so happen to be the 155th Oxford vs Cambridge boat race on the Thames River, which is considered one of the top 5 sporting events in the world (yes, even greater than OSU Michigan game, sorry guys). We headed down to the river with my housemates and soon realized the popularity of it. The streets surrounding the river were packed with people drinking and "tailgating" for the event. We got lucky enough to catch the boats as they were passing, in which Oxford ended up winning in the end. Afterwards we walked along the river to a pub where a huge outdoor party was taking place. The place was crazy with people from everywhere drinking and having a good time....except for the one drunk idiot who decided to climb a tree and almost fall to his death before hitting a branch. We had a great time and we ended up watching the sun go down on the river as the Oxford team rode by with their trophy in hand. It was a perfect end to Ben's stay, although there was no part of me that wanted him to leave the next day. I had my tearful goodbye at Heathrow the next morning as Ben headed home. Although I was sad, it was a nice breather to have Ben here in the middle of my stay here, it really refreshed me and made me realize again how great of an experience this all is. To share it with someone else was even better.
Anyways thanks to everyone who has wrote me e-mails and notes! I really appreciate it all. More updates coming soon...because its spring in London and everything is so beautiful!
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