Marrakesh - October 29, 2013

This morning we had an exciting time as we approached Casablanca, Morocco.  We were in bed around 6 AM and the ship began to do some tremendous rolls from side to side.  We could hear glasses breaking and things falling down.  We stayed in bed until the rolling stopped.  When we got up and looked in the living room there were broken dishes and glasses from our wet bar and the flowers had all toppled over.  It was time for us to get up anyway to be ready for our tour so we dressed and went out to see what was happening.  There were huge rollers coming ashore in Casablanca and evidently when the ship turned to come in to the port it got caught in them.  Unfortunately, it was a mess for the crew.  All the dining venues had their tables set up for breakfast and much of the glassware and china was broken. They quickly set up some pastries and coffee for those of us leaving early.  The crew is remarkable.  By the time we returned this evening,  everything was back to normal.  We did see Chef Rafael in the dining room this evening and I asked him about the breakage.  When he took us on our galley tour the other day he mentioned that he has a breakage allowance of $20,000 per month.  He told us this morning’s rolls used up several months’ worth.

So on to the day.  We docked in Casablanca next to what must be most of the Moroccan navy.  Al said he counted 25 ships. This is the largest port in Morocco and it looked busy.  We went ashore and boarded our bus to Marrakesh.  It was not the Marrakesh Express of song fame, but it was a full-size touring bus that holds 40 or 50 people.  We were only 18.  Off we went with our guide Mo (short for Mohammed) and his driver and security person sidekicks. Mo first took us on a mini-tour of Casablanca.  Most notable was the King Hassan II Mosque.  This is a spectacular edifice completed in 1993.  It’s the largest mosque in the country and the seventh largest in the world.  The minaret is the world’s tallest with a height of 689 feet.  The building sits by the sea and, in fact, the sea can be seen from the floor of the main hall.  The building, which has a retractable roof, can hold 25,000 inside and another 80,000 on the grounds outside.  It was impressive.  After passing through some areas with lovely homes and a bunch of McDonald’s we headed southeast  on the autostrada to Marrakesh.

The Minaret and Mosque of Hassan II

This is where we found that our expectation about the journey were completely off.  I expected to leave the city of 6 million people (didn’t know there were that many) and ride into Lawrence of Arabia land.  Instead of desolate desert, for most of our 210 km journey we passed through very agricultural land.  There were farms cultivated in rye, wheat, barley, lentils, carrots, potatoes, etc.  There were millions of olive trees and large groves of citrus tress.  There were also lots of pomegranates with many vendors selling them along the road.  Two of the more interesting crops are a tree called Argan and the prickly pear cactus.  The Argan produces a nut which is used to make an oil that supposedly helps with dieting, keeping skin looking soft and young and generally acts as a miracle elixir.  The prickly pear is supposed to be an immediate remedy for stomach and intestinal tract upsets. Only the last hour of our 2.5 hour drive was through more barren land.  But that won’t be for long because the government has a program to plant a million more olive trees each year, plus 75,000 more orange and other citrus trees.

After a long but interesting ride we arrived at our destination, Marrakesh.

Marrakesh is the fourth largest city in Morocco and the most important of the country’s four former imperial cities.  The population numbers about 3 million. The area has been inhabited from Neolithic times  by Berber farmers.  The city itself was founded in 1062. The walls of the city and many of the buildings within are constructed in red sandstone giving Marrakesh the name “The Red City.” Its location near the foothills of the Atlas Mountains and its rapid growth helped it to become a cultural, religious and trading center for the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa.  The main square, Jemaa el-Fnaa became one of the busiest in Africa.  Today it’s the home of the largest traditional Berber market or souk in Morocco.

Our first stop was lunch in the Dar Rhizlane Hotel.  Marrakesh has a number of ultra-deluxe hotels catering to the Hollywood  and entertainment glitterati.  This hotel was one of those. We  had basically a Moroccan style lunch in a beautiful garden that smelled like roses and bougainvillea.  They brought us so many dishes it was hard to try them all. There were lamb kebabs, and beef and onion patties.  There was grilled chicken and Moroccan chicken cooked with peas.  We had grilled veggies, a salad with citrus and pomegranate and couscous with vegetables.  There was something that looked like egg rolls, but were actually rolls filled with spiced meat.  And there were lots of different Moroccan breads including a kind of naan.  To drink we had both red and white Moroccan wines, both good. Dessert was 2 wonderful fresh fruit tarts and a glass of mint tea.  I think we were all impressed. 

Garden of the Dar Rhizlane Hotel where we had lunch

Then it was off for our tour.  Our first stop was the Bahia Palace. To get there we did make a short walk through a Jewish souk, or market.  According to Mo, our guide, there is still a pretty thriving Jewish population in Marrakesh.  Many came after being expelled from Spain 500 years ago.  The souk was full of stalls selling spices and the smells were incredible.  On to the palace.  The Bahia Palace was built in the late 19^th century for a Grand Vizier and to accommodate his 4 wives and 24 concubines.  The rooms are typical of a Moorish style palace with rooms built around central courtyards each of which had a fountain.  The walls are decorated in beautiful mosaics and the ceilings are constructed of decorated cedar wood.    The bedroom of the Vizier’s favorite wife had something I don’t remember seeing in other Moorish palaces I’ve seen.  There were stained glass windows up around the ceiling.

An elaborately decorated ceiling

Some of the beautiful wall decoration in a palace courtyard

Next stop was the Medina or old city within the walls.  We got off the bus and began a walk through the Jemaa-el Fnaa square on our way to the souks and Kasbahs surrounding the square.  What followed was a couple of hours of absolute sensory overload.  In the square itself there were snake charmers, performers, vendors of all kinds, horse carriages, scooters, what seemed to be half the population of Marrakesh with a healthy portion of tourists thrown in, and finally an energetic Moroccan band playing what I assume is typical music and with a dancer who never seemed to stop.  As we walked through the souks and Kasbah they were selling all kinds of leather goods, fabrics, silver, food, musical instruments, and whatever else you can imagine.  We saw women in burkhas with only their eyes showing and immediately behind them women with shorts and much of their breasts hanging out.  The crowds were unbelievable.  Mo had picked up a local fellow who followed along behind us and was our “security.”  He literally did keep people from getting close enough to pick our pockets.  I don’t know what we expected, but I can tell you it was an extraordinary experience and day.

Olives anyone?

The middle of the Kasbah

The man in the jacket was our security keeping on eye on the people around us

Jemaa el-Fnaa square where there was more to see than my brain could handle

As the sun was setting, we boarded our bus for the return trip to Casablanca.  It was close to 9 PM when we got to the city and the traffic was horrendous.  Lanes and traffic lights are really only suggestions.  We were sitting behind the driver and next to Mo who was truly a back seat driver.  I wish I could have understood the Arabic conversation because it had to have been comical.  He was clearly telling the driver “go into this lane or that one” and periodically he would say loudly “Claxon” which had to mean blow your horn.  They loved using the horn!  We arrived back at the ship right at 9 PM.  The staff kept the restaurant open for us and we had a lovely dinner.  When we sailed out of the harbor we encountered the rollers again.  This time the crew was prepared.  We headed into them instead of side to them.  In the dining room the tables not in use had all been cleared and the serving stations had all been shrink-wrapped.

Insane evening traffic in Casablanca

All in all today was a lovely and very interesting day.  Tomorrow we get a day of rest at sea.

Sailing from Gibraltar in Style - 10/28/13

Bye, bye Gibraltar!

After a great day ashore and an opportunity to catch up on e-mails and my blog, we sailed away around 5:00 PM our time.  This sailaway was different from any we’ve experienced before.  The captain came on the PA system and told us we’d be having a Champagne and Caviar sailaway with classical music.  We went up to Deck 8 and, sure enough, we had exactly that.  We had two very good coloratura sopranos who sang some wonderful arias.  On both sides of the deck, stations were set up where Rafael, the executive chef we met yesterday, and one of his Sous Chefs were dishing out Ossetra caviar while waiters passed around  champagne.  We paid attention to the views as we left Gibraltar behind, but I’m not sure anyone else did.  Internet is spotty again so I’ll try to post some photos later,

Champagne

And caviar (note the 4 kilo tin on the left)

Gibraltar

First stop is the Rock of Gibraltar.  This is  a British Overseas Territory which lies at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula and the entrance to the Mediterranean.  It became a part of Great Britain about 300 years ago when the Treaty of Utrecht ceded it in perpetuity to the British in 1713.  In Gorham’s Cave, one of numerous caves on the Rock, evidence has been found of Neanderthal habitation between 128,000 and 24,000 BC.  That makes it one of the last bastions of the Neanderthals. In recorded history the first inhabitants were the Phoenicians and Gibraltar came to be known as the Pillars of Hercules.  Much of the Rock’s upper area is a nature reserve and the home of the famous apes of Gibraltar, the Barbary Macaques.

The name Gibraltar has an interesting origin.  The Moorish leader who first came here was Tarik and the place was named Gibel Tarik. Gib meant hill in Arabic so this was Tarik’s Hill.  Over the centuries the name evolved to Gibraltar.

Today we our tour took us from one end of the Rock to the other and from top to bottom.  Our guide Sergio was born and raised here.  Since we were too early to go immediately to the cable car, our first order of business was a minibus ride completely around.  On the eastern side we went to Catalan Bay which was settled by fishing families from Genoa.  There was a small but very pretty beach with a hotel and a number of lovely homes overlooking the bay.  Next, we rode through a tunnel constructed in 1964 which took us to the southernmost point, Europa Point.  There’s a lighthouse there and from the point you can see the Rift Mountains of Morocco across the strait 13 miles away.  It is a unique spot because from there you can see 3 countries (Spain, Morocco and the United Kingdom – represented by Gibraltar), two continents (Europe and Africa), one sea (the Mediterranean) and the Atlantic Ocean.

Europa Point Lighthouse

Gibraltar is comprised of limestone primarily and when they say “as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar” it’s misleading.  There are actually 35 miles of tunnels dug into Gibraltar, most for defensive purposes.  Some were used for storage of munitions at various times in history and others were used to access large guns and cannons placed for defense.  One of the tunnels we visited, the Siege Tunnel was built in 1779 when Britain was fighting France and Spain.  It is actually incredible that with equipment available at that time they were able to excavate the tunnel and haul in such massive cannon.

After our bus ride, we went to the cable car and took a ride to the top of the Rock.  The views are breathtaking.  The mist was burning off and it gave an almost magical look to some of the vistas.  We saw a few of the apes up there, but were treated to more of a show when we got off the cable car halfway down at the ape house.  There our bus was waiting for us and several of the creatures were on top of the vehicles, hanging on the mirrors or just jumping around.  They are protected and all tattooed for identification purposes.  They are actually able to live on their own, but Winston Churchill decreed that they should be fed, and so they are to this day.

An ape admiring himself

After our ride back to the Watergate and the central square, we decided to stay in town.  We bought a few postcards and had fish and chips at Roy’s Place, which was recommended to us by one of the shopkeepers.  He gave us good advice – the fish and chips were delicious.  Then we walked back to the ship.  The internet connection is good so I’m taking advantage of the opportunity to catch up.

Enjoying a beer while waiting for our fish and chips

Tomorrow we’ll be in Morocco and we’re off to Marrakech.

10/26 – 10/27/13 - Boarding and a Day at Sea

Saturday morning we had a leisurely breakfast and then checked out of our hotel.  The day was not as sunny as the previous few had been but still pleasant and no rain.  The cruise line sent a car and driver to pick us up and take us to the ship.  Getting all our luggage in was a challenge but we made it.  Check-in was easy and we were quickly onboard.  Our suite was ready so we dropped our things off before going to the Colonnade, the casual restaurant.  It’s up on Deck 8 and has both indoor and outdoor seating.  Boarding day there was a nice buffet with a large variety of both hot and cold foods.  Wine flows freely!

After lunch we found our luggage already delivered so we unpacked.  There is lots of storage space and as quickly as we unpacked a bag Natalie, our cabin stewardess whisked it away to be returned when we’re ready to pack.

Our cabin is fantastic!  We have a living room with dining area, a bedroom, a butler’s pantry, a bath with double Jacuzzi and a walk-in shower, a half bath, a conservatory which is an enclosed balcony with a tub and daybed, and a veranda.  We've never had a cabin like this; it's truly luxurious.  I can’t wait to enjoy it on the sea days to come.

Our living-dining room with the wet bar on the right

Double jacuzzi tub

Walk-in shower

The conservatory with tub and daybed

Our veranda

Sunday, the 27^th was our day at sea traveling down the coast of Spain for arrival in Gibraltar on Monday morning.  The sea has been like glass all day with bright blue skies.  This morning we went to hear one of the speakers on the voyage.  He is Tony Mendes, the man behind the movie Argo.  He was the CIA agent who planned the rescue of the 6 Americans who had escaped from our embassy in Tehran and were given asylum in the Canadian embassy until their rescue.  He will speak again on our next sea day, but let me tell you, he must have been a very audacious man to plan the operation that was done successfully!

In the afternoon we were invited to take a tour of the Main Galley with the Executive Chef, Rafael Peterkovic.  There were only 7 of us so it was a very personalized visit.  While not as large as the galleys we’ve seen on our previous cruises, this one was equally impressive.  Something I found particularly noteworthy is that each entrée is cooked to order.  As a matter of fact, the food so far has been outstanding.  Last night was our first formal night.  The meal began with Ossetra caviar if you wanted it and continued on with broiled Maine lobster and delicious Beef Wellington.

The bread bakery

Chef Rafael in the Galley

After a full day, it was time for bed since we have an early wake-up call tomorrow for our trip of Gibraltar.

One other thing, the internet is very slow, particularly for uploading photos.  I’ll try but I’m sure when we’re on our way south in the Atlantic, it may prove problematic.

Besalú and the Dalí Museum in Figueres - 10/25/13

This morning we were up early because we had to meet our driver Daniel and guide Montse (short for Montserrat) at 9AM.  On today’s agenda were a trip north, nearly to the French border to Besalú and Figueres.

Besalú is a charming and peaceful medieval town at the confluence of the Riu Fluvia and the  Riera Capellades.  The origin  of the town is its castle which is documented to have been there at least since the 10^th century.  At one time Besalú was the capital of an independent county but it lost its importance after one of the counts died leaving no successor.  The town played a part in the Catholic reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula after the Moors had pushed across the Pyrenees into France all the way to Poitiers.  Besalú became one of the fortresses guarding the path across the mountains.

The town is most famous for its Jewish miqwah which was discovered unexpectedly in 1964.  A miqwah (or mikwah) was a ritual cleansing pool usually located below ground level with no piping or channeling  so it could be filled with water from a fountain or river.  This one is the only building of its kind found in Spain and the third largest of the ten that have been conserved in Europe.  It’s constructed in hewn stone in the Romanesque style and is located below what documents dating to 1264 show was once a synagogue.  There was evidently a thriving Jewish community in the town under the protection of the king whose personal physician was a Jewish doctor.

The Miqwah Pool

Also worth seeing is the Church of Sant Vicenç.  Records show the church in existence as early as 977.  It too is a Romanesque construction with certain elements showing a transition to Gothic architecture.  The entrance to the town is via a spectacular old bridge.  The bridge has seven arches and has a dogleg layout because the support pillars for the arches are sited on natural rocks in the riverbed.  It’s 105 meters long and has a sentry tower about midway.  The bridge has been rebuilt several times, most recently after being dynamited during the Spanish Civil Was.  When it was rebuilt it was done under the supervision of an Architectural Board so that it would be true to style.

The bridge to Besalú

Al & Montse, our guide

Our next stop was the city of Figueres, birthplace of Salvador Dalí  and home of the Dalí Theatre Museum. Dalí is the famous Spanish surrealist painter born in 1904.  The museum is located in the former Municipal Theatre of Figueres.  The building was all but destroyed in the Spanish Civil War.  Dalí decided he wanted to have his museum on that site because as he said he was 1) a very theatrical painter, 2) it is across the street from the church where he was baptized and 3) because his first exhibition was In the lobby of the theatre before its destruction.  He supervised the construction personally.  The exterior of the building is very fanciful.  It’s pink with lots of gold painted loaves of bread plastered to the walls.  Along the roofline are golden statues which reminded me of Oscars.

Inside the museum is just as unusual.  A lot of Dalí’s art has many layers of meanings.  There were a number of paintings in which one could see different things when looked at with the naked eye or through the viewfinder of a camera.  One of the stranger ones was a painting he did by flogging an octopus on a canvas.  Some of the painting is octopus ink, some of it paint.  One can see Dalí’s foot prints are on there.  Visible through the camera is a face.  Across the central courtyard is another painting which looks like a woman but when seen through the camera there is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln.  Very strange!   Many of the paintings are of Dalí’s wife Gala.  I have always thought of Dalí as a surrealist but two of the most beautiful paintings in the collection at the museum are two realist paintings, one of Gala and one of a basket with a loaf of bread.  They are incredible!  They could have been photographs; they are so wonderfully done.  Years ago I volunteered at an elementary school and taught kids about some of the great masters.  One of their favorites always seemed to be Dalí and especially his masterpiece “The Persistence of Memory.” That one is in New York, but an earlier study is in the museum in Figueres and it was interesting to see and think about the evolution that became perhaps his most famous work.

The multi-layered painting made using an octopus

After a great day we went back to Barcelona.  Daniel was a great driver and Montse was a fantastic guide!  As we were returning to our hotel she told us that around the corner was a good restaurant.  We decided to give it a try so we dined at Bar Lobo, literally around the corner and in the same building as our hotel.  We sat at a table outside in a little square and watched the world go by.  It was a wonderful evening.  Thank you for the recommendation, Montse!

Well, tomorrow we begin our voyage on the Quest. More later.

Fish, Galleys and a Harbor Cruise

After a great night’s sleep we awoke to another warm and sunny day.  They are having Indian Summer  in Barcelona.  We’ve seen many of the obligatory sights here so we decided to try something different.  We walked down La Rambla to the port and found the Barcelona Aquarium.  Opened in 1995 it is the largest in the world concerning Mediterranean  sea life.  With 35 tanks,  11,000 animals and 450 different species there is a lot to see.  One of the most interesting parts of the aquarium is an 80 meter long tunnel through a 1.6 million gallon Oceanarium.  As we walked through it with schools of fish cruising above and beside us I was struck by how much they reminded me of the people strolling along La Rambla.  All just going with the flow.

We were glad he was on his side of the glass!

We stopped for a drink at a café before crossing a little bridge to the circle commemorating Christopher Columbus.  Along the bridge walkway a lot of vendors had set up their wares on large clothes.  Most of them looked like they were from Senegal and their merchandise was pretty much all priced at 1 euro.  They’re illegal vendors and it was something to watch what happened if a policeman approached.  The signal was passed from one to the next and they gathered the corners of the cloth, bundled their wares and took off quickly.  After the police passed, they materialized again and set up shop.  We didn’t see any buying going on, but it was interesting to watch.

Our next stop was across the Columbus circle on Avenida de les Drassanes.  We decided to visit the Maritime Museum.  The place is undergoing renovations but there is still a small exhibit.  The museum is housed in what was a former royal shipyard and arsenal.  The building itself was worth seeing.  The premier exhibit is a full size replica of the royal galley Real from the 16^th century.  It was part of the Christian fleet that defeated the Ottomans at the Battle of Lepanto and the flagship of the commander Don Juan of Austria.   The ship was powered by sail when possible but otherwise by 59 oarsmen (galley slaves).  The bow and stern were incredibly ornate. They are covered in gilt with fanciful carvings and paintings.  I doubt the life of  oarsmen or other crew was very good though.  Aside from the replica only a few other artifacts are available as the renovations proceed.  When they are complete I think we would go back.

The very ornate stern of the galley Real

The bow and a view of the immense arches in the shipyard building

It was still fairly early so we decided to take a port and coastal cruise.  It was a lovely calm day as we exited out of the harbor and ran up the coast a little way.  There were quite a few people on the beaches given that it’s late October.  We were far enough offshore that we couldn’t tell if there were people swimming in the Mediterranean but they were surely enjoying the sunshine.  The boat went north past the Olympic yacht basin to a large solar array built on the shoreline.  Then we headed back to the harbor.  We spent a pleasant several hours enjoying Barcelona’s maritime connections before walking back up La Rambla to our home away from home.

The Barcelona shore

We had a very different dining experience for dinner from anything we’d done on previous visits.  We went to a restaurant called Con Gracia which we read about in a travel magazine and on Trip Advisor.  I had asked the concierge at our hotel if  we needed to take a taxi there.  She indicated it was too far to walk but we could also opt to take the Metro.  Thank goodness we didn’t!  This place was on a street that was little more than an alley and had we ridden the Metro we would probably still be wandering around trying to find it.  Anyway, the restaurant only seats 24 people and there are two choices for dinner – a tasting menu listed on a sheet you get or a surprise tasting menu.  We decided to be surprised.  What followed was a unique experience with some traditional ingredients like tuna and beef but with herbs and spices which made the tastes truly unlike anything we'd tasted before. If I had to describe it I would call it an Asian-Catalan fusion.  We enjoyed it, but I think we actually prefer a more typical Catalan experience at a tapas place. 

After a full day it was off to bed.  We have an early wake-up call since we have a full day tour planned.  More later.

Óla Barcelona! - 10/23/13

Our flight to Barcelona was uneventful.  British Airways does a nice job I think.  Despite the fact that our flight was only an hour and forty-five minutes long, they served us brunch.  Our bags came quickly and Raul, our driver was waiting. Traffic was good so we were at our hotel , the Hotel 1898, in no time and found our room ready for us.  Our room is spacious with a bath and a half.  Here’s a view from the living room area.

The Hotel 1898 is directly on La Rambla about one block from the Boqueria Market, one of our favorite places.  A little bit about La Rambla is in order.  La Rambla is a tree-lined pedestrian street which runs from the Placa Catalunya (one of the principal plazas in the city) down to the Port Vell, the main port of Barcelona.  Traffic runs on both sides of the center walkway.  The street was originally a sewage filled river running down from the medieval walled city.  In the late 14^th century the walls were extended and the river was diverted.  The old riverbed gradually became the busy street it is now.  Along its one mile length are various vendors selling flowers, gelato, and souvenirs.  There are also many cafes along the way.  There used to be many street performers,  a lot of them mimes, but they have been moved out.    The place had a reputation for being a pickpocket’s heaven. We’ve never had a problem but apparently the city authorities decided to remove the performers in order to lessen the chance of crime. La Rambla is a great place to sit, have a drink and people watch.

We headed out to the market to see the sights. The produce, meats, seafood, spices and lots of other foods  available are incredible.   It’s mushroom season now and the variey and size were  amazing.  It’s definitely a place worth visiting!

We finished the day  at the rooftop terrace of our hotel with a drink or two.  The view from the terrace is spectacular and at sunset the colors of the city are constantly changing.  For dinner we went to a favorite tapas place in the nearby Gothic Quarter.

 

Cupola of a nearby church from the Hotel 1898 rooftop

Traveling to Barcelona

Since the better part of today will be spent traveling from London to Barcelona, I thought I’d talk about packing.  We belong to the group of Classic Overpackers. 

Just as we have the cardinal shopping rule for travelers (Charge It-Ship It), we have 2 basic rules for packing.  First is the “What if rule.”  Second is the  “We don’t travel to report on great self-laundry facilities we have seen.”  I think I inherited from my mother the first rule.  You never know what strange malady you may run into.  Hence we bring some of everything in the medicine cabinet.  Likewise I never travel without my roll of duct tape.  It can be useful for so many things.  Unfortunately it’s also pretty bulky and heavy.  I guess I could make a fashion statement and wear it as a bracelet.  The second rule complicates the amount of clothing we haul with us.  On our cruises recently we’ve had access to free laundry services which always came back the next day.  That meant if we packed enough clothing for our days pre-cruise plus 2 extra, we would be good to go.  On this trip we’re spending a week ashore first and since we’ve never been on Seabourn we have no idea if their laundry will be as efficient.  Add to that the fact that we’re traveling from cooler London to warm Rio where you don’t even need to wear clothes on the beach, unless you count a thong. So we prepared for all climates.  And then there is dinner clothing on the ship.  There are formal, elegant casual, country club casual, and whatever else they come up with.  The upshot is we have four large suitcases and two big carryons. 

I did have a moment of revelation as I packed at home.  We always make a list of things we need to pack.  I  try to pack so we don’t have to open all our suitcases during the land portion.  That nevaer seems to have worked before.  There was always something tucked away in another bag.  This time it hit me that I needed two lists.  The things to pack list and a list of what’s in each suitcase.  So I’ve attached a numbered sticker to each bag and I made a list of everything that went in each suitcase as I placed it there.  That’s worked really well and we haven’t needed to open every one.  It only took 60 plus years to figure that one out.  I’m learning.

So now we sit in the British Airways lounge waiting for our flight.  Al is feeling better.  The weather looks good and hopefully the day will be uneventful.  More later.

London - Change in Plans

Unfortunately, today we had to change our plans and have a day of rest.  Al’s foot had been bothering him the last two days but he had been marching along anyway.  This morning, though, he awoke with Henry VIII’s revenge (or maybe it was Anne Boleyn’s).  We decided it was best to  take a break.  We’ll come to London again so there will be other opportunities to see more.  Instead we stayed in the hotel and began our Scrabble tournament  for this year.    It’s late afternoon and I think he’s feeling better. 

Since there isn’t much of anything to tell about what we did, I thought I’d write about  a couple of the historic anecdotes our guide told us yesterday.  The first  person of note to be removed from the Tower and taken up to Tower Hill for public execution was one Simon Sudbury, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1381.  In addition to being the Archbishop he was also the Lord Chancellor of England.  Evidently he was largely responsible for introducing a poll tax and was therefore wildly unpopular.  Rebellious peasants destroyed some of his property and Sudbury sought refuge in the Tower of London.  Apparently the guards weren’t too happy about the tax either because they allowed the rebels through the gates.  The Archbishop was dragged from the castle, up Tower Hill and executed.  Clearly taxes weren’t any more popular in the 14th century than they are today, but we seem to have learned to curb our more violent instincts.

The second story Yeoman Warder Duncan told us is one of true love.  William Maxwell, the 5^th Earl of Nithsdale was a Scottish earl who was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death for his part in an uprising against the king.  On the night before the day he was to be executed (February 24, 1716), his wife Lady Winifred and two of her maids were allowed to make a last visit to him in the Tower.  Unbeknownst to the guards they had hidden a set of woman’s clothing beneath their own clothes.  The Earl dressed as a woman and left with the two maids leaving his wife behind in his cell.  For the next hour the Countess carried on a conversation ostensibly with her husband in case the guard was eavesdropping.  After she thought a sufficient amount of time had passed to insure her husband was out of the Tower she began to loudly wail and cry and asked to leave his cell.  She told the guard her husband wanted to spend the next hour in prayer because of his imminent death and she tearfully beseeched him to allow the Earl to be alone with his God for that time.  Unable to deny the crying woman the guard agreed and the lady left.  She met her husband  outside the Tower and they fled to Rome where they spent the rest of their lives.  We wondered what happened to the hapless guard when the escape was discovered.  Hopefully he didn’t have to take the Earl’s place.

Well, tomorrow we’re off on the next leg of our journey.  Barcelona, here we come!  More later.

London – The Tower of London and the Churchill War rooms with afternoon tea thrown in

After a good night’s sleep we awoke to what  looked like a drizzly day.  On our agenda were the Tower and the Churchill War Rooms for which I had bought tickets online.  Just a note, I wasn’t sure when I bought them if we could qualify for Senior citizen tickets since we were not UK residents, so I purchased regular ones.  It turns out we are eligible and I’ll remember that in the future.

Anyway, after breakfast we were off on the Underground to the Tower.  Another aside, we love the “tube.”  It’s easy to use and a great people-watching place.  When we arrived at Tower Hill it was misting, but that stopped quickly.  Eventually as the day progressed the sun broke out and it was quite lovely.  We decided to take a tour with one of the “Beefeaters” and it was great that we did. 

Our guide was Yeoman Warder (that’s their official title) Jim Duncan and he was a very engaging fellow.  Lots of people have been to the Tower and know much about the jewels, regalia and history of the place, but today we also learned a little about the Warders.  There are 37 of them and they must all be veterans of the British military who have served at least 22 years.  Our Mr. Duncan had 40 years in the service including time in the infantry.  We guessed that no one messed with him when he was serving there.  The Yeoman Warders are the ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London and members of the  Sovereign’s bodyguard.  Hence their red uniform bears the initials of the monarch on their chest (now E II R for Elizabeth II Regina).  They were formed in the 15^th century by the first Tudor king, Henry VII, so their badges still bear a Tudor rose.

Yeoman Warder Duncan

The Tower is a fortress built originally by William the Conqueror after his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. On that site though evidence has been found dating back to the Roman era.  The Tower has been a fortress, a royal residence and a prison.  One of its towers is the place where the two little princes, sons of Edward IV, were held and disappeared, many think at the hands of their uncle Richard III.  Through the water gate from the Thames, now known as the Traitors Gate, many famous captives came to the Tower and many of those didn’t leave alive.  Among them were two of Henry VIII’s queens, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard.  I learned today that most of those executed were not actually killed in the Tower itself.  Most were taken outside the walls and up Tower Hill to the public execution site.  Only the privileged few were allowed a more private execution.

Traitor's gate through which many prisoners arrived never to leave again

The Tower is the repository of the Crown jewels, including the largest cut white diamond in the world,  the coronation regalia, and a collection of weapons that will amaze anyone interested in the history of warfare. It’s  also the home to some of the Yeoman Warders and their families with about 120 residents.

The White Tower, the central keep of the Castle, built by William the Conqueror

Just one more tidbit we found interesting.  During WWII, the second highest ranking Nazi, Rudolph Hess, who was captured  in  Scotland in 1941 on what he hoped would be a peace mission, was held prisoner at the Tower for 9 nine days.  He was then moved to the countryside somewhere to be held safe from the blitz.  After the war, he was tried as a war criminal at Nuremburg, found guilty, and imprisoned for the rest of his life in Spandau prison in Berlin.  What does this have to do with anything?  Our guide Yeoman Duncan was one of those who guarded Hess in that prison  before his death in 1987.  We found that fascinating. 

Well, we looked for the ravens at the Tower of London and they were scarce because of the weather.  Al caught a glimpse of one but couldn’t get a photo.  There are seven of them and legend has it that if the ravens fly from the Tower of London, the monarchy and the kingdom will be lost.  Ravens or not, we enjoyed our visit there and we see that we could have spent an entire day seeing all there is to see.

Our next stop was the Churchill War Rooms museum.  These are the underground rooms very close to Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament that were a British command center during WWII.  The rooms were used from the outbreak of war in 1939 until VJ Day in August, 1945, when they were abandoned.  At some point people realized the significance of the complex and they have been restored to precisely the state they were in during the war. It was interesting to see the cramped quarters in which some of the staff lived for days on end below ground and without knowing what was above them as London went through the bombing blitz.  There was a board posted to tell people there what day it was and what the weather was because they were apt to lose track of those things.  It was there I thought we might see an Enigma machine, the device used to break the German codes,  but we didn’t.  Instead we saw the then super secret transatlantic phone room.  Only a few people knew that there was a phone line connecting London with Washington.  The door to the room was disguised as the entrance to what the staff thought was the only flushing toilet in the bunker accessible only to Churchill and other top staff.  It was instead the room from which the Prime Minister held some phone conversations with Franklin Roosevelt.

Churchill's bedroom in the complex

After getting our fill of history (and telling you more than you ever wanted to know), we decided it was time for a traditional English tea.  So off we went and enjoyed delightful scones, luscious pastries and some wonderful finger sandwiches accompanied by tea, not from a bag, but actually brewed.  It was a wonderful way to conclude our day of sightseeing before heading back to the hotel.

A good way to end a day of sightseeing - a proper English tea

Tomorrow we’re going to try a Thames River cruise and then we’re off to the Victoria and Albert Museum. Hopefully our feet will hold up.