Westminster Abby

We got up early once again to beat the tourist rush.  I wanted one more crack at a Tower Bridge picture.  I had to use a telephoto lens from London Bridge in order to get this picture.  I like it better than the other one I got.

Next to London Bridge is Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament.

We were early to the Abby and I used the time to take lots of pictures.

Here is Bonhoeffer for theology fans.

We were not allowed pictures in the Abby, it would have been too dark anyway.  The amount of graves in the place is astounding!  We saw the graves of Edward the Confessor, Oliver Cromwell, Queen Mary of Scots, several Henry’s (not the eighth).  Oh, and while we were at the Tower of London we saw where Henry the Eighth had Anne Boylen beheaded.  There were so many more that I have already forgot or didn’t see.

The Abby took some 30 plus years to build and I can see why!

The Abby was started by Edward the Confessor who was the king who died shortly before the Norman invasion of William the Conquerer.  I don’t know the date the Abby was finished but the invasion was in 1066 and Edward was already dead and buried in the Abby by that time.

Once the Abby opened we had only 30 minutes to see the place before we needed to get our luggage and hop a train for Windsor Castle.

The trip was bad, first I stated out on the wrong tube line.  We had to switch lines in order to get to the train station.  Switching doesn’t seem that bad except when you are hauling luggage.  Most of the tube stations don’t have elevators (call lifts over here) and so each suitcase had to be hauled up flights of stairs and then down some others.  When we got to Paddington Station we started figuring out which train to take to Windsor.  I found a train that went to Slough which I had thought went to Windsor so we got on it.  Thinking it was a straight shot we settled in for a 30 minute ride.  After we passed Slough the next stop was Redding.  Well it turned out we needed to go back to Slough and get a connecting train to Windsor.  At that point we were an hour late meeting the Barnes and we gave Pete a call and informed him of our mistakes.  When we turned around and took another train the next stop didn’t sound familiar at all.  I was indecisive about wether to get off or to stay on and we missed the stop.  We were sharing the car with a train worker and he explained it and set us straight.  By this time we were way out in the country side and two hours late.  We made it back to Slough and found the train for Windsor.  Keep in mind that every train changed involved stairs, stairs and more stairs.  Once in Windsor we were 3 hours late and at last we met the Barnes!

When we had boarded the train for Windsor a gentleman got on and asked us if the train was going to there.  I told him that we were not the most trustworthy passengers in that regard but yes I thought it was the right train.  He then sat down and the next guy who came in asked him if it was the train to Windsor.  He told him it was and the man sat down.  Then a third man walked in and ask that guy if it was the train to Windsor.  If we had had the wrong train 4 differnt people would have gone to the wrong place?