Reading Railroad (pronounced "Reding")

Walk. Bus. Bus. Train. Subway. Walk.



This was the beginning of our day. We found out that because the train station would be out of commission every day of our visit (just the days of our visit, mind you) there would have to be an extended work around to get into London. When we did make it in we began to walk around the west end. We started ar Westminster Abbey, the House of Parliment, Big Ben,

(checking the time. Where did I put that watch?) the London Eye, and the like. We then proceeded north past King James' banqueting hall, through the Queen's Horse Guard - the Royal Mews" and into St. James Park. We were ushered away due to the Bobbies dealing with a suspicious car and then took quite a nice stroll through Trafalgar's Square. It is hard not to imagine C. S. Lewis sitting beneath one of the large lion statues and thinking of Aslan.
Buckingham Palace was huge and the Guards had big hats (not sure why they are not in red at this time, perhaps due to the season). We found a small cafe in Victoria near all the theatres and ate the customary fish 'n chips.



Our relatives think that they are too greasy, but they were quite good.
We walked through Westminster Cathedral and were amazed by its mosaics. Stocking caps are looked down upon, aparently not fitting head coverings (they do have a fountain in the back to fill your water bottle). From there it was back to Westminster Abbey for Evensong. We had never attended a service like this before, but enjoyed the experience. They charge $20+ for entrance during the day, but the services are free (with no visiting). We were able to see the graves of the Wesley's, Roosevelt, Churchill, Isaac Watts and others on our way in and out.
Following the service we walked through the thick London fog to our station and began the long trek back. As we worked our way down the winding streets I am not sure whether it was Sherlock Holmes or Basil whose faint figure we saw before us, but it was surely not Dr. Jeckel's.