United Kingdom Recap

So… the rest of the trip. We did several really cool things. Due to COVID, we decided not to move around a lot. Instead, we stayed for two weeks at the same hotel in London and used it as a base for day trips to Oxford, Cambridge, Canterbury, etc. Some of the cool experiences were planned. Some just happened to work out because our family tradition aligns with the Queen’s jubilee year celebrations. So we always happen to be there when special exhibits and such are happening.

Tower of London

We went twice. Once in the morning when I deeply connected with one of the ravens. It was one of the times that I took off my mask outside because we weren’t around people, and I had a lot to tell the raven while we stared into each other’s eyes.

And then once at night for the Ceremony of the Keys. It’s a ritual that has been going on for over 700 years without a break, and we got special tickets to get to watch the ceremony with a small group because we’re members of Historic Royal Palaces. You cannot have your camera out during the ceremony — it has never been recorded — but our Yeoman Warder let us stay for another 45 minutes after the ceremony and told us stories and let us photograph the Tower at night.

Stonehenge

We also got special tickets to go to Stonehenge after it closed for the day with 50 other people. We were given an hour in the inner circle. We were told we could do anything (as long as we kept our clothes on) EXCEPT touch, hug, or lick the stones. Apparently licking the stones is an issue. I actually kind of get it. Lying underneath the stones made me sob.

The coolest part about being next to the stones vs. on the walkway is that you could see things like how Sir Christopher Wren chiseled his name INTO THE STONE in the 1600s.

Windsor

The Queen was at Windsor the day we were there thanks to Boris Johnson’s announcement, but we didn’t see her. What we did get to see was her Coronation gown, which was temporarily on display (the third time in 69 years!) at the palace. It was INCREDIBLE. We were also outside Buckingham the day they were going OBEs and MBEs, and we got to see the people come out. Those two things were just random timing.

Canterbury

It didn’t look like our original plan to walk the pilgrimage path to Canterbury, but we did make it to the Cathedral. And I cried there, too.

Church Services at Westminster Abbey

I dragged the twins to midday communion at Westminster Abbey. We didn’t take communion, obviously, but I wanted them to attend a service. And I don’t think you can get any better than Westminster Abbey.

The Southbury Child

One of our favourite actors is Alex Jennings, and we got to see him in The Southbury Child at the Bridge Theater. I like to think that he noticed us while taking his bow and appreciated that we were working to keep him safe with our tight-fitting KN95 masks.

Other cool things: ChickieNob had a research slot at the British Museum to work with royal medals from the 1500s. And because I had to go as her chaperone because she’s under 18, I got to put on nitrile gloves and hold them, too. THAT was freakin’ awesome. Thankful that I got a chance to watch ChickieNob in action doing research for her capstone project.

We also loved seeing the Corpus Clock and Chronophage in Cambridge when we were out there for the Centre for Computing History. We also had a good time recreating all of our old photos from 10 years ago around London and Oxford. It’s fun to see them side-by-side. Hampton Court Palace was fantastic, as were the sunken gardens at Kensington. Plus we got food from our favourite restaurant, Da Mario, a bunch of times. Along with great takeaway meals, we also once had to get Pizza Express and eat it on the ground in an alleyway after kicking aside broken glass and cigarette butts.

But it’s the memories, right?