Conclusion

My Big sister Marg tells me to finish my blog as Sarah took it over and I never finished. Some of this will be from memory as almost two weeks have past since we returned. I always listen to my Mom when she tells me to do something so I guess Marg is next in line so I should listen to her also. I hope this doesn't give her the notion she can boss me around all the time though.
 On Thursday we went to the Churchill Museum and War rooms which I mentioned in my last blog. We also toured the Westminister Abbey that afternoon as Sarah has already told you. Thursday night we went out to our farewell dinner at a really neat old pub which has been a pub since 1520. It is called The Prospect of Whitby and is in London's east end right on the banks of the Thames. We had Garlic Mushrooms for an appetizer, Steak and Ale Pie, and I had Profiteroles with Chocolate Sauce for desert while Susan had the Chocolate Fudge Cake. Everyone then went to the dock by Tower Bridge and went on a nighttime boat cruise of the Thames. We went up the river about a mile to the Parliment Buildings then back down to the Tower Bridge. It was cool and had just rained but all the hardy Atlantic Canadians and a few of the wimps from away sat on the top deck and enjoyed the view and the commentary from our guide. When we got back to the hotel Sarah played a couple of tunes on the small bagpipes just inside the hotel for everyone.
 I think Sarah covers Friday pretty well in her blog. On Saturday we escorted the kids to the meeting point of their photography tour and arranged with the guide to meet them at 2pm at Weatherbys pub outside the Tower of London. Susan and I then went to Tottenham Rd on the underground and bought theatre tickets for We Will Rock You ( The Queen Musical) for 2.30pm that afternoon. We walked to Leichester Square and window shopped and had lunch at a Chinese Noodle take out place which was really good. After lunch we walked back to the theatre where Susan was the first patron while I went by underground to The Tower to meet the kids. I waited outside the pub until they finally arrived about 2.15pm. We ran to the subway and despite a few delays were able to get to the theatre at about 2.40pm. The usher rushed us right into our seats so we only missed the first number.. The show was great the story was a bit corny but the music was fantastic. That evening Sarah and I went on yet another haunted walk which was actually the best of them all. The guide a lady was really informative and wore one of those portable mikes so you could hear really well. We went to a graveyard where both Sarah and I had tingles and chills up our spines as soon as we entered. Turns out over 2000 plague victims were buried there in a mass grave. The tour had lots of history as well as a few good ghost stories. On Sunday Susan and Ryan both wanted to sleep in so off Sarah and I went on The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour which was led by a really strange little man who has met Paul McCartney numerous times and has a beatles shop at the underground stop near Abbey Road. We visited lots of sites in the Soho area where the Beatles performed and recorded. Then we took the underground to Abbey Road where we saw the studio and walked across the road dodging the crazy London traffic. Sarah bought a few souveniers at the strange guides shop then back to our hotel to get the others.
  Then off to the Tower of London for a whirlwind  hour visit. We were here last time so knew what we wanted to see again. We saw the Crown Jewels, toured the army museum in the White Tower and went to Beaumont Tower which is the neatest place. Prisoners over the years scratched all kinds of messages into the walls which are now covered in plexiglass so you can read them. There are also plaques on the wall describing the prisoners and writing out some of the hard to read sections. We then toured the torture equipment at the tower including a model of a Rack. We stopped in the gift shop for some gifts then went to Weatherspoons pub ( where I spent an hour waiting for the kids on Saturday) for some really good pub food at great prices. You go up to the bar and order but they do take the food to your table. Back to the hotel to pack and get some sleep. On Monday we left the hotel at 7.30am and took the underground to the airport and caught our plane back to Halifax. We arrived in Halifax about 2.40pm got our car and went to the Big Stop in Enmore for lunch then drove home. We had a great trip, learned a lot about the wars and got a real appreciation for what our soldiers did for all of us so that we would be free. I would recommend this tour to anyone who is a Canadian as you will come away a lot prouder of your country given the way the cemeteries and memorials  are looked after and you have witnessed first hand where the battles took place and the tremendous difficulties our troops overcame to complete their missions. I will try to post a few more pictures later.