60 Days in Europe: Day 41 / July 9

July 9, 2014 – London.

Do you get the feeling coffee is important?

From my journal:
Had our own Starbuck’s instant coffee that we had brought, with cream.

Took the tube to the Tower (of London). After that we toured the Tower Bridge, leaving from the other side.

The Tower of London.

London: The Tower Bridge.

The Tower of London.

Southwark Cathedral, the Queen’s Walk along the river to the Globe. Not available for touring due to a performance. We can try again tomorrow if we like.

London: Southwark Cathedral.

London: The Queen’s walk along the Thames.

We walked across the Millennium Bridge and walked all the way around St. Paul’s.

London: St. Paul’s form the Millennium Bridge.

London: St. Paul’s Cathedral.

London: Old City Gate Near St. Paul’s Cathedral.

From there we took a bus to the British Museum. I went in, but Laura took the tube to Elyse & Emma’s (our daughter and her friend) hostel in Hammersmith to check it out. (It was fine 🙂 )

Highlights of the Museum:

The Assyrian Rooms:
-The Gate statues
-The wall panels: The Capture of Lachish, The Lion Hunts.
The Sutton Hoo treasure,
The European Rooms,
Celtic, Roman, and Anglo-Saxon Britain,
Viking artifacts.

Assyrian Deportation 7-9-14 Panorama (Custom)

London: British Museum, Human-Headed Winged Lion from Nimrud, Assyria.

London: British Museum, Protective Spirit from Nimrud, Assyria.

London: British Museum, Black schist sarcophagus of Ankhnesneferibre, Thebes.

London: British Museum, The Standard of UR, 2500 BC.

London: British Museum, Glazed brick panel showing a roaring lion from the Throne Room of Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon.

London: British Museum, Ram (actually a goat) in a Thicket, form Ur.

London: British Museum, detail, Glazed brick panel showing a roaring lion from the Throne Room of Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon.

London: British Museum, Central roundel of 4th-century AD mosaic floor from Roman villa in Mary St Hinton, Dorset. Earliest known mosaic picture of Christ, with a chi-rho.

Painted wall from Lullingstone Roman villa, 4th century.

London: British Museum, Byzantine ivory diptych, AD 525-550.

London: British Museum, Byzantine gold necklace and earrings, AD 600.

London: British Museum, Sutton Hoo ship burial (early AD 600s), Helmet replica showing how it appeared when new.

London: British Museum, Sutton Hoo ship burial (early AD 600s), Gold buckle & strap fittings.

London: British Museum, Sutton Hoo ship burial (early AD 600s), Shoulder clasps.

London: British Museum, Anglo-Saxon early Christian buckle and circular mount, AD 600s.

London: British Museum, The (Viking) Cuerdale Hoard, Lancashire.

London: British Museum, Bell and Bell-Shrine of St Culeáin, AD 600-700s/late 1000s.

London: British Museum, the famous 12th-century Lewis chessmen, walrus ivory from the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland.

London: British Museum.

Took the tube back to Victoria and the hostel, just after Laura got there. Napped. Chatted with gov’t IT guy from Australia with 6 months of vacation.

He was claiming half of his vacation pay every month, thus getting a year off to travel.

Laura and I walked up to the laundromat to find it gated.

A block or two from the hostel we happened upon James Watson’s old digs.

London: Former home of James Watson.

Ate in cafe – where the man said the laundromat opens at 8am. Big plate of spaghetti and meatballs 🙂 Game is on.

Sat and began the day’s journal entry.

Back to hostel as Argentina v. Holland was drawing a big crowd to the pub. Loud futbol mania, on into the night – it sounded like hundreds of people all around the surrounding block, all roaring, cheering, singing, raising Cain. Madness.

IMG_4067 (Custom)