still lovin' London

Churchill facing Big Ben (c) 2016 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

Only eight days ago, I was in London, enjoying a final breakfast at The Goring Hotel before heading off to Heathrow for my Virgin Atlantic flight back to San Francisco. I'm pretty much over my jet lag, but memories of the trip are still strong.

What a fabulous destination, my enjoyment made better by the fact that Noteworthy Events (one of our Virtuoso tour companies in England) planned so many extraordinary experiences for us. But I did have a few free hours to myself one afternoon during which I did what I enjoy most about traveling — just wandering about the city.

I started at Westminster Abbey, still a Benedictine monastery and the scene of so many historical events including the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. England's monarchs are coronated in the Abbey, and many historical figures in British history are buried and memorialized here. Photography is not permitted inside the church, which policy I respected. I rather appreciate the fact that priests assertively enforce the photography ban, helping keep an atmosphere of prayer despite the fact that the church is filled with tourists having paid the 20£ admission fee.

the south facade of Westminster Abbey (c) 2016 by David Ourisman, all rights reserved

I then wandered through Westminster back to my hotel, The Corinthia, going by the Houses of Parliament along the way. The perimeter of the park is filled with statues of historic figures such as Gandhi and Nelson Mandela ... but what most caught my eye was the statue of above of an elderly Winston Churchill, supporting himself with his cane, and gazing perpetually towards Big Ben. (One thing I learned: Big Ben refers to the tower, not to the clock).

A trip to London is surely in your future! Contact us if you want to plan an extraordinary travel experience you'll treasure for a lifetime.

copyright (c) 2016 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. We provide Virtuoso and other Preferred Partner amenities as an affiliate of Brownell Travel. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.