The Big Hegerle Family Visit!

Well, it has been what I was waiting for - my

family to come to London! Barb and my Dad

landed on July 17th and were tough troopers.

I took them on a walk through my neighborhood

and we got poured on. So, after we got thoroughly

soaked we decided to take the Underground to

Buckingham Palace and then to Covent Garden.

Here we are all sharing our first pint in London together!

Yes, they are still awake!

Barb and Dad made it straight through until about
9:00 and then it was off to bed.


The next day we headed to Westminster to see Big Ben
and Westminster Abbey. Barb and Dad look like they
are enjoying the Underground!


Big Ben with me, Dad and Barb.

Another great picture - Barb and I with a London
phone booth and Big Ben.

Dad had to make a quick call. Do you know that
Big Ben is not the name of the clock but the name
of the bell? Just some useless info I have picked up
along the way.

Here we are at London Bridge. Back in the day
London Bridge was the only bridge that crossed the
Thames until 1729. Actually, a bridge has occupied this site since
Roman times about 2,000 years ago. The current bridge opened
in 1974. The 600 year old bridge that it replaced was bought
by an American for $2,460,000 in 1968 and is currently in

Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

We stopped at a traditional pub for lunch that over looked
Borough Market. Borough Market is London's oldest market
and it's history has a lot to do with London Bridge. It is on the south
bank of the bridge and it is said that it actually started on the bridge
in about 1014! Wow! Today you can find tons of fresh from
the farm products and wonderful bakery goods. We had brownies
that are too good for words. It is a very popular spot to hang out and
eat and drink with friends and buy some of the best food in London.

Here is a shot of part of Borough Market.

Next, we continued our walk down the river and had to
make a stop at another one of our favorite pubs. The
name says it all!


Yay! Tower Bridge! It is still my favorite London
landmark. Construction was started in 1886 and took
8 years to complete. At the time it was the largest

and most sophisticated bascule bridge. I just think it
is beautiful. On the north bank you will find the Tower
of London, hence the name Tower Bridge.


Pretty skyline shot of "the city'. Londoners refer
to the downtown business/financial district as "the city".
What do you think the tall pointy building looks
like? I think it looks like a torpedo. The Brits
have nicknamed it the Gherkin. Martini, anyone?

We are now standing on the north side of the
River Thames just behind the Tower of London.
We all know that William the Conqueror landed at
this spot in 1066 and hence built the Tower of London
as his palace to prove that he was here to stay. Tower

Bridge is there in the background.

The next stop was a surprise for my dad, aka Dick.
We stopped at a pub called Dirty Dick's.
I have been waiting to bring him here for a
long time! He thought it was great and he even
has a souvenir to show everyone.

The next day we took a day long tour. Our first stop
was Warwick Castle. This too was built by William the
Conqueror in 1068 as a military base and power symbol.

A picture of my future living room...



King Henry decided to join us and brought all the wives.

Barb and I in the beautiful Victorian rose garden
on the grounds of the castle.

Next, it was on the to charming little town of
Stratford-upon-Avon. This is the birth place
of the literary genius William Shakespeare.

This is Shakespeare's family home where he
was born on April 23, 1564. He was married
at 18 and moved to London around 1585. He died
on April 23, 1616. I don't think I need to go on about
his amazing career and his influences to the
English language, theater and literature.

Next stop - Oxford University. This was our
favorite stop of the day. It is the oldest University
in the English speaking world. It traces its roots back to 1167.
This is the Radcliffe Camera which houses the Radcliffe Science Library.

This is the Sheldonian Theater built by Sir Christopher

Wren between 1664-1668. It houses the University's

congregation (administration), concerts and degree

ceremonies.

Oxford stole this arch concept from Cambridge.
We punted right under the arch at Cambridge.
We all thought Oxford was great but I thought
Cambridge University was prettier.




This is the Rabbit Room in a pub called The
Eagle and Child at Oxford. It is popularly known
as "The Bird and Baby" and has been a pub since 1650.
The significance of this room is that J.R.R. Tokien (The
Lord of the Rings) and C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia),
who were close friends, spent many a day here

drinking and writing.

Next, it was on to Dublin, Ireland. Barb hadn't
even had a Guinness yet and was seeing leprechauns.

Dad and Barb at the Guinness Brewery. Aurthur Guinness
started brewing beer here in 1759 and on December 31, 1759
he signed a 9,000 year lease.

Barb and Dad in the tasting lab. Research has shown
that Guinness can be beneficial to the heart. Researchers
found that antioxidant compounds in Guinness, similar to
those found in other fruits and vegetables, are responsible for
health benefits because they slow down the deposit of harmful
cholesterol in the artery walls. Yay! Another great reason to enjoy
a fresh Guinness.

Here we are enjoying our first pint of fresh Guinness
in Dublin.

This is Barb outside of the oldest pub in Dublin -
The Brazen Head est 1198.

On our walk back to the hotel we passed St.
Patrick's Cathedral. The church was built in
honor of the patron saint of Ireland, St. Patrick.
It is stands adjacent to the famous well where St. Patrick
baptized converts when he was in Dublin. A church has
been on this site since 1191. The present building dates
from 1220.

The next day we took a stroll through St Stephen's Green.
The green dates back to 1664 and had Georgian houses
built all around.

The pretty flowers and plants all through the green.

The gazebo that hosts many outdoor concerts throughout
the summer.

Another shot of St Patrick's during the daytime.
It was so nice to see a landmark that did not have
any scaffolding on it! Last time I was here it was covered.

Inside of St Patrick's Cathedral.

We had a few hours to kill before our flight back
to London and we decided to walk through Temple Bar.
Temple Bar is on the south bank of the River Liffey and

has preserved it medieval street pattern unlike the

rest of Dublin. It's many narrow cobbled streets are lined

with Irish pubs and musicians galore.

We ducked into one pub with live music...I could
have stayed all day! It was a great way to end our stay.

Yay! Shaun has arrived! Derek and Shaun
are catching up over a pint in one of our
favorite neighborhood pubs, The Churchill Arms.

The next day we walked down to Buckingham Palace
and stopped at the WWI War Memorial.

This is the Duke of Wellington Arch. It was orginally
going to be a part to the grand outer entrance to Buckingham
Palace but was moved to Hyde Park Corner in 1882. It depicts the
angel of peace descending on the chariot of war.

Next to Buckingham Palace leading to Green Park
is the Canada Gate. There is a memorial to the
Canadians who died in the two World Wars nearby.

Me, Dad and Barb at the front gates of Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace was first called Buckingham House as it was

built for the Duke of Buckingham in 1703. It was acquired by King

George III in 1761 as a private residence.

This is the Queen Victoria Memorial. Queen
Victoria was the first monarch to live in the palace
after it became the official London residence of the
British Monarch.

This is a new memeorial recently unveiled
by Queen Elizabeth II. It commemorates her
father, King George VI and her mother, Queen
Elizabeth aka the Queen Mum.

We ended our last day where we started - in Covent
Garden at Trafalgar Square with the National Gallery in the
background. This is a picture of Nelson's column to
commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson's death at the
Battle of Trafalgar, a major British naval victory during the
Nepoleonic Wars.

Then it was time to say goodbye to Dad and see him
on his way back to Chicago. Barb and Shaun then joined friends
to journey on to Paris. Next stop for us - meeting them in Florence, Italy!