Day 2 - On to London

You do not want to know about our car rental experience, especially the return of the little BMW to Glasgow Airport. Hence, we'll start with Central Station (trains) in Glasgow proper.

Contrasting the extreme disorganization of Glasgow Airport, the train station downtown is a model of civility. It reeks, as you can see, of solid Scottish engineering and Victorian social values. 

There was lots to see while Roy was at Virgin Railways ticket office, negotiating our second class passage to Carlisle, where our pre-paid BritRail first class passes would take over and we could move to a classier car. 

The red post box we all know. But the looks-like guided missile set to launch ceiling-ward? Actually, it's a good attention-getter for a hospital ladies' auxiliary, collecting donations through the slot in the side to help patients.

OK, this is NOT an accurate picture of Roy, but it's the only picture I have of first class dining on the train to London. The main dish is an Indian stew with cress salad. But note the side plate with two delicious cheeses, excellent chutney, crackers, and chocolates. Ginger ale (spicy) and tomato juice came in two small cans, each.  

Our plan had been to rest on the planes and trains, an expectation that was thoroughly upended by the one-hour stop in Iceland. Due to the superfast speed of the modern trains, the first class cars are now configured as club cars, not overnighters -- at least, between Glasgow and Euston Station, London. The seats do not tip back (though on one train the seat part slid forward slightly to allow a bit of stretching out.  A bit.). We did nap, but if you have seen the pictures Roy has posted of me, you will see the sleep position is not very flattering. All that aside, by now we were 100% happily inducted into first class travel. 

Taking that transformation back a step --- we had been early for our flight out of Logan Airport in Boston, so Icelandair gave us passes to the pleasures and luxuries of the Air France Lounge. That was the beginning of the end of Economy travel for us! Multiple buffets, six kinds of coffee at the push of a button, low lighting, easy chairs in conversation groupings, sports TV in a separate area. Ah-h-h-h.

We survived a midnight cab ride to our dorm/hotel, at Imperial College, South Kensington. Most of the buildings along Expedition Road are either Imperial College departments or Victoria and Albert institutions. There is limited auto traffic, to protect the swarms of students and museum-goers. Due to limitations of time, we resolutely kept ourselves from turning in to the portals of those grand museums. Another time!

South Kensington has the "Madeleine" feel of "an old house in Paris that was covered with vines." The spacious streets and reduced traffic give the area a relaxed air, refreshing after the fun but frantic pace of the rest of the city.

It's a long walk above or below ground from our dorm to the tube station, but there are plenty of benches and outdoor cafes for taking a load off one's feet. Roy had dropped his nearly-new Nikon, so the first order of the first full day in London became a search for a replacement. Marvelous as are the tourist destinations, it's these unexpected deviations that spice up a trip.

London's first modern skyscraper gets a facelift. Cranes and scaffolding are putting new faces on the cityscape all day, every day.

New camera in hand, Roy was back in action. Here comes his famous Bus #73.

The tube station at Tottenham Court is wild with mosaics.

Because the gent in uniform spoke with a Scottish brogue, Roy is still not convinced I took this in London. However. We were on our way to ride the Emirates Air Line (aerial tram) across the Thames, but the signage trail had petered out and we needed directions, which were kindly given. If not a London cop, this man must have been a Scottish guardian angel.

Just a shot of urban reflections, as we close in on the Emirates plaza.

Rows of Santander bicycles are ready and waiting for the daring/foolhardy to put their nickel in and ride away.

Sorry to do this to you. Bathroom tales are par for an undergrad tourists' tales, but this was such a shocker I have to share. The Emirates plaza must be one of the newest structures in London, but the loo design is incomprehensible to such as me. NO SEATS! I managed what I needed to do, hovering, but what if one needed to accomplish more????? This was NOT typical of British washrooms, which usually feature the latest in efficient furniture.

 Going up, in the tram. Remember what I said about cranes?

Looking down on -- oh, everything! 
And there are the world famous Thames tidal barriers.

The scrawny, twisted pole is pretty much all that is keeping us aloft at this point.

Another tram view.

On the way to our next excitement, we passed through Westminster tube station.
It was rebuilt extra sturdy so as not to endanger the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben in its tower. 

Dozens of police personnel respectfully sheltered this protest demonstration on Westminster Bridge.  We could only guess at the backstory, and wonder if some sad incident came out of the Brexit vote.

Side by side protests. This was was purely political.

Once we stopped ogling the protests, it was awa' across the bridge to see if we could get tickets to ride the London Eye.  What a hot day!

London does history with with dignity, but it also does tourist traps very well.

Taken while waiting in the Eye's loading line.

Commercialism is taking bigger and bigger gulps of London.  This is now the Coca Cola London Eye. See the tiny roof of the carousel below, and Hungerford Bridge, a new version of a former Roy Barnacle hang out.

This view of Crayola-colored buildings is where my camera battery ran out.
The Eye truly was a magnificent ride. 

The last act of the day was my introduction to King's Cross and St. Pancras railroad stations.  More on that another day.

This picture is out of chronological order, but I put it in here to say, "The End of Day One in London," back in South Kensington.

Day 3 - Railing away to York

The day began with really good porridge and sliced banana, and an even better cup of camomile tea, on the train to York. The trip took extra time, due to a malfunctioning train ahead of us. We had to wait while another locomotive was brought out to remove the stalled train to a siding.

Nevertheless, YORK WAS MAGNIFICENT.

My first view of the famous city wall, built by the Romans, who occupied England from 42 BCE and nearly 400 years following.  The wall was skillfully pierced, as you see here, to allow modern vehicular and foot traffic to flow in and out --- without portcullis or moat.

Once inside the wall, we climbed that stair (on the left) and proceeded downtown.
Spires of the Minster are on the horizon.  Spine-shivers. What beautiful weather we enjoyed!

These two young women juggling their luggage were so intent on taking selfies, with cameras wiggling at the end of long poles, that they seemed not to realize where they were -- or that others might be using the walkway. 

Old hole in the Roman wall, presumably for shooting arrows at recalcitrant natives.

Old wall gives way to old bridge. Can you see the colored medallions along the bridge? (detail below) Antique buildings set the tone, but there are plenty of more modern ones, too.  Flowers everywhere, everywhere.

Roy spotted a river cruise boat, just boarding, so we clambered down to the quay. We don't know why this pleasant walkway got its name, but pretty much anything Dame Judi likes is fine with me.

Paying our way, to take a cruise on the River Ouse (actually one of several rivers Ouse in England).

The boat's top deck was nearly full of sight-seers, this sunny day. The crew was especially kind to this passenger with limited mobility and her assistant.

We were not quite alone on the river. This boat was fitted out as an ice cream stand -- sadly, closed, despite the warmth of the day.

Modern and old-fashioned river boats seem to alternate on most waterways in Britain.

Life along the Ouse, in-town -- easy, until the 17-foot flood!.

What's around that bend?

Suddenly, we're out of town, and into Wind in the Willows territory.
Who IS that, disappearing round the bend? We'll never know, as this was the upper limit of the cruise. The loud-speakered narration was excellent, though I was too excited to pay constant attention.

Everything in this old country needs constant monitoring and then repair.

Proud dwellers  on the River Ouse.

Architects and preservationists do not let one forget the long history of this river town.

Sight of this modern bridge (ho-hum) marked the downstream u-turn for the cruise boat.

One more bridge, and we'll be back at the dock. An utterly beautiful day, in every way.

Streets were bustling with tourists. It was noticeable -- this day, at least -- that most spoke English. Except that, er, unusual street vendor.

Roy shows that ole Emperor Constantine who's who nowadays. It's really hard to comprehend that York, England -- not Rome -- was the seat of the Roman empire in the early 4th Century. But 'twas.

Two views of York Minster --- under repair.

Two signs alerting us to British consideration for peaceful coexistence.

Inside the Minster.
The organist is rehearsing - hush.
Sit.
Drink in the atmosphere.
Be still, and know . . .

Later that day, fast-tracked back to London. This crazy-quilt building is across the plaza from King's Cross and St. Pancras stations.

Despite the huge open spaces, I found these two mammoth stations confusing. Where are all the trains?

There's even room for this giant sculpture in St. Pancras.

But a wash room?  Information booth? 

Details of a few of the figures carved in deep bas relief around the base
of that huge, modern sculpture.

Looking down into the crowded, upscale St. Pancras Station shopping mall that makes train-travelers' services so hard to locate.

One reminder of the old station. These pillars were precisely sized and spaced to store the maximum number of barrels of beer for later distribution.

Outside the stations again, I couldn't resist shooting this little purple get-about.
People are asking "What make?"  No clue.

The elegance of St. Pancras at sunset. It may be the upper reaches of this tower (among several towers) that have been converted into an elegant and expensive apartment that can be rented thru airbnb. We looked into it . . . and said to each other, "Some day . . ."

You may or may not be able to imagine the jellied state of my legs by now, at the end of a long but happy day. However, we must walk along the Embankment. And there is the London Eye, lighting up the Thames with its Coca-Cola red evening lights.

Just when one is saturated with the flashy modernity of London, there will be some sight to bring back awareness of how close we still are to the extreme difficulties of a small country surviving two world wars. This Embankment memorial records the grit, determination, and suffering of the English during the Battle of Britain.

We close out Day 3 with another view of this familiar landmark,
enduring icon of of all that is British.