London, episode 4. In which we take a Texas-size stroll along the Thames.

With heavily-studied and colorfully-flagged Lonely Planet London City Guide in hand, Mari and I made our way above ground at the Westminster tube station early morning on the Wednesday of our 2007 Spring Break.  We were about to follow one of the recommended guided walks for which Lonely Planet had allotted a few hours, but for which we had reasonably rationed the full day, knowing we would stop for photos, sustenance, and a little dramatic effect along the way.  I highly recommend the recommended walking tour, but you can pretty much just cross Westminster Bridge as we did with the morning rush and walk down to the South Bank where you will turn left towards the London Eye (hard to miss) and follow the Queen's Walk about three meandering miles until you reach Tower Bridge where you will cross back across the Thames to end (not meet-your-end, of course) at the Tower of London.

You could do that or you can follow along and enjoy our eight-hour walking & talking, stopping & touring, and souvenir photo snapping & temptaliciously tasty snacking tour.

When you find your way above ground at Westminster, the colossal enormity of the Palace of Westminster (Parliament) is impossible to miss, but also impossible to fully appreciate (and photograph) until you've crossed Westminster Bridge to the south bank of the Thames.  Here is your view as you turn back around and (if you're lucky) Mari steps in front of your camera.

Previously pictured was one of our views from the top of the London Eye, an experience I highly recommend despite its touristy nature.  You will see the enormity of this beautiful historic city whose history, skyline, and warm and generous population is constantly on the move.  I also highly recommend purchasing tickets with a reserved time in advance so you can avoid waiting in one line at least.

Visit the site to purchase tickets and to learn about special packages offered to make your 30-minute spin even more of a whirlwind.

londoneye.com

After enjoying our spectacularly scenic look at London from above, Mari and I ambled along the pedestrian walk, finding much more along the way than my guidebook's predicted list of top sites.

As you make your way around that first bend and begin walking east, you will pass Waterloo Bridge where you will sight the National Theatre, its majesty barely able to contain the memorable mark its impossibly talented visitors have left on British culture.  Then as you pass Blackfriars Bridge, you will come upon the Tate Modern, pictured here, where we made our next stop.  Along the way there are small shops, galleries, and friendly local vendors selling souvenirs, books (yes, book stalls!), and refreshments (perhaps even a Starbucks to quench your non-tea cravings).  There are plenty of picture-perfect photo opportunities and roaming pedestrians along the way to keep your casual stroll serendipitously entertaining.

Much like our first rushed tour of the Louvre (which would actually be the following chunnel-transported day) we limited ourselves to a touristy-quick two hours at the modern art museum, enjoying every bit of the wide variety of art as well as the beautifully spare surroundings of the century-old institution.  Visit the site for up-to-date information about current exhibits as well as help planning your visit.

tate.org.uk

As you leave the Tate and continue walking the walk, past the correspondingly modern (and just a bit groovy, baby) Millennium Bridge, you will chance upon a site which was near and desperately dear to my college English major and (at the time) high school English teacher heart and soul, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.

Although no productions were scheduled at the time of our visit, we immersed ourselves in an informatively entertaining tour of the recently reconstructed (completed in 1997) theater--a tribute to Shakespeare, British history, and its talented citizens.

Not to worry, we would have our day in the viewing gallery

on a future summer's day (and in a future blog post).

Visit the informative site to learn more about Shakespeare, the history of the Globe, and to plan your visit.  A performance schedule is also available.

shakespearesglobe.com

At this point in our extended walking tour, much like Cassius, a lean (not so lean in my case) and hungry look took over my countenance and we found ourselves in desperate need of sustenance.  As the Queen's walk came to an end, we would found a savory solution a short and satisfying detour away.

More on the best brownie ever next time.

London, episode 2. In which I am given pause.

As I began this final week of the school year and the end of my 28th year in education, I also began looking forward to that great American institution, summer vacation.  I started the week reminiscing about trips I've been fortunate to share with Mari and trips to London and the UK in particular whose treasured memories I have been trying to stitch together to share with you.  Unfortunately, this same joyful week also began with news of yet another crime of senseless and violent hate in a country that I have loved from afar for so many years and that I've been blessed to visit and enjoy several times.

Our London2012 experience especially was unlike any other, meeting and celebrating with people from all over this precious planet, even as we often stepped on one another's toes waiting in line for fast food, (much needed) bathrooms, and secure admission to majestically manmade athletics venues.  Celebrating with people from all over our "pale blue dot" (more below).  Celebrating athletes' accomplishments and triumphs through seemingly superhuman strength, dedication, and discipline.  Characteristics celebrated individually and exemplified even more profoundly through humanity's ability to harmonize with and work with fellow team members to achieve a common goal.

That is why people from all walks of life gather together.

To celebrate life.  (Not destroy.)

To spread joy.  (Not hate.)

These are the reasons why I perpetually look forward to travels with my adventurous wife.

Too much beauty and bounty has been created and provided the world over not to share it with one another.

My sincerest compassion

for all victims (far and wide)

of this week's Manchester attack.

I look forward to continuing my look back at our London travels next blog time as much as I look forward to our upcoming London revisit, part of a sweeping summer adventure that includes visits to cities and countries gloriously ancient yet exhilaratingly new to us.  I am more excited than ever to embrace the unknown because I am always assured through our travels that the one certainty that remains steadfast in a world that appears dangerously uncertain is that you will always find warm welcomes from merry wanderers thrilled to exchange sincere smiles (and cameras) with you.

After seeing Voyager 1's 1990 "Pale Blue Dot" photograph of Earth in its immensely profound universal context, Carl Sagan referred to Earth as "a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark."  He poignantly postulated, "In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves."  In Pale Blue Dot, his follow-up to Cosmos, Sagan reflected, "There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world.  To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known."

Amen.

Read more of Carl Sagan's reflections and examine the photo again to be reminded of our ridiculously miniscule place in the universe.

planetary.org/explore/space-topics/earth/pale-blue-dot.html