Day 4 - Musueums, Museums and More Museums! (And Gift Shops Too!)

Day 4 (Sept. 6th) - We're continued our attack on London museums and tourist sites:

• Changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace
• Churchill War Rooms of the Imperial War Museum
• Lunch in the basement of the Methodist Methodist Central Hall Westminster (near Westminster Abbey)
• Westminster Abbey
• Imperial War Museum (close to our apartment)

It was a rainy and overcast day, but that didn't stop us from going to Buckingham Palace to see the changing of the guard--or as Renae said, "the backs of people's heads taking pictures of the changing of the guard."

In August and September, the State Rooms at the Palace are open to the public when the Queen is at her palace in Scotland.  However, we decided not to spend the time (and money) to go there.

Guard at Buckingham Palace

Sarah, Elizabeth, Leah and Ben at the gate to Buckingham Palace

Changing of the Guards

We walked through St. James Park to get to our next site.  It's a large, beautiful, green park.

St. James Park

Flower garden in St. James Park

3 older girls doing merry-go-rounds in the park

We went to the Churchill War Rooms.  It's a great museum for World War II buffs.  My dad and brothers would have loved to have visited here.  It's hard to imagine working and sleeping in such cramped quarters for years.  This was a must-see for a history lover as myself.  I my humble opinion, Winston Churchill was the greatest statesman of the 20th century. 

Winston Churchill

Elizabeth listening to the audio guide

War Room simulation

 We had lunch at the cafeteria in the basement of the Methodist Central Hall Westminster.  It was reasonably priced.  The church basement could have been from any church in North America.  I guess protestant church basements look the same world wide.

Renae and the girls at the Methodist Central Hall-Westminster

Westminster Abbey was a must see.  There is so much history--and so many dead people.  In every corner, there was sarcophagus or plaque to someone.  There's so much history in the abbey.  Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin are buried there.  The coronation chair used by the English royals for over 1000 years was also there.  Smartly, everyone is issued a handset to listen to the audio guide in one's own language at one's own pace.

Ruth and Elizabeth in the garden at Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey

Even though we left the Abbey at 4:30 p.m., and it was raining, Renae allowed me to drag everyone to the Imperial War Museum (IWM).  Like most British museums, the IWM is free. On the first floor, there were WWI and WWII tanks and airplanes and a submarine exhibit.  The most interesting exhibits we saw were:

• Children's War
• WWI Life in the Trenches
• WWII Life during the Blitz (we were too late to see the life-like recreation) :(.

Ruth Ann goes over the top of the trench with the British soldiers

Sarah, Ruth and Leah duck for cover during an attack

Arch Duke Ferdinand right before his assassination

We picked up food at the local market and ate dinner in the apartment.  I had to make a return run to the store after dinner.  I ran into a young guy in the elevator hauling a carpet, some colorful trays and kitchen items to his flat from IKEA.  We have an IKEA 2 miles from our house.  I guess the world has become a much smaller place with IKEA the world round.