This was my very first visit to this huge city and one I had dreamt about visiting. Luckily Phyllis had taught at schools in the city and worked at Lyon’s tearoom and had some experience of the city. She knew her way about the metro and how to get to most places. I remembered that my first underground station was the Piccadilly train line and was told it was the deepest line at that time.
With a small budget and little mechanical knowledge of a motor engine I relied on one of the locals to advise and direct me to what was a reliable, honest car dealer. Naturally I did not have a big choice because it had to be a van to allow for sleeping accommodation and enough space for all the paraphernalia we had to take with us.
Leaving the garage after the paperwork for the van was done (and a deal was struck that they would buy it back when we returned), I left the garage and ventured into London traffic driving an unfamiliar vehicle in an unknown city for the first time. Traffic on a Saturday morning in London was very busy too.
A short while into our homeward journey I felt lost and decided to park in a space between two trucks to study the road map. I carefully entered between two big vans and then heard the unpleasant sheering sound as I scraped against the left-hand one. I had not got used to the width of the new van. No more than two minutes on the road and I had had my first prang.
The sliding door of the van slid open and a man asked, “What’s wrong mate?” I apologised and started to make excuses, but he said that I should just go back and find a bigger space.
A few streets further on at a stop street I did not break soon enough and hit another truck! The driver got out, looked for damage to his vehicle and then just waved me on.
Later that same day I again tried to enter a parking space that overlooked our room so that I could keep an eye on the car. I once again misjudged the size of the space and brushed against a car. Three prangs in my first day was not a flattering record. Parking bays were not marked and cars simply gently pushed other cars until they have enough parking space for their cars. As a result, it is important to ensure your handbrake is not engaged. Some mornings I found our van some distance from where I had parked it the night before. One got used to this happening on most days.
Cleaning and washing the van in preparation of our personal occupation, we noticed the name “Dusty Bee” on the driver’s door. It stuck and we started using that name for the rest of the tour.
There was so much to be seen in London that we had to plan for sights that could be optimised together on a drive and others where we could avoid the traffic and use the underground instead. We had to keep in mind that we would have Nikki with us on all our trips and that she often had to be carried or ferried in her pushchair. Then we needed to take into account that she would get tired and need to be able to nap.
London Zoo was one of the first visits because there was talk of a withdrawal of the two panda bears “Chi- Chi” and “An-An” from the zoo. This was my first view of these animals.
Attempts to mate her with An-An, a male panda from Moscow Zoo, failed despite a 1966 visit to Russia and a 1968 return visit by An-An to London, as Chi-Chi was likely too “humanized” to mate. She later died in 1972.
Buckingham Palace and the Mall came next and the White Tower and the Beefeaters but in particularly the Crown Jewels with the Cullinan diamond a gift from South Africa.
The Cullinan Diamond, discovered in South Africa in 1905, is the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found at 3,106 carats. It was cut into nine major stones (Cullinan I-IX) and 96 smaller brilliants. The two largest, Cullinan I (Great Star of Africa) and II (Lesser Star of Africa), are key pieces
The Yeoman Warders, famously known as Beefeaters, are ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London, established in 1485 by Henry VII. They are retired, distinguished members of the British armed forces who now lead tours, guard the Crown Jewels, and share historical stories. They wear distinctive red-and-gold state dress or blue “undress” uniforms.
The White Tower is the central,11th-century keep at the heart of the Tower of London, built by William the Conqueror around 1078 to solidify Norman power, protect London, and serve as a royal residence. It is one of the oldest and most iconic castle structures in England, characterized by its white Kentish ragstone facade.
The Royal botanical Kew Gardens was one that Phyllis especially wanted to spend time visiting. It’s a UNESO World Heritage Site and has over 5 000 plants covered by a huge structure and it takes almost a full day to enjoy the plants. It was quite remarkable to see how lush and green the plants were.
A visit to the British museum made it possible for me to see the famous Rosetta stone that we learnt about in junior school.
The London Royal Observatory in Greenwich accounted for a day trip. The international O degree longitude line had us stand with one leg in each hemisphere. It divides the eastern and western hemispheres allowing for navigation and mapping.
The “Cutty Sark” is not far from Greenwich and is a very popular museum. It was built in1869 and was one of the fastest ships at that time. Then we were allowed to walk onboard which is not allowed any more.
Westminster Abby is a historic, 13th-century Gothic church in London and is the nation’s coronation site since 1066. I was amazed that we could walk all the way to where the actual coronation would take place.
St Paul’s Cathedral designed by Sir Christopher Wren and has a vast dome. We entered for free and I carried Nikki as we walked around admiring the interior. One became aware of the wonderful acoustics that the dome produced. Suddenly Nikki started making a high pitch sound that travelled around the room. She continued enjoying the sound of her voice echoing around and I could not get her to stop but she drew a lot of attention from the other visitors who loved what she was doing and some even began to copy her.
Trafalgar Square is a famous public meeting space and commemorates the famous battle of Trafalgar, featuring the impressive Nelson’s Column. Constructed between 1840 and 1843, the monument stands at approximately 169 feet (51.6 metres) tall. The square is overlooked by South Africa House.
The Great Fire of London was a devastating event for the city which took place in 1666. To commemorate this event a tall, narrow tower 202 ft or 61.6m. was built. The length in height of this tower, if toppled over will reach the exact spot where the fire started in 23 Pudding Lane. I carried Nikki all 311 steps to the viewing platform. She got heavier as we reached higher.
Tower Bridge is perhaps the most iconic listed suspension bridge in the world and a must see for any visitor to London. It is so famous because of the two giant roadway sections that can be raised to allow for ships passing beneath.
Red London Busses were a convenient way to avoid the traffic and do sightseeing and shopping without having to deal with the vast amount of traffic.
After Buckingham Palace, the primary home of the Queen at that time it was necessary to visit Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest castle in the world. I was amazed at the very long approach road we were allowed to drive right close to the entrance gate. We were not allowed in but there were no restrictions on moving around the outside walls and viewing this magnificent castle from all angles.
There was so much more to see and places to visit but we had to get across the English Channel and start our European leg of the trip.
