From Cambridge to Canterbury

Our next drive was to Cambridge where we toured the old city and colleges of the university. Again the architecture was amazing and inspiring. The town centre was full of students and bustling with activity. This picture was taken in the park outside the city centre. Cambridge has been an important town since Roman times because of its position on the river.

The River Cam has 7 bridges that cross over it into the city. You can also take a tour on the river in a boat or gondola. This is the Mathematical Bridge and the first one we saw when we entered the city.

Parking is said to be the "bane of Britian" and we would agree it is difficult to find parking and it is expensive.

Henry VIII was king when the chapel at King's College was completed in 1515 so his image is found in many places.







We loved this artistic and massive old tree on the grounds outside the university. How many generations do you think it has seen?


Then on to Bishop's Stortford, just north of London. It was a truly lovely hotel location, secluded in a grove of trees with rabbits and pheasants on the lawn enjoying the food they found there. The next day we caught the train into London with a travel card that allowed us to park our car in the car park at Bishops Stortford, ride trains, underground and buses freely all for one fee. The railway is very fast and when an oncoming train passes, the sound was startling.

The Liverpool Street London Rail Station...

The view underground...

The view from the top (upper deck)...Bear loved riding on the upper level of the double decker bus and seeing all the stately buildings from that view. It was a bit frightening as the buses go within inches of each other and weave in and out of narrow lanes of traffic. There is a congestion tax to drive in London besides the stress of driving and parking, so this was a much better way to see the city.

We were impressed with St Paul's Cathedral and sad we were not allowed to take any pictures inside. We climbed the 259 steps to the Whispering Gallery and enjoyed the amazing views and the acoustics which reminded us of our own tabernacle. And then we climed higher on even narrower steps to top where you can look out onto the city below and there we were allowed to take pictures.

The gate to enter...they say cathedrals are the gateway to heaven...

London from the top of St Paul's...

Westminster Abby...

The Dean's Yard at Westminster...

the Houses of Parliament...





Big Ben...

Trafalgar's Square...


The National Gallery...

Buckingham Palace...this view is from St James' Park where we went on the memorial walk for Princess Diana.

We wish we would have had time to get play tickets...



Tower of London...

It's amazing how much you can see in a day because it is all so close. We caught the train back to Bishops Stortford and drove on to Ashford in the Channel Coast area. Our hotel was 100 feet from the LDS Church which would have been so wonderful had we been there on Sunday instead of a Friday night stay. It was a challenge just knowing what day of the week it was! We actually got ready for Church and then realized the reason no one was there, was not because it was Stake Conference, but because it was not Sunday!

We were a short drive from Canterbury, which was bustling with activity on a sunny Saturday.

It was fun to "people watch" and of course we toured the Canterbury Cathedral...

This huge tree was on the grounds of the cathedral, which made us wonder how old it really is and how many generations have enjoyed its unique beauty.