T and R Off to jolly old England. My Mom and Carol’s home town.

So excited.

London Bridge

Various wooden bridges stood on or near this site since before Roman times but in 1176 a visionary cleric, Peter de Colechurch, decided to build a revolutionary stone structure. Its 19 arches stretched 900 feet across the Thames and took 33 years to build. Although Peter de Colechurch died before he could see his vision turn into reality, his bridge stood for 655 years. It was demolished in 1831-2 to make way for a bridge designed by John Rennie the Elder which could cope better with the demands of the growing City and Victorian road traffic. That bridge stood for only 140 years until in 1971 it was sold to an American oil company. It now stands in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, while the wider, stronger London Bridge which replaced it still reaches across the Thames today. The current bridge was designed by Mott, Hay & Anderson with Lord Holford as architectural adviser.

London Eye

The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England.

And sits beside Big Ben

These are all views from our evening Thames cruise

Greenwich National School of Education and Industry for Girls.

St Peters Cathedal. The guide said it’s not to old. It was built in the 1800s!!

Oh those Brits. Love the Canadians.

National mariners Museum

24 hour clock at the Greenwich Observatory.

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the local mean time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, counted from midnight. At different times in the past, it has been calculated in different ways, including being calculated from noon;[1] as a consequence, it cannot be used to specify a particular time unless a context is given. The term GMT is also used as one of the names for the time zone UTC+00:00 and,[2] in UK law, is the basis for civil time in the United Kingdom.[3][a]

Sir James Wolfe

James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Armyofficer known for his training reforms and, as a major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the French at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in Quebec.

A view from the Greenwich Observatory

Tracys foot is in 0 degrees eats longitude

Randy’s foot is on 0 degrees west longitude

Very interesting museum where they showed the development and invention of reading time and correct

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich(ROG;[1] known as the Old Royal Observatory from 1957 to 1998, when the working Royal Greenwich Observatory, RGO, temporarily moved south from Greenwich to Herstmonceux) is an observatorysituated on a hill in Greenwich Park in south east London, overlooking the River Thames to the north. It played a major role in the history of astronomyand navigation, and because the Prime Meridian passed through it, it gave its name to Greenwich Mean Time, the precursor to today's Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The ROG has the IAU observatory code of 000, the first in the list.[2]ROG, the National Maritime Museum, the Queen's House and the clipper ship Cutty Sark are collectively designated Royal Museums Greenwich.[1]

Fish and chips at Trafalgar Pub.

Too many beer choices

Greenwich is a very sweet seaside town with yummy fish and chips.

A Tug that led us of the port.

been a Norman stronghold; the private property of six of England’s medieval queens; a palace used by Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon; a Jacobean country house; a Georgian mansion; an elegant early 20th century retreat for the influential and famous; and in the 21st century, it has become one of the most visited historic buildings in Britain.

The Castle’s last private owner, Lady Baillie, bought the Castle in 1926 and transformed it into an elegant setting for glorious weekend parties. Sir Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin and John F. Kennedy are amongst the roll-call of many other influential guests who enjoyed Lady Baillie’s hospitality during this time.

Canterbury Cathedral

England's First Cathedral

Founded by St Augustine in 597 AD, Canterbury Cathedral is a unique place of worship, a major pilgrimage destination, a masterpiece of art and architecture, and one of the UK's most-visited historic sites.

Often referred to as ‘England in stone', the Cathedral has been at the centre of momentous events and upheavals. It is the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and resting place of royalty and saints.

The fascinating history of the artefact is where the Irish phrase “to chance your arm” is thought to have come from

In 1492 two Irish families, the Butlers of Ormonde and the FitzGeralds of Kildare, were involved in a bitter feud. This disagreement centred around the position of Lord Deputy. Both families wanted one of their own to hold the position. In 1492 this tension broke into outright warfare and a small skirmish occurred between the two families just outside the city walls.The Butlers, realising that the fighting was getting out of control, took refuge in the Chapter House of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. The FitzGeralds followed them into the Cathedral and asked them to come out and make peace. The Butlers, afraid that if they did so they would be slaughtered, refused

As a gesture of good faith the head of the Kildare family, Gerald FitzGerald, ordered that a hole be cut in the door. He then thrust his arm through the door and offered his hand in peace to those on the other side.  Upon seeing that FitzGerald was willing to risk his arm by putting it through the door the Butlers reasoned that he was serious in his intention. They shook hands through the door, the Butlers emerged from the Chapter House and the two families made peace

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Lunch at Brielle’s pub on Grafton st., Dublin.

The Norman conquerors of England brought all of southern Wales under their rule in 1093. English King Edward I conquered northern Wales and made it a principality in 1284. Since 1301 the heir to the English throne has carried the title Prince of Wales. Wales was incorporated with England in the reign of Henry VIII.

Beaumaris Castle, in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales, was built as part of Edward I's campaign to conquer north Wales after 1282. Plans were probably first made to construct the castle in 1284, but this was delayed due to lack of funds and work only began in 1295 following the Madog ap Llywelyn uprising.

From small beginnings to worldwide domination, these four lads from Liverpool changed the world of music forever.

Teenagers John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met in 1957 at a Woolton church fete, where John’s band The Quarrymen were playing. They were joined a year later by George Harrison and The Beatles’ journey began.

During the early 1960s the band forged their sound and image both in Liverpool and the nightclubs of Hamburg. By summer 1962, they had a new manager, Brian Epstein, and a new drummer, Ringo Starr. Their first Top Twenty hit ‘Love Me Do’, followed in October 1962.

At the height of Beatlemania in 1966, the band could no longer play live and still be heard above the fans' screams. Focused on studio recordings, they produced some of their most iconic albums.

The award-winning ‘The Beatles Story’ is the world's largest permanent exhibition purely devoted to telling the story of The Beatles’ rise to fame.

The Beatles disbanded in 1970 after almost a decade of chart domination. As new generations discover their music, Liverpool continues to be entwined with The Beatles. Their influence on popular culture remains incalculable.

The Giants Causeway

The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It is located in County Antrim on the north coast of Northern Ireland, about three miles northeast of the town of Bushmills

We did a private tour with, James, a Catholic local. His brother did these Catholic political murals. Around the corner are Protestant murals

the Troubles, violent sectarian conflict from about 1968 to 1998 in Northern Ireland between the overwhelmingly Protestant unionists (loyalists), who desired the province to remain part of the United Kingdom, and the overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nationalists (republicans), who wanted Northern Ireland to become part of the republic of Ireland.

This church was destroyed by the 1969 ‘Troubles’

When the community got together to rebuild it,a group of Rome tiles workers arrived to help finish the intricate tile work on the walls and ceiling. They stayed for four months.

Robert Gerard Sands (Irish: Roibeárd Gearóid Ó Seachnasaigh; 9 March 1954 – 5 May 1981) was a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who died on hunger strike while imprisoned at HM Prison Maze in Northern Ireland.

Saying goodbye to James.

Edinburgh Castle

Delve into more than 4,000 years of human settlement in the same location. Neolithic people first settled at this site in Shetland around 2700 BC, and it remained in use until the AD 1600s.

Discoveries made here include oval-shaped Bronze Age houses, an Iron Age broch and wheelhouses, Norse long houses, a medieval farmstead, and a laird’s house dating from the 1500s.

Beautiful port of Bergen Norway.

Our ship from across the bay

The knitting machines at the Dale of Norway wool sweater and clothing manufacturers.

They make all of the Norway Olympic sweaters. They’ve also made them for different countries including Canada

Fyords are said to be as deep in the water as they are high above sea level.

Tower of London tour

Our Beefeater guide

View of the Thames

A very fun farmers market

Paella for 100:)

Randy’s Father’s Day brunch at The Pump room

His first time eating Eggs Bennie

Then we attended an Anglican service at the Bath Abbey

WITH the boys choir singing— goosebumps:)

Toured the Roman Baths

The Roman Baths are well-preserved thermae in the city of Bath, Somerset, England. A temple was constructed on the site between 60 and 70 AD in the first few decades of Roman Britain. Its presence led to the development of the small Roman urban settlement known as Aquae Sulis around the site.

Base layer of the original heated floors

Cement and tiles were built on top and the base layer was heated with hot air from a fire built beside the platforms.

Yes. Cocktail of the day is Fruity Pims. Best hair salon!!

Colourful Jane, Anne and Tracy at the wedding

Lake of Bays goes to a British Wedding

Customized David for Max’s suit

Barb, Anne and Tracy

Last minute shopping at the airport before our flight home

Thank you British Isles

We had the most amazing holiday.

Xoxoxo