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“You’d think this town would have more excitement, wouldn’t you, like fireworks or something.”    Derek – London Day 1

“London grows on you.”   Derek – London Day 3

“London’s Fun.”    Derek – London Day 5

On Days One and Two, London did seem surprisingly tame – it lacks the sirens of Edinburgh and the brashness of Brighton. Everyone is polite and helpful. If they think we’re idiots, they have the courtesy not to show it.

The brilliant museums in London hold enough information to overwhelm on the moment of entering. On different days we explored the Natural History Museum, National Gallery, British Museum and Science Museum. I think the ideal approach for these museums would be in 20-minute relaxed blocks every few days for hundreds of years, but we went for the look around until your head explodes option.

London’s large. Here’s how we relaxed between museums:

• Sailed on a sedate cruise to Greenwich to see the Royal Observatory (where time begins and ends).
• Looked at lots of armour and crown jewels in the Tower of London. The Tower wasn’t on my bucket list – too much tragedy and betrayal – but visiting it has helped me to fill in a few more dots of the historical picture building in my head.
• Successfully navigated the underground.
• Sat at the front of a double-decker bus to view London from the air and see the terrified faces of the drivers as we narrowly avoided collisions.
• Saw the memorials at Westminster Abbey. We were pleased to see David Livingstone remembered for his work toward abolishing the slave trade in Africa. Left with the heavy feeling I usually experience at funerals and was grateful to reach the sunshine.
• Trawled through the Churchill War Rooms to learn about London during WWII and the eloquent, driven and brilliant Winston Churchill. It certainly seems credible that without his vision and the hope with which he inspired a nation, WWII would have had a vastly different outcome. The large memorial to Winston Churchill at Westminster Abbey is fitting.
• Took a dislike to Harrods within seconds of entering, deepened by the sight of £20 small pies and £10 cupcakes – I understand that quality has a price but even without tasting these, I know it’s a name that’s being paid for here. We were probably out within two minutes of entering.
• Saw the views across the Thames from Tower Bridge and London Bridge
• Attended the Sunday morning service at Holy Trinity Brompton (where the Alpha course originated). The speaker was easy to listen to, and I appreciated the message. Decided my preference is not to have smoke machines at church.
• Went to a service at St Pauls Cathedral and heard a Christian message of hope in Jesus’s death and resurrection. This time it was incense, processions and robes rather than smoke and cool moves. I wonder if the tradition of incense comes from the need to camouflage the musty smell of a centuries old mausoleum? I enjoyed hearing congregational singing along with the choir and powerful organ, and the structured prayer and readings.
• Saw London from the heights of the 306m Shard – it was included in our well-used London Pass
• Walked in the sunshine through Kensington Gardens, Hyde Park and St James Park
• Joined the throngs outside Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace. I don’t think anyone was home.
• Sat on the open top of the Hop-on-Hop-Off Buses through the streets of London
• Gazed upon the lions in Trafalgar Square by night
• Queued (and queued)

It would be easy to spend a long time in London. I’m glad we saw it in sunshine.

We arrived in York on a Sunday and visited York Minster Cathedral for their evensong service. The cathedral is a gothic building dating from the 13^th century. We enjoyed hearing the organ and impressive boys choir, and during the message we learnt an unexpected amount about the history of York, Shakespeare, Britten, Arden, and Greek Drama. There was a context – it was about being authentic people.

During our tour of York North Moors, we visited Whitby, spent time in the ruins of the haunting Whitby Abbey, travelled by steam train to Hogsmeade Station, and visited Aidensfield (fictional town in the T.V. series Heartbeat). The moors are also the home of non-fictional veterinarian James Herriot. However, the producers considered Yorkshire Dales to be a prettier area to film, so the challenges faced by James Herriot were not among the rolling green hills shown in the TV show but in a starker land, less photogenic for the purposes of television.

We’re leaving York tomorrow and heading for London. Dreading it slightly – the crowds of Edinburgh were overwhelming and I am sure London will be challenging. York, however, was great fun. We wandered the cobbled streets, did a tour to the North York Moors (which would have been better shrouded in mist at the end of spring with the heather in full-bloom, but were still lovely), went to the Viking Museum (glad we got a discount – Lonely Planet have something to answer for regarding this recommendation) and, most happily for Derek, spent a few hours in the largest Railway Museum in the world. The Railway Museum was extensive, and I don’t think that there could possibly be any train or model train, or any historical detail regarding any train, that is omitted from the museum. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it too.