5. The Next Day

Friday, March 29. 2025. Temperature high, 10.5 Celsius (which if you remember correctly converts to 7 ft, 11 inches. Sky is grey and the air temp is brisk. Looks like a bit of rain in my London future. Never-the-less, I was up bright and early. Forgoing the traditional English Breakfast, I dined on a simple traveler’s meal of Oat Porridge, juice and one cup of coffee before tightening my shoestrings and making the most of my new day in London. 
 
London is a walking city, the proof being the number of tourists killed every day while attempting to cross the street.
On every corner at every major crossing, there are arrows, instructions for distracted pedestrians to look left/look right for oncoming traffic. These arrows just happen to be situated directly beside the chalked outlines of persons who did not glance down.
 
I had several stops planned for the first half of the day, including Big Ben, Parliament Square, Trafalgar Square, Whitehall, Westminster, and The West End. First stop, Westminster Abbey! 
And wouldn’t you know it?  I arrived an hour too early to get inside. Damn. The gothic structure made famous in the sci-fi classic The Quatermass Experiment was closed, and I had two hours before it opened.  
 
 Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British monarchs and a burial site for 18 English, Scottish, and British monarchs. 
 
This is a truly impressive and majestic piece of architecture, with a thousand years of British history oozing from the lime mortar, which was pilfered from the Romans.
Most royal events, from coronations and weddings to the occasional Quinceañera, take place here, with the cathedral also serving as an upper-class funeral home.
A few of the historical and literary notables buried here in Poet’s Corner: Chaucer, Shakespeare, Sir Issac Newton, Charles Darwin, Hardy, Kipling, Laurence Oliver, and the guy who played “Screech” on Saved by the Bell (I know. I was surprised by that last addition as well. I always thought he was from Atlanta).
Taking a quick walk around the entire circumference and courtyard, I decided to return when it had opened for the public. 
 
Idiot Mistake #7. Upon returning several hours later, I discovered a line that stretched completely around the entire structure. I had blown my chance at viewing the gravesite of both Henry the VIII and Chaucer. Bad me.
 
In London, history literally surrounds you, and in Westminster is around every corner. From Whitehall to the Ministry of Defense, you are reminded of the men who helped preserve the Empire. Leaving Winston Churchill at Parliament Square, you will soon encounter General Montgomery (Monty), General Gordon (Gordon Pasha), and monuments and statues to countless others.  And there one more historic spot that I passed that is even more heroic and stands as a testament of the true British spirit. 
 
Of course, I am referring to the home of the traditional steak and ale pie, The Old Shades, “Purveyors of Real Ale, and Exquisite Spirits.” 
 
As beloved as any hero, a pub and a meat pie are a staple in the diet of any true British patriot. Historically, the meat in these pies has fluctuated from that of real cattle to an occasional horse, and during more challenging times, perhaps something more. Never one to pass up the culinary guessing game, “What’s My Meat?” I stepped into one of London’s most beloved pubs for a pint and a meat pie. Served over a bed of smashed potatoes, smothered in a rich ale and beef gravy, and baked in buttery, flaky pastry, this little beauty has all the healthy nutrients needed for a full and balanced heart attack. And, by the way, if you happen to be wondering…the meat at the Old Shades was definitely beef.
 
A short distance from Trafalgar, I experienced my first London downpour. It was a real cow quaker, but undeterred, I stepped into a nearby Haberdashery and purchased a typical British cap known as a Flat Cap. Now, looking like I stepped off the set of Peaky Blinders, I pressed on in the rain.
 
Trafalgar Square is a public square, established in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. The square's name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, a British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars over France and Spain that took place in 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar. 
 
Just beyond the square is the National Gallery and the even more famous Pay Before You Go restrooms. One houses priceless, untold treasures of art,  the other requires a small charge. I will leave it to you to guess which one.
By dark, I had managed to include a hike into Hyde Park and was somewhere near the community of Paddington.
Hyde Park is a 350-acre, historic Grade I-listed urban park in Westminster, Greater London. A Royal Park, it is the largest of the parks and green spaces that form a chain from Kensington Palace through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, via Hyde Park Corner and Green Park, past Buckingham Palace to St James's Park.
The park is huge and really worth exploring. I was in, as Shakespeare referred to it, The Undiscovered Country, and as it was getting dark.  I checked my faithful phone to see exactly where it was and, gasp, I was nearly out of battery.
 
This was my first real emergency on my trip, and it required quick and decisive thinking. I exited the park, stumbling directionless into what is known as the Paddington neighborhood. Much like our President, my precious phone craved power, and I was not entirely sure where I would find it. No Apple Stores, no Best Buy or even Target. I was starting to panic until I saw an entire street lined with bodegas, one of which was an electronic store. Surely…
As tiny as this store was,  it was crammed with electronic merchandise on every shelf. The proprietor quickly assisted me with a portable battery, assured me it had a full charge, and within thirty minutes, I was back in business. Once again, I had artificial intelligence and direction in my life.
 
Weary over my ordeal, I thought it best to secure some sort of transportation back to the hotel and checked my revitalized phone. 
And then I saw it, rumbling in my direction. My savior in red, heading up Bayswater Road. Dare it be? Could it be? 
 
It sure as hell could. It was the signature red of the London double-decker bus. Once I confirmed its destination on Apple Maps, I climbed on board. There was no need for exact change, as I had set up my Apple Watch beforehand to work with the London transit system. Just place the face of the watch on the reader, followed by a slight vibration, and I was up the winding metal stairs to the top floor of a double-decker. The fleet is almost exclusively electric now and more modern; a far cry from the classic buses of just twenty or thirty years ago. But, even at nighttime, the view from up top proved enough to take this rider on a nostalgic trip into London’s magical past.
 
The ride back to the hotel was quick, the bus dropping me only several blocks away from my hotel, and I was all ready for some supper.