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Highlights of this extraordinary travel episode

Highlights. Meeting Sarah and Madeleine (from Ottawa) at Liverpool Street Station to get the train to Cambridge North. Visiting Penny’s brother Nick and Sue at their new house in Hardwick near Cambridge. Visiting Madingley Hall, Granchester and Emmanuel College Cambrige. Arriving at Garrington and able to help out with the feverish preparations for the wedding of Helen and Simi which was a memorable occasion. The amazing capabilities of my nieces and nephews and their spouses to arrange to downsize Helen and Simi’s wedding events and then arrange two funeral services - one just for the family and one for the public where more than 400 people turned up and came to a gathering at Garrington after the event. Lowlights Flight delay for 24 hours in Calgary. Breaking and loosing at least three pairs of reading classes. (I left one at the airport security as I did not pick it up with all ones other stuff).  
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Train to Waterloo

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Hampton Court has its own railway station with a direct line to Waterloo station which is south of the Thames. One then has to cross the river to get a Circle line back to Bayswater station and the end of my three days in London. This update is being created while I wait three hours at Heathrow for a Westjet flight to Calgary and Victoria. I found the quietest place to wait is the Interfaith chapel. Here I met an old Rabbi from Israel and his wife who have found it a good place to stretch out and have a nap. He is a vaccine denier and is convinced that people have suffered heart disease and other ailments as a result of the COVID vaccine. He knows of several people who have died of COVID. He says most people in Israel have been vaccinated. I told him I was a Public Health Physician by training and that I not find it useful to argue with peoples religious beliefs!😁   
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Hampton Court

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  I had never visited Hampton Court even in the first 29 years of my life when I lived in England nor on the many trips that I have made in the last 52 years. After the relaxing boat ride up the Thames I spent about two hours at Hampton Court where Henry VIII lived on and off with his many wives. I only had time to briefly visited the extensive gardens. The Royal Chapel was of particular interest. They only have services there one day a week. There is a large collection of paintings that are part of the Royal Collection. One is not meant to take pictures of the paintings. 
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Day three - river trip to Hampton Court

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There is a three hour boat ride from Westminster key to Hampton Court. An enjoyable ride. I talked to two women from Sydney Australia. One had been a physiotherapist and one an audiologist. They visit England about once a year to keep in touch with friends and relatives. On the embankment there is another impressive Battle of Britain memorial. There is listed there the names of the many Canadian airmen who were killed in the Battle of Britain. Great views of famous buildings and the Oxford and Cambridge boat race course along the river. Then the boat went through Teddington locks to the upper non-tidal part of the Thames.   
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Day two continued - a play

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I decided to walk from St Paul’s to Shaftesbury Avenue where I had tickets for “2.22 - a Ghost Story” at the Apollo theatre. It took about 45 mins - but I did have time for a bite to eat before the performance. I modern thriller with fast moving dialog between two couples with an unexpected ending.
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Day two in London continued

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For something a little different I went to St Paul’s Cathedral to listen to Evensong. Evensong is almost always a 45 minute service with mostly choral music. The service was sung by the boy choristers. The anthem Cesar Frank’s Panis Angelica sung in a setting in which the Cantoris and Decani choristers alternated was truly Angelical. St Paul’s Cathedral is a vast building designed by Christopher Wren. There is an amazing acoustic delay - like an echo - of about ten seconds which means the sound resonates continuously. The boy choristers sang to a very high standard - with the top notes sounding like one voice.   
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Day two in London

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I thought I would have a light day so in the morning went for a walk in nearby Hyde Park. It was close to Kensington Park and I came across a beautiful park dedicated to Diana.  
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