Ancaster Old Mill

I have not posted here for a while because I have not been travelling as much as before. However, during the last few weeks, we have visited a couple of local places, and took a one week trip to Boston.

The picture is of me outside the Ancaster Old Mill. This restaurant is in Ancaster, a small town west of Hamilton, Ontario. The setting for the Old Mill is beautiful. The interior is country style with low lighting. They probably consider this romantic, but in my opinion, it was too dark.

Unfortunately, our visit did not get off to a good start. It took far too long for our waiter to take our order. In fact, a couple that arrived at the same time as us, whom I could see from our table, had almost finished their appetizer before our order was taken. Also the waiter, at first, seemed rather rushed and distracted.

Once our order was taken, our experience improved greatly. We ordered their Sunday special. This is a complete meal that is served "family style." That means that all the items come in large bowls or plates and everyone helps themselves. We had a seafood salad and a mixed greens salad. Both were excellent. The main course was chicken and prime rib. Both were well prepared.

Overall, we enjoyed our visit. However, considering the entire experience and the price of eating here, I am not sure we will return.

Westminister Abbey

The history of Westminister Abbey, according to tradition, goes back to the 7th century. We do know that Monks began living here in the 10th century. In 1065, King Edward consecrated a stone abbey on this site.

Since 1066, the English and then British monarchs have held their coronations here. In 1579, Elizabeth I made it a Royal Peculiar. This means that the church is responsible directly to the King or Queen, not to a bishop.

There are many tombs inside the Abbey. The Abbey is open for tourists from Monday to Saturday. The entrance fee is 12 pounds. The income is used to maintain the building and run the Abbey. It receives no money from the Queen, the Government or the Church of England.

Worship services are held every evening during the week, Saturday afternoon and on Sunday. All are welcome to attend.

Where East and West Meet

Here at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the East is divided from the West. This is the location from which the Prime Meridian is measured. Since 1884, this spot marked 0 degrees Longitude.

Actually, modern reference systems have caused the Prime Meridian to shift. These systems mark 0 degrees about 102.5 meters East of the traditional line in Greenwich.

The observatory was commissioned by King Charles II in 1675. It was the first purpose built scientific research facility in Britain. It is no longer used for its original purpose but is a museum.

Kensington Palace

Kensington Palace is a Royal Residence. The Royal Family has owned it since the 17th century. It is best known now as the home of Pincess Diana. She lived here from 1981, when she married Prince Charles, until her death in 1997.

Is is still a residence to members of the Royal Family. It is the official residence of the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and Price Michael of Kent, along with their families. Prince Harry also stays in here on occasion.

Parts of the Palace are open to the public. There is an exhibit honoring Princess Diana. The State Apartments have exhibits covering the history of the palace from the time of William and Mary up to young Queen Victoria, who lived here as a child.

Canal Boats

Canals in the United Kingdom date back to the days of the Romans. Over the centuries they were constantly improved and lengthened. But they reached their peak use during the 18th and 19th Centuries. During the later part of the 19th century, railroads increasingly took cargo away from the canal boats.

Today, canal boats are used for mobile homes and for passenger travel, mainly tourist. It is an unique way of seeing London. Just a short distance away from the hustle and noise of the city, these boats slowly and calmly make their way through tree lined canals.

We took "Jason's Original Canal Boat Trip" along the Regent Canal from Little Venice to Camden Lock. The trip takes less than an hour. It was a nice relaxing trip, very enjoyable.

Clock Tower

This is a picture of the Clock Tower taken from the Thames. The Clock Tower is connected to the Parilment Buildings which are the Palace of Westminister. The orginial palace that was on this site was a residence of the Royal Family until it was destroyed by fire in 1512. After this, it became the meeting place of Parilment and has been ever since.

The Clock Tower is often called Big Ben. Big Ben is actually the nickname for the largest bell in the tower. The bell weighs over 13 tonnes. The nickname is often used to refer not just to this bell, but also the clock and the tower.

The first Clock Tower on this site was built in 1288. The present tower was built in 1834. When it was built, it was the largest four faced clock in the world. On the clock faces, in Latin, are the words, "O Lord, keep safe our Queen Victoria the First."

Thames Cruise

One of the nicest ways to see London is by taking a cruise along the Thames. The city exists because of the river and many of its most historical sites are near the Thames.

We cruised the Thames at low tide as you can see from the picture. We went from Tower Pier to Greenwich Pier. Later in the day, we cruised from Greenwich Pier to Westminister Pier.

The pub in this picture is the Prospect of Whitby. It claims to be the oldest riverside pub in London dating back to 1520. It is also believed that Charles Dickens often came here. We never had time to go back and visit it.