Body Clock Adjustment Day

June 8, 2013 Saturday
No resting for us!  After a happy reunion with our first two children, Lisa and Rick, we set out to do some sight-seeing.  This is our third trip to London, so we have seen a lot of the standard stuff already.

We started out with a visit to the Temple Church.  It was built by the Knights Templar in the 12th century.  We're interested in this place because we enjoy the writings of Margaret Barker, who is a minister at the Temple Church and a Bible scholar.  The church is also featured in The Da Vinci Code.  Alas, the church was closed for the afternoon.  But we did get some nice pictures.

Lisa, Rick, and Angie in front of Lloyds Bank.

On the way to Temple Church, we noticed that Lloyds bank has a nice beehive decoration.  The bank's website has this to say:

"The original symbol of Lloyds Bank was a beehive. It was introduced in 1822, following a highway robbery in which £4,002 of Taylors & Lloyds’ banknotes were stolen.  The notes were taken from a mail coach, en route from London to Birmingham. Their loss prompted the partners to make their banknotes more distinctive, so that they would be more easily recognised. The symbol of the beehive was chosen, for its connotations of thrift and industry. From that point on, it appeared on banknotes, furniture and stationery."

So now we wonder if Brigham Young got the idea for Utah's state symbol when he was preaching in London in the 1830s.  Guess we'll continue to wonder!

Temple Church placard:

Temple Church gargoyles:

Temple Church entry:

Temple Church templars:

Explanation of templar statue: 

Temple Church exterior:

Temple Church map:

Across the street are some grand buildings that Lisa says are like our Supreme Court.

Happy photo of Lisa in front of the legal buildings:

This building shows some World War 2 damage.  We were reminded of this again a few days later when we visited the London Museum.  It's easy for Americans to forget how much the English people suffered during those years.

We've completely forgotten what this monument was about.  It seemed important at the time, but once Rick pointed out the sign on the post in front of Pete, it was all over.

We continued to wander around.  Here we are in front of the Thames River.  In the background is a striking glass building called the "Shard".  We had beautiful weather.

Pete was interested in the HMS Belfast, anchored in the river near the Tower Bridge.  We didn't realize it is now a museum ship -- perhaps we would have tried to see it.  There's more info here.

HMS Belfast

Eventually we found ourselves at Buckingham Palace.  Lisa showed us where she entered in 2010 when she received a royal commission. She created a painting that was given as a state gift by the Queen to HH President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan on the occasion of the Queen's first visit to the United Arab Emirates.  

Lisa's Door:

How would you like it if people were clamoring at your gate night and day?

London has lots of parks, and lots of people enjoy those parks.

After more walking, we ended our first day in London with a fabulous meal at a Turkish restaurant.  This is our first experience with Turkish food, so we ordered from their "sampler" menu.  We had enough left over to feed Rick for the next couple of days.  He is a bottomless pit.

Jet-lagged Pete: