Sybil & Bill, part II

When (aunt) Sybil and (uncle) Bill returned to London from their trip north to Edinburgh and York, the weather had taken a dramatic turn for the better -- warm, sunny, and glorious.  What a difference from when they first arrived!

On Saturday we went into central London and did some sightseeing...

The London Eye

From the Westminster Bridge

Big Ben

Westminster Abbey

Buckingham Palace

Setting up for the Jubilee Concert

Diamond Jubilee plaque in front of the palace

Wellington Arch

And for the grand finale, a West End performance of Wicked. It was a fabulous show, and more than made up for the dud we had seen the week before.

Wicked!

Sunday we took the train to Hampton Court Palace, former home of Henry VIII, Charles I, William & Mary, and George II.  It was a perfect day to explore the palace and its extensive gardens.

Hampton Court Palace Gates

Rose Garden

Main Entrance

This guy clearly doesn't trust Josh around his beer

One of six giant fireplaces in the kitchens

Fountain in Base Court

Great Hall

Beautiful stained glass windows

Henry VIII and pals

South Front garden

My new hat came in handy on this warm, sunny day

Late afternoon sun on the palace

 On Monday, we took a cruise along the Thames to Greenwich.

The London Eye

World's largest photograph from the Queen's Silver Jubilee

The Shard

Tower Bridge

Tower of London

The Cutty Sark

 We disembarked in Greenwich and visited the National Maritime Museum...

Ship in a Bottle

Prince Frederick's Barge, ca 1731

Baltic Exchange memorial window: VICTORY

 And the adjacent Queen's House -- now used as an art gallery...

Tulip Stairs in Queen's House

And we enjoyed the amazing view from the hilltop by the Royal Observatory.  The 2012 Olympic equestrian events will be held in Greenwich, so we also got a sneak preview of the venue, which was still under construction.

Greenwich Olympic venue

Another beautiful day in London!  If only we could have weather like this all summer...