Tour Bus, December 16
We started by catching one of the on-off bus tours around London, starting near the hotel not too far from Hyde Park.
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Some of the buildings in Kensington, from over the driver's shoulder
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The Winter Wonderland at Hyde Park
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Westminster Cathedral, if I'm remembering right
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Parliament's clock tower (incorrectly referred to as "Big Ben")
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The London Eye, which I'd see up-close the next day
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Looking back at Parliament, and the only other people braving the cold on the upper deck
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One of the dragons guarding the entrance to the City of London
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A cathedral (St. Paul's?) partially hidden behind another building
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The Tower Bridge, taken from London Bridge
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And a Royal Navy vessel whose name I forgot long ago
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The Tower of London
Tower of London, December 16
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Inside the walls of the Tower, with the tour guides in uniform. I forget what it's a replica of, it looks like the modern beefeater uniform.
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The White Tower at the center of the fortress
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Weathervane with the royal standard on it
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Actual beefeater
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Taking the tour. I can't remember what much of any of this was, 9 years ater the fact
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"Mind the gap"
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And a shot of the London Eye at night as we went back to the hotel
London Eye, December 17
Yep, I traveled 3700 miles to ride a Ferris wheel.
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Parliament from the south side of the Thames
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Going up. A neat building on the other side, and traffic on the river
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I feel like I should remember what that statue is
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Another gondola on the Eye
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More from the top of the world... er, the wheel.
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Looking upriver
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Who's this friggin' toolbag
Jokes aside, it was nice to get a view of London from above. Shame the weather wasn't nicer.
Bath, December 18
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A church in the center of town
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An old bridge with shops along the sides. From on the bridge you can barely tell you're not on a regular street.
Castell Caerdydd (Cardiff Castle), December 19
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The entrance to Cardiff Castle
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Neat details on the clock tower
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The keep at the center of the castle
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In the 19th century, the Marquess of Bute had living quarters for him and his family built into one of the castle's walls. It's full of Victorian-era opulence.
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The Marquess, I guess
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The apartment as seen from the courtyard
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From the keep, looking toward the main entrance
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A bit incongruous to be in an 800-year-old castle and look out to a modern soccer stadium
Barrys Island and Llantwith Major, December 20
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Barrys Island is a seaside destination in the summer. Still looks pretty neat in the winter.
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I thought I took more photos of Llantwith Major, but apparently this memorial is about it.
Castell Caerffili (Caerphilly Castle), December 21
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Caerphilly Castle was built by the Normans in the early 1200s. It was heavily damaged during the English Civil War.
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But this guy is holding part of it up so it's all good.
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The trebuchets from the first picture
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From outside the castle you can see the moat and part of the town of Caerphilly
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This half-collapsed tower is what the statue is holding up. He could maybe use some help.
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I forget what the occasion was, but some local schoolkids had made models of the castle.
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Back to the actual castle now. Part of the courtyard and the town beyond the wall.
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A good, up-close look at how thick the walls are
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One of the tunnels within the walls
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I'm allowed one artsy shot per trip. This was it.
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One room had some artwork in it. Again, I can't remember what for. But I think this might've been permanent?
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For the most part they leave the castle in its ruined state, but this room they fitted out to show what it could have looked like.
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The train station was lit up nicely as we headed back
Cardiff Bay, December 22
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It was nice and sunny when we go there, anyway
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I can't remember what this is, but it looks cool
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I'm pretty sure this red building holds some part of the Welsh government. I could be misremembering though.
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Inside the building from the previous photo, they were having a Christmas recital
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And also some giant stuffed creatures
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The words on the front of the building from the inside
Flight Home, December 23
Some views of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia out the plane window.
And that was it. There was some excitement on the flight from Atlanta to Akron-Canton, but there were no pictures to take of it.
