Palaces and The Sahara

[Flyfrequently]

The next palace was the Palace of Westminster where I learnt for the first time ever that Westminster Abbey is in a different building to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament...oops! I took pictures, though, of the outside of the Palace of Westminster, does that still count?

My actual ticket was for Westminster Abbey, which is across the road, and I'm glad I didn't know that before coming here because I don't think I would have made time to go to "just a church" (see previous comments about smiting). It wasn't until I was in there that I thought "oooohhhh, this is where Diana got married, and the recent coronation of her cheating husband took place". Yeah, I don't pay too much attention to England and the royals.

Hey @n7of9 I may have messed up my Cathedral and religions but though I do know my weddings - Diana married Charles at St Paul's and funeral was at Westminster

 

[Flyfrequently]

Oops my comment is at the end of the post #41
I messed up my religions but weddings -
Diana married Charles at St Paul's, her funeral was Westminster @n7of9

 

[kookaburra75]

Thanks again for taking the time to put your trip report together on the fly, for our information and entertainment. Your views and comments on all things Royal and England-ish mirror ours, more so MrsK (although she's not into Star Trek).

For a different take on the Royal Family, watch this show. You'll never be able to take them seriously again

The Windsors (TV Series 2016– ) ⭐ 7.2 | Comedy

30m | M

www.imdb.com

 

[VPS]

It is really interesting reading your TR.

Over the years I have spent many months in London and it’s great to see it through someone else’s fresh eyes.

The ceiling in the chapel at Hampton Court is just amazing.

Just to confuse you there is Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral nearby (which is much smaller and Catholic)

The V&A is always on my list of places to visit in London, and I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface. I do understand your unwillingness to visit the British Museum, but I can’t let that stop me seeing some of their wonders.

I won’t get into a discussion/argument about the pros and cons of the royal family but I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be one of them.

Andrew doesn’t live in Windsor Castle but in a huge house within Windsor Great Park. He still lives with Fergie but her reputation has been blotted lately with the news that she was still corresponding with Epstein after he was charged and a number of charities she was patron of have distanced themselves from her. I’m not going to say anything else but you can google anything else you want to know about this.

 

[RooFlyer]

Interesting point re museums and 'stolen antiquities'. I'm rather with @Human 's Louvre guide. For instance, take artifacts of Aboriginal people taken from Australia in colonial times. If they hadn't been in museums all this time, they wouldn't have survived (being mostly 'disposable'). Is having nothing better than stuff being in a museum?

In many jurisdictions, up to the twentieth century, the authorities just didn't care what was taken by collectors - in fact a lot of the time it was the authorities who were corruptly selling them!

So, personally while some of the items in the BM may have been illegitimately obtained, many would be in a 'grey area' and many others perfectly legitimately obtained (eg 'Treasure Troves' found around the UK ...). The BM is a wonderful place to visit.