Catherine Visits - Part One

My niece Catherine is here this summer for a six week post graduate course at Christ Church College in Oxford. She took a weekend and came to London to hang out and do a little touring.

Her number one thing to do was visit Westminster Abbey, so I finally returned after more than 20 years. I had avoided the Abbey because of the crowds and the cost, £15 per person to walk around a church. It was incredibly crowded. It made my time there, on a weekday in February in 1988, very special. My biggest memory was just how vast and empty the space seemed to be since there were so few people there. I made a brass rubbing in the cloister in the back where I sat by myself for almost an hour. The brass plates don't seem to be there anymore.

That said, it's not like you could opt out of seeing Westminster Abbey if you're coming to London as a first-time tourist, but it does serve to remind that off season travel has plenty of benefits besides lower prices.

After the Abbey we did something else I had done on my first trip in 1988, but hadn't done since - we toured Tower Bridge and took the pedestrian crossing at the top. It was as much fun as I remembered and touring the steam engines that used to drive the bridge lifts with an engineer added a special twist.

We finished the visit with an amazing dinner at our favorite place, Skylon. They have just introduced a tasting menu and I had been anxious to try it out. They offer both a vegetarian and meat/fish version. It was great, but I have to say that for a tasting menu the portions were way too large. So if you decide to go and take this option, I recommend eating about half of every course they put in front you so you'll be sure to have room for dessert!