FranceSpainEnglandIceland2015: Three Days in a Pub in London

Before checking out of our hotel this morning, two of us (mom and the author) attended part of the 10:30 service at the Salisbury Cathedral, which gave us an opportunity to view the interior of this structure. A feature which isolates this cathedral from others visited so far is the presence of a large stone pool located in the nave. This pool (shaped roughly like a cross) is on a raised platform with four drainage spouts on each edge, which, by allowing the water to drain, render the surface of the pool perfectly flat and level with the edge of the basin. The cathedral also contains the best preserved of the four original Magna Carta copies; we did not have an opportunity to see this, however, due to the service in progress.

On our way out of Salisbury we drove through Nether Wallop, a quintessential old English village, consisting of many thatched cottages and winding streets. Here we also enjoyed a lunch of Cornish Pasties (pronounced Pah-stees), which we had purchased in Salisbury and had taken along for the ride.

We next drove to Heathrow, where we dropped off our rental car and took the tube into London (a surprisingly long ride). Our dwelling for the next three days is a hostel located above a pub (hence the title), in which we are sharing a small room with four bunks. Tomorrow we plan to take a meander along the Thames, seeing some noteworthy London sites on the way. (TS)