Day 16 - London

Anne got off to an early start and visited the Victoria and Albert museum, walking distance from our hotel. I chilled out in our cozy hotel room and collected my energy for another multi-mile walking day. ( 3.7 miles)

Next to the War Rooms entrance:

We visited the Churchill War Rooms after a short ride on the Circle Line from the South Kensington station to Westminster station. Headed through the crowded narrow passageways to the cafe, where we had a surprisingly tasty lunch.

The war rooms complex is hard to describe. The overall structure is a steel-reinforced bunker designed to keep those running the war for the United Kingdom safe from the Nazi bombs. The main elements are many preserved rooms behind plexiglass. These rooms range from a large conference room where the war cabinet met to Churchill’s office and bedroom. Also preserved are the rooms where the typists worked, the radio room, and the kitchen among others.

In the cafe.

Channelling Churchill 

The visit includes a large separate space which houses the Churchill Museum. The museum is organized in chronological groups of displays, videos, and artifacts. It is a very large space, and it is very hard to follow the story line. Churchill was an outsized figure in English political life for many years including two stints as Prime Minister. He was also awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 “for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.” https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1953/summary/

And we ended the day with a lovely Father’s Day celebration at a French restaurant with steak frites, red wine, and cognac.