Sisters Don't Shake Hands...Sisters Gotta Hug

Warren's sister came for a visit and we made the most of her time in London. We visited Windsor Castle and were able to see the semi-state rooms (only open September to March) which are my favorites. The semi-state rooms were the private apartments of King George IV and follow suit with his very expensive and lavish style. 

The next day Margo and I headed to Oxford where we toured the Bodlean Library and went inside the University Church of St Mary the Virgin (picture below). It was a lovely church with hardly any visitors so it felt very peaceful compared to the busy streets of Oxford. 

Then we ate some chips at The Eagle and Child pub, where the informal literary group "The Inklings" used to meet. I enjoyed sitting in the pub and imagining Tolkien and Lewis discussing books or troublesome students from the university.

Back in London, we went to the Albert Memorial in Hyde Park. It was commissioned by Queen Victoria after her beloved husband, Prince Albert, died of typhoid in 1861. It was raining really hard that day so we basically had the memorial to ourselves. 

Across from the Albert Memorial is Royal Albert Hall. We went on a guided tour of the inside of the concert hall which we both really enjoyed. I was surprised to learn that it cost the same amount of money to build the Prince Albert Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall. On the tour we saw the theatre seats that are owned by the Queen as well as her private stairway and entrance. 

This part of town is sometimes called "Albertopolis" because the land was purchased using funds made from the Great Exhibition of 1851, which was mostly driven by Albert. The money made from the exhibition also funded the Victoria and Albert Museum. The photo below shows the chimney (no longer in use) for the Royal Albert Hall. I found it interesting that it is separate from the building and how tall it is. 

Later in the week, Margo and I traveled to Bath to escape the bustling city and "take the waters" (well, maybe not the latter). The Royal Crescent is always impressive. The architect John Wood designed and built the facade for these 30 townhouses. The person who purchased the townhouse was responsible for building the back part of the house. The view from behind Royal Crescent shows the different roof heights and doesn't have the uniformity that the front has. 

I always love a beautiful church and Bath Abbey is no exception. I've seen the outside before but this time I was able to go inside on a sunny day to see the stained glass in its full glory. 

Margo and I had afternoon tea at the Library Lounge in the County Hall Marriott one rainy afternoon. The food was delicious and we had a great view of the river. I especially loved the sweet and savory scones. The sweet ones come with a strawberry jam that is made specifically for the Library Lounge, and the savory scones have a cream cheese and chive spread. 

I enjoyed Margo's visit immensely! We really covered a lot of ground in a short time and it was wonderful to spend loads of time talking and catching up.