These are the pictures that Dan and Sandy took, while on vacation at the 1998
Lions Convention and vacation to England and Scotland.
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Ranjit Purewal joined us at the Raft Race at Stratford Upon Avon. The event
was sponsored by the local Lions Club, with David Merrills returning to his
club to help out with the announcements at the finish. We arrived in plenty
of time at the race to see the many of the rafters cross the Finish line.
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What would the Lions Convention be without the parade. The Connecticut
delegation had a great time at the parade in Birmingham. In spite of the
fact that the streets were narrow, the leadership easily overcame the small
difficulties in managing the banner.
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One of the really terrific castles in England is Warwick Castle. Very well
restored, the castle and the grounds show what life may have been in the
early days. |
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We paused to take a look at the gardens near Warwick Castle. The rose is,
of course, a symbol of England.
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The Coventry Cathedral was destroyed in the bombing during World War II.
It stands in ruin adjacent to an all new cathedral of a modern era.
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In London stands the tower at Parliament, is one of the most
recognized buildings in the world. We were lucky to see and
hear Big Ben strike noon. We only spent one afternoon in London
to see the sights. We found it easy to use the Underground to
go the the Thames River and walk to Parliament, Buckingham Palace,
Picadilly Circus, and finally Trifalgar Square.
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Crowds were waiting near the gates of Buckingham Palace with the
hope to catch a glimpse of royalty.
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Picadilly Circus seemed to be one of the places where large crowds
seemed to just hang around. The major shopping district of London
had many of the large chain retailers from all over the world. We
did not take the time to check any of the special deals. I guess
we have New York for that.
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The touring double decker buses are quite a good value. A ticket is
valid all day. The tourist may get on and off all day. We took a
quick tour around all the sites, many of which we already saw during
our lengthy walk. In spite of the cool weather, we remained on the
top deck for the entire tour. This photo shows the Parliament from
across the Thames.
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