London

So, when I couldn't get home for another visit in June, Mom and Dad flew to London for a visit. We had a great time - Mom and I were interested in checking out the antiques in London, so we went to the famous Portobello Road Market on Saturday morning. We found a few souveniers and Dad was a great sport while we poked around. From there, we went to the Winston Churchill Museum and The Cabinet War Rooms. Very cool. If you ever have a chance to go to London, this museum is a must-see. The Cainet War Rooms operated around the clock from the beginning of the war in 1939 to its end in August 1945. As the story goes, the day after V-E day, the soldiers stationed at the Cabinet War Rooms, straightened their desks, shut off the lights for the first time in 6 years and locked the doors behind them. That's the way these rooms stayed until the late 70's when the rooms were opened up. Today, the museum gives you a great perspective on what life was like in this underground bunker. The maps are still on the walls - complete with pins marking troop movement and pivotal battles. The walls have been removed and replaced with Plexiglass in many areas so that you can get a perspective on what life was like while the Germans were bombing London over their heads. You can see where Churchill slept, ate and made secure phone calls across the Atlantic to the American President, planning their strategy. It is an amazing look back into a period of time that changed the face of history. Here's a picture of Mom and Dad outside the entrance to the museum and a link to the museum itself.

www.iwm.org.uk/cabinet