One thing we learned fast is the unavailability of public restrooms in Europe. Basically, you will have to dart into a fast-food chain and buy an item (usually, you have to be a customer) to use the facilities.
Well, the urge hit in London after seeing Buckingham Palace. (We had been drinking Cokes all morning to keep the caffeine pumping, and holding it as we tripped around London.) As we were racing through St. James's Park hoping to hit a McDonald's or the like, we were both reduced to whimpering and weighing the pro's and con's of using one of the trees in the park. (I mean, when you get to that point, does a jail sentence for public exposure really matter?!) We crossed the road leaving St. James's Park and came across a non-descript door with a small placard outside - "Cabinet War Rooms". We were so desperate that we decided it was worth a shot to see if they had a bathroom. It could have been a museum dedicated to dirt and they would've had our business.
We dipped in and asked. The woman at the ticket booth answered affirmatively, and we immediately bought tickets. We stated, somewhat naively and insensitively, that the only reason we were there was to use the bathrooms. She responded, "Well, that's an expensive trip to the 'loo'!" I didn't care.
We used the "loo" for what seemed like an hour. Once we were done, we regrouped in the ticket area. Since I'm a HUGE history fan, I was open to checking it out. It wasn't the Tower of London, but after all, we had bought the tickets. My buddy is one of those easy-going guys who's very go-with-the-flow. So, when I suggested that we stick around, he was cool with it.
We picked up our audio guides (the sticks that you hold to your ear) and began the tour. I have to say that little pit-stop ending being the best attraction we saw in London. We saw the palaces, Herrod's, the Tower or London, etc., but nothing beat the Cabinet War Rooms. Don't get me wrong, all of London's sites were all very cool, but the Cabinet War Rooms ending up having a personal touch to it that nothing else we saw or toured did. One could really feel the angst of being trapped under the streets of London while the city above was bombed by Hitler's Luftwaffe. The tour shows the workings of England's war effort during the firestorm above. You'll get to see where Churchill lived and worked when forced underground. It was fascinating! We apologized for coming off as indifferent upon our entry, and the woman who sold us our tickets was very kind and sympathetic. She laughed at our disposition when we first arrived, but understood the urgency. If you ever go to London, it's a must-see. Check out their site here: Cabinet War Rooms. You'll be glad you did!
So, you never know - sometimes your bladder can lead you to the best historic site a city has to offer.
