GREAT BRITAIN - Best of Europe 2014 - page 781

hall, follow the signs, Tube: Westminster, tel. [phone], www.iwm.org.uk/churchill .
The museum's gift shop is great for anyone nostalgic for the 1940s.
Cabinet War Rooms: The 27-room, heavily fortified nerve center of the British war ef-
fort was used from 1939 to 1945. Churchill's room, the map room, and other rooms are just
as they were in 1945. As you follow the one-way route, be sure to take advantage of the au-
dioguide, which explains each room and offers first-person accounts of wartime happenings
here (it takes about 45 minutes, not counting the Churchill Museum). Be patient—it's well
worth it. While the rooms are spartan, you'll see how British gentility survived even as the
city was bombarded—posted signs informed those working underground what the weather
was like outside, and a cheery notice reminded them to turn off the light switch to conserve
electricity.
Churchill Museum: Don't bypass this museum, which occupies a large hall amid the
war rooms. It dissects every aspect of the man behind the famous cigar, bowler hat, and V-
for-victorysign.It'sextremelywell-presentedandengaging,usingartifacts,quotes,political
cartoons, clear explanations, and high-tech interactive exhibits to bring the colorful states-
man to life; this museum alone deserves an hour. You'll get a taste of Winston's wit, iras-
cibility, work ethic, passion for painting, American ties, writing talents, and drinking habits.
TheexhibitshowsWinston'swartsaswell:Itquestionswhetherhisparty-switchingwasjust
political opportunism, examines the basis for his opposition to Indian self-rule, and reveals
himtobeanintensetaskmasterwhoworked18-hourdaysandwasbrutaltohisstaffers(who
deeply respected him nevertheless).
Alongtouch-the-screentimelineletsyouzeroinoneventsinhislifefrombirth(Novem-
ber 30, 1874) to his first appointment as prime minister in 1940. Many of the items on dis-
play—such as a European map divvied up in permanent marker, which Churchill brought
to England from the postwar Potsdam Conference—drive home the remarkable span of his-
tory this man lived through. Imagine: Churchill began his military career riding horses in
the cavalry and ended it speaking out against the proliferation of nuclear armaments. It's all
the more amazing considering that, in the 1930s, the man who would become my vote for
greatest statesman of the 20th century was considered a washed-up loony ranting about the
growing threat of fascism.

London at a Glance

▲▲▲ ▲▲▲ Westminster Abbey Britain's finest church and the site of royal coronations

andburials since 1066. Hours: Mon-Fri9:30-16:30,Weduntil 19:00,Sat9:30-14:30,
closed Sun to sightseers except for worship. See here .