The Quick London Visit

Robin and Ryan, my American "cousins"--from Southern California, my son-in-law's sister and her son. We have been on a quick UK tour and had just returned from Ireland and Scotland. London is essential, so I had volunteered to accompany them on a quick day in the city, as I have been here numerous times. I mapped out a perfectly logical plan, but we were thwarted by two things: we changed the day from Saturday to Sunday, and the railway decided it was a great time to do major line work past High Wycombe. This meant a "diversion"--down to High Wycombe, then back up to Aylesbury, and then, after waiting for other trains to clear the line, down to Marylebone. It took twice as long as the normal trips from Bicester North to London.

Fortuitously, we arrived at Buckingham Palace just in time for the Changing of the Guard.

Apparently, no matter what the season, this daily ceremony attracts thousands of tourists; I have heard Brits tell me they have never watched it.

Most people don't get to see the actual ceremony, behind the gates of the Palace. One would need to stake out a spot right next to the fence. Each time I have been here and watched, I found I could weasel my way to the front exactly opposite the main gate, for a good view.

We watched as the new guards arrived, followed by the band . . .

And then watched the old guard leave and march down the Mall.

Like Queen Victoria, who keeps her back to the daily spectacle, we left before the bulk of the tourists started to move, and headed through St. John's Park. To get away, though, we had to take a very circuitous route past security barriers. We had seen a Middle Eastern tourist get summarily ticketed for jaywalking, after being dragged away from the scene. At first he thought it was funny, but none of the British police removing him had even a trace of a smile on their faces!

A view from the bridge in the Park. I couldn't help but wonder why someone hadn't cleaned up the green goop of algae covering most of the water's surface.

We walked over to Trafalgar Square, where I showed Ryan and Robin the usual attractions; but like me, they were fascinated by the latest presentation on the Fourth Plinth. Entitled "Nelson's Ship in a Bottle" by Yinka Shonibare (MBE), the exhibit weighs 4 tons.

The plaque reads: "'Nelson's Ship in a Bottle' is a sculpture of Nelson's flagship 'HMS Victory'. The sculpture considers the relationship between the birth of the British Empire, made possible in part by Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar, and multiculturalism in Britain today."

Ms. Shonibare stated that "For me it's a celebration of London's immense ethnic wealth, giving expression to and honouring the many cultures and ethnicities that are still breathing precious wind into the sails of the United Kingdom."

We looked at some of the fine paintings in the National Gallery, which had the added benefit of being free. It has over 2,300 paintings, most on permanent display. It is always uplifting to see the work of some of my favourite painters: Van Gogh, Monet, Cézanne, Delaroche, Renoir, Turner, Constable and others. Ryan apparently became so fascinated that he wandered into another part of the gallery and became "lost." It was easy for me to assume that a 15-year-old lad would find his way out, but his mother was less relaxed. We re-connected, and then went for Mexican Food at the Texas Embassy, a Tex-Mex restaurant enjoyed by Americans.

We walked along Whitehall, and stopped to photograph the mounted guardsman. The body language of this couple tells many stories, not the least of which is that they are afraid of horses --or at least paying attention to the sign that warns that the horses might "nip" or "kick" tourists.

Again, we chanced on something worth watching: a band marched up at what we soon saw was a Veterans' ceremony.

The Ceremony clearly honoured veterans of Britain's wars.

Ironically, just a block away in Parliament Square the seemingly permanent anti-war protesters were here voicing opinions against what appeared to be every conflict in the world today.

The last time I was here the Supreme Court was wrapped in sheathing for restoration. It is a beautiful edifice.

Westminster Abbey. We chose not to go inside to see the historical tombs and memorials.

Big Ben stands against Westminster, this section now wrapped in plastic for restoration. In fact, everywhere we toured this month, major buildings were covered in scaffolding. We saw it in Dublin, at Blarney Castle, in Edinburgh, and now in London.

The Palace of Westminster, or Houses of Parliament, with Victoria Tower at right. There has been a Palace here since the 11th century though only Westminster Hall remains from that time. The present Neo-Gothic structure by Sir Charles Barry was built after the old palace was destroyed by fire in 1834. Since the 16th century it has housed the House of Lords and the Commons.

St Stephen's entrance for the public.

I suggested a Thames Boat Tour, but we unfortunately bought tickets for the Circular Tour, which is really just a water taxi. As we slipped under the Hungerford Bridge I took a photo of the London Eye. Young Ryan isn't fond of heights, so we chose to forgo the flight.

Another sign of restorative work underway in London, this time on the Southwark Bridge.

The OXO Tower.

The Sea Containers House.

The old Bankside Power Station, now the Tate Modern Art Gallery. It is quite remarkable how London has transformed much of the banks of the Thames, especially along Bankside.

Hay's Wharf formed part of the area known as London's Larder because of the huge quantity of food products traded and stored along the Thames near London Bridge.
At one time, Hay's Wharf extended from London Bridge to Tower Bridge, on the south side of the Thames. The site is now occupied by Hay's Galleria, a mixture of office, retail and residential space incorporating some elements of the previous buildings.

Butler's Wharf was built 1871-73 as a shipping wharf and warehouse complex, accommodating goods unloaded from ships using the port of London. It contained what was reputedly the largest tea warehouse in the world. During the 20th century, Butler's Wharf and other warehouses in the area fell into disuse. From 1975-78 the artists' space at 2B Butler's Wharf was a key venue for early UK video art and performance art. Since the 1980s Butler's Wharf has been transformed from a derelict site into luxury flats with restaurants and shops on the ground floor.

The Tower Bridge.

One of the most popular tourist sites in London is The Tower. We walked by, but chose not to take the tour. The best things to see, I explained to Robin & Ryan, would be the Beefeaters, the Ravens, and the Crown Jewels. Still this was a day to SEE as much as possible, not visit or take tours.

I love the Gherkin (or pickle) in the financial district as seen from the Tower plaza. One day I must walk up and see it more closely.

Not surprisingly, even the Tower of London was plastic-wrapped today.

I'm not sure if this trebuchet is demonstrated, but it appeared the actors in period costume were taking a break.

After we left the Tower, we found the Underground trains to St Paul's Cathedral, which we had chosen to visit. Unfortunately, it had never occurred to me that St Paul's is closed on Sundays for services, so there were no tours. We could step inside and take a look. I had told Ryan about the Whispering Gallery, but no luck whispering secrets today.

We walked across the Millennium Bridge to my favourite place in London, The Globe, which Robin had wanted to see. It, too, is closed on Sundays!

Details of the iron work on the gates to The Globe.

It had been a hot, scorchingly sunny day in London. We had had to bypass a visit to Harrods, but it turns out it, too, would have been closed. Instead, we walked to Jubilee Park, hopped on an Underground Train, and stopped at Oxford Circus, so Robin could find some souvenirs. Unfortunately, we did not see many such shops, so she decided to settle on airport shopping, before flying home tomorrow.

I am usually a bit nervous about taking photos on the Underground, but the opportunity presented itself as we lurched back to Marylebone Station. The Underground may be efficient (sometimes) but it is not a comfortable place for anyone who dislikes crowds or who is claustrophobic! We arrived just in time to catch the train home, although it was again diverted through Aylesbury.

Yesterday, we went to the Cotswolds, and last week we went to Oxford. I'll report on those trips next time.