Thursday, January 24, 2008

ANOTHER LONDON STOPOVER

LONDON & WESTMINSTER - APRIL 2006

After Budapest, we made a short stopover in London; always a nice place to go. We started with a visit to the LONDON MUSEUM!


"ROMANS - It seems that on this precise spot, by the Thames, all started with the Romans, at least in cultural terms..."


"MAYOR'S CARRIAGE - At a certain point in time the Roman chariots gave birth to these kind of coaches"


"HAND PUPPETS (or glove puppets) made the delights of many young (or older) human beings..."


"AMAZING (?) were also some personages in the late 20th century"


"ST. GILES CRIPPLEGATE (built in 1550 on the site of a previous Norman church and named for the patron saint of cripples) managed to survive the Great Fire of 1666 but was badly damaged by a bomb during World War II (only the tower survived). Cromwell married Elizabeth Bourchier here in 1620, and the poet John Milton was buried here in 1674"


"THE GHERKIN - According to Wikipedia, "The gherkin name first appeared in The Guardian newspaper in 1996, referring to [the] highly unorthodox layout, and this was enthusiastically adopted by other media and the public. Due to the current building's somewhat phallic appearance, other inventive names have also been used for the building, including the Erotic gherkin, the Towering Innuendo, and the Crystal Phallus"


"SEAGULL - There are always some seagulls along the Thames, probably because they can drink both fresh and salt water"


"MARBLE ARCH"


"SPEAKER'S CORNER, more than 33 years later"



"THE ITALIAN GARDENS in Kensington Gardens were commissioned by Queen Victoria"


"PETER PAN - «The boy who wouldn't grow up» has a statue in Kensington Gardens"


"PHYSICAL ENERGY by George Frederick Watts was placed in Kensington Gardens one hundred years ago and is one of three castings; the other two are in Cape Town, and in Zimbabwe"



"EROS IN PICADILLY"


"GIELGUD - Arthur Miller's «The Crucible» was playing at the Gielgud Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue. A great play with great performers"


"CHEZ VICTOR - In the 1970s, it was a nice bistro in London, with interesting information at the entrance: «Le Patron mange ici». Later, it turned Biagio Chez Victor and it seems that the service was horrible... It's now closed for refurbishment!"


"THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS was showing a magnificent exhibition devoted to the artistic riches of the reigns of three Emperors - Kangxi (1662—1722), Yongzheng (1723—35) and Qianlong (1736—95) -, the most powerful rulers of China’s last dynasty: the Qing"

40 comments:

Dalicia said...

u know what they say "if you're tired of london, you're tired of life "

Peter said...

So nice to see this - another example from someone who has travelled so much that he (actually never alone) has the time - and wish - to visit the places you would not visit a first time! (Nice also the reference to 33 years ago with the same nice couple!)

Ash said...

Good quote by Dalicia :)
But from the images I think one can never tire of London. Fantastic images!!

alicesg said...

Wow nice buildings. And I like the musuem too. You are really lucky to be able to travel to so many countries. You deserved to be called globetrotter. :)

Lara said...

another trip, another treat! great post!

Shionge said...

Yes indeed, always a nice place to visit. I remembered back in Year 2004 when my girls were much younger, we bough sandwiches and sat in Trafalgar Square watching the pigeons and all the people passing by :D

Thanks for the memory :D

Miss Kim said...

Are you EVER at home??

Do you EVER sit still??

Lori said...

Ah, London. I'd love to go back some day!! I'd love to go everywhere you show us actually!! These are great shots. I especially like the one with the Gielgud theatre and the double decker bus. You've given us a great taste of London!

Noushy Syah said...

Emmm they really look gr8 in the pics as well as in reality.You captured the images nicely.

Have a gr8 w/end my friend.

lyliane six said...

Il y a longtemps que je ne suis allée en Angleterre, pas 33 ans, mais bien 25 ans!J'y suis allée 4 fois, avec mon prof d'Anglais, avec Michel, 8 jours pour assister au grand prix de F1 à Silvestone, avec des amis de mon travail et chez des anglais à Hampton Court que nous avons connus par le jumelage de nos deux villes d'habitation.J'ai beaucoup aimé, il faudrait que j'y retourne, mais la vie y est très chère m'a t on dit?

Daniel Chérouvrier said...

Lots of good reasons to go to London.
Why not a trip this year to pay a visit to our sister-in-law and husband in Cambridge ?

Anonymous said...

Interesting shots of London!
You must have fun!
I like the carriage most.
It's beautiful.

Alexander
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

freefalling said...

That 'gherkin' never ceases to fascinate me!

K M F said...

good pictures and quote

Isadora said...

Love your photo series, the statues are regal and the trip down on memory lane :)

Among the blogs (and if I could only remember) I believe it may have been in California, the FBI was searching through the exhibits for stolen art from Asian sources. Don't you wonder now (I do) how much of what was ill begotten?

Annie said...

Hello GMG,

What a wonderful time in London you had. Seeing Maggie Thatcher and Peter Pan in the same day, it's like seeing the poles of the entire span of humanity.

Dick said...

I have been in London 28 years ago, nice town. Greetings to your wife (I think she is) and thank her for the LOVELY smile in the "Hand Puppet"picture.

Rune Eide said...

I'm impressed - both with all the places you have been (where have you not been?) and the quality and mass of the work you have put into your blogs.

Thank you for the nice comments on Bergen - both to me and on your blog!

Chuckeroon said...

Heh there Trotter....you are clearly psd to be back in London. Tks for finding the time to slip down to Richmond. You are right about that "Springlike feel".

Beefybob7 said...

Hi Gil,

Thanks for the flashback.
Lived in London (Ealing) 72, 73. Worked in pubs to make a quid (pound). Had many famous customers, notably The Who.

BBC directors etc called me Steedy cause I was sooo slow.

Those were the days my friend, Rod Stewart.......

Thanks Bob.

isa said...

Yes, the Towering Innuendo made an impression on me ,too ;-)
I loved London (and all the free museums, unlike France!) and even got used to their strange eating habits (although not the beans for breakfast!). The only problem I had in London...was the language barrier ;-)))

Nikon said...

Thanks for another great tour, Gil!
I'd love to go there - like most Americans, I grew up on Dickens, Masefield, and so many others.
You're very lucky!

NormanTheDoxie said...

I was in London several times in the early 70's and again in 1999. Your photos brought it all back to me. Thanks for the memories.

Anonymous said...

Wow...some very beautifully captured shots....it is a lovely ride of this city through your lens in its different unique moods....Wonderful!

Anonymous said...

That picture of the seagull and Parliament is fabulous!

Joy said...

As usual, you've been very busy. And you are right - London is such a happening place! There are plenty of things to do and see. There is definitely something for everyone.

Thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and your kind comments. Drop by again!

joy
A Pinay In England

Anonymous said...

gotta love london!

lyliane six said...

Bonne semaine à tous les deux.Je vais dans la banlieue de Paris avec ma petite voiture, mais sans mon manteau rose!pourtant il fait froid ces jours ci, il gèle tous les matins -2°,mais mes rétros et toutes mes vitres dégivrent automatiquement.

Olivier said...

Londres est une très belle ville (malheureusement très chère). j'adore la statue de Peter Pan et les marionnettes (celle de Maggie Thatcher est vraiment très réussie ;o)) )

Sigma said...

Hi Gil,
Thanks a lot for your messages, as also for your concern. I have been rather unwell, so was comppletely out of touch with everything. I am better now, though not fully recovered, so it will take me time to get back and visit these wonderful places with you.
Meanwhile it seems you are ready to visit Taj. Enjoy yourself!! Would love to read of your experience specially the first impression!

Lakshmi said...

being a student of english literature,its a dream for me to visit UK..and Im happy to see it through your eyes ..feel transported there..great pics and info ..

Lilli & Nevada said...

Love all the photos but have to say that carriage is fabulous
On my way home from my long month trip

JaamZIN said...

so we are in London now:) I am looking forward to this excursion with you after Budapest

Budapest Daily Photo

My Unfinished Life said...

nice pics...London seems to be a very interesting place....would like to visit it sometim...btw how do you get to travel so much??..wish i had your job!!!!...

Janet said...

What a variety of great photos and places!

final_transit said...

I've never been to London. Thanks for the virtual tour GMG!
- Priyank

CaBaCuRl said...

It's good to be back in Blog Land, and to find some friends still visiting after my absence, so thank you. London is one of my favourite places, though it has sadly been way too long since I last visited.

MedaM said...

I could bet that I already commented this post the other day. Can that be that my comment didn't go through and that I didn't notice that on time?!
I remember that I enjoyed this beautiful series of London photos very much, as well as those of lovely Budapest, by thinking what a beautiful window through the world your blog is. You have visited so many wonderful places and have taken so many great photos from there and I can only imagine what a wonderful feeling and great experience it is.
I also remember that I was happy to know that you were in my city in 1980 and I was wondering about your impressions back then. You should see my city now. I think you would like it.
This way I want again to say that your blog is great especially for me who have never visited all those beautiful places. Thank you very much for visiting my blog; I really appreciate it a lot.

indicaspecies said...

Regent, Trafalgar, Piccadilly..
This post brought back sweet memories of my trip to London. Lovely pictures. You have a good collection of pictures that are 33 years old!! How cute is that!
Happy travelling Gil. :)

Anonymous said...

Hi everybody, sorry for having been late to reply to these comments, but was absent for a while and had no chance to do it earlier…

Dalicia,
It’s ok, but I would use the quote for NYC!

Peter,
It’s true that after ten times in a city you start looking for some unusual places you wouldn’t visit on the first times…

Ash,
You’re probably right about the difficulty to be tired of London…

AliceSG,
Thanks. Globetrotter I would like to be…

Lara,
Thanks!

Shionge,
Trafalgar Square is a nice place to see and be seen…

Kim,
I’m almost parked, and you ask if I ever sit still… ;))

Lori,
London it’s not that far, though the Concorde is no longer flying… ;))

Noushy Syah,
Thanks!

Lyliane,
Il faut y retourner! Mais c’est vrai que les prix sont affreux; du moins aussi cher qu’en Euro et, en plus, payables en libres!
-2º dans la banlieue de Paris? Mais c’est bien froid! Heureusement que tu as ton manteau rose… ;)

Deslilas,
Lucky to have a sister-in-law in Cambridge!

Alexander,
The Mr. Livingstone’s carriage is amazing! Only used once a year, it seems…

Letitia,
The Gherkin fascinates many people…

Kmf,
Thanks!

Isadora,
I won’t comment on the way many items got to some museums…

Annie,
Nice finding: Peter Pan and Maggie…

Dick,
28 years ago, I was in London for the third time and my wife was there for the second time… Amazing pictures may be seen here

Runee,
Thanks! Actually the blogs work somehow as a replacement for the missing travel…

Chuckeroon,
Having been for many years a BA frequent flyer, London is usually on my way; at least Heathrow… ;))

Bob,
I can imagine you in London slowly pouring beer for the Who…

Isabella,
Innuendo, Breakfast beans and Language barriers, what a London treat… ;))

Paul,
Come on, it’s not that far, and competition on North Atlantic airlines lowers the prices… ;))

Citygirl,
Glad to bring your memories back!

Kalyan,
Ruth,
Thanks!

Joy,
Busy I’ve been, but not in London, unfortunately…

Piika,
Good taste!

Olivier,
Tu as raison; merveilleux et très chère…

Sigma,
Hope you’re fully recovered now! Taj is dazzling!

Backpakker,
You were quite close, and it’s easy to fly from India to London… ;))

Lilli & Nevada,
How I envy you; one month trip… I remember it, but that was a long, long time ago…

Zsolt,
London is usual a stopover for me and no longer a trip destination; but still a great place to visit!

Shooting Star,
Used to travel a lot… It’s past!

Rambling Round,
Thanks!

Priyank,
It’s a nice place to visit!

Cabacurl,
Glad to see you back here! You should consider visiting London again; lots have changed…

Medam,
It’s my pleasure to visit your Sarajevo blog! And surely I would love to get back to your town again. From all the places I’ve been to in 1980, I got back only to Dubrovnik and loved to see the city after all these years…

Celine,
Great to bring your sweet memories back!
1973 was my first time in London, and 1974 was our first time together there…