DAY 3
Monday 23rd June 6:15am London
Morning TV in England is almost interchangeable with Aussie morning TV, except maybe not as slick. Wimbeldon starts today apparently. They have a speed boat race that loops the UK, except that the weather on the seas can cause them to do some legs across land on Lorries! It looks like another nice summer’s day in London although the air coming in the open window is cool now.
Monday 23rd June 9pm London
It is still light outside as the sun sets late during summer daylight savings. We have had a long, busy and great day walking around London. We began with a nice breakfast at the hotel, then left at about 8am. We walked along Kensington High Street past Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. The parks are beautiful and cater for so many needs. There are walking tracks, dog areas, horse paths, wild areas for squirrels and birds, manicured gardens, ponds and lakes for rowing and ducks, and cycles everywhere. People really make the most of their parks and there are always a lot of people there. Mind you, it was a beautiful summer’s day.
We walked to Buckingham Palace and overheard someone say 11:30, and we presumed that was when the guards change. It was only 10:15, so we walked to Trafalgar Square quite amazed at the traffic of red double-decker buses, taxis, moped, and cyclists. There was to be a concert later at Trafalgar Square and people were setting up a stage and seating. So we walked back through St. James Park to the Guards House just in time to see the guards emerge wearing their red jackets and huge big black furry hats. They marched backwards and forwards and were inspected. Some others with instruments formed a circle and played some tunes. I expected something military or traditional English, but they began with Shaft by Barry White!
We walked over to Buckingham Palace where thousands of people had gathered to see the changing of the guards. We stayed and watched the guards march up playing their instruments while another group approached on horses. It was a great sight.
We walked to Big Ben and the House of Parliament. Parliament was sitting so security people were everywhere. Big Ben chimed for 12:00 midday just as we walked by. We walked across the bridge looking at the spectacular view of the city down the Thames River. The London Eye had a long queue of people waiting for a ride and we didn’t want to waste our day standing in queues so we continued on down South Bank.
Lunch was at a little Italian restaurant along the banks of the Thames. I had a fantastic spinach pizza and a glass of cold white wine.
The Tate Modern Art Gallery stands like an industrial factory of the modern age in bland straight brown bricks – it looks almost Orwellian. Inside modern art lines the walls. We saw works by Jackson Pollock, Fred Williams, Monet, Matisse and lots of artists that were unfamiliar to me. We liked one installation art work called “Thirty pieces of silver”. Silver objects had been flattened by a steamroller and then arranged in groups and suspended on long silver wires from the ceiling; the objects all hanging just 10 inches or so above the floor. It filled the room and was quite beautiful and interesting to look at.
We continued walking along the river and stopped at a very old fashioned pub where we had a glass of beer. Crossing the river at the Tower Bridge we went into the Tower of London. The castle was built in stages from 1200 to 1500 or so and was a major residence and stronghold of many of the English royalty. We followed the stairs and doorways that wound their way into towers and rooms. We saw the jewels which included crowns, swords, huge diamonds and many other artifacts.
By this time it was 5pm and we were tired and a long way from out hotel. The Monday evening peak hour had arrived and thousands of people rushed to catch a train on the tube system. Unfamiliar with the London public transport system we decided to walk and so wound our way through the busy city streets on the North side of the river. I got slower and slower as my feet were killing me. We arrived at the hotel at about 7:15pm and went into the restaurant for beer and gourmet burgers.
We have seen lots of police cars and ambulances flying through the crowded streets at rapid speeds with their sirens blaring. There seems to be a lot of security in this city, and I guess this is due to the bombings in their tube trains and buses by terrorists a few years back.
We have an early start tomorrow morning, so we will have breakfast at 5:15 and leave at 6:15 with our tour group.
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