A Full-time Life

  • WESTMINSTER ABBEY AND BIG BEN (click on pics)

    Westminster_abbeygarden  Westminster Abbey

    Westminster_abbey                                                                      

               The Abbey Tower                  

                                                                                           

                               

    Westminster Abbey was founded in 96Westminster_abbey30 AD as a Benedictine monastery .  You can see the chapels where those monks worshiped and the deeply worn stone stairs they climbed. 

    It has been England’s coronation church since 1066 (William the Conqueror).  The coronation chair used at every coronation since 1301 is here.  (A woman in our tour group actually asked the verger when the next coronation was scheduled.  Honestly.  He ever so politely replied that he couldn’t foretell the future. )

    The tombs (with effigies) of Elizabeth I, Mary Tudor, Mary Queen of Scots are here and Geoffrey Chaucer is among those buried or memorialized in the poets corner.  There is a nave and grave of the Unknown Warrior and memorials to FDR, Churchill, Isac Newton, Charles Darwin and others.

    The abbey is still used — as an active church as well as a tourist site.  (Of course it changed to Church of England along the way!)  Princess Diana and Queen Mother Elizabeth had their funerals here.                                                                                                                

                                                                                                       Westminster_abbey2_2

            This picture is part of the Abbey Garden.  It’s a tranquil acre of land that has been cultivated for 1,000 years — the oldest garden in England. 

                                                    

    Big_ben_2                           

    This is Big Ben and Parliament. It was great visiting this area.  We hope to go back and see Parliament in session      

                                                                                                                                           

  • BUCKINGHAM PALACE

    They’re changing guard at Buckingham Palace.  The Queen wasn’t in at the moment.  We were not alone however — every other tourist from the USA (and elsewhere) were there too.  We have gotten used to being a novelty in Sydenham — it was almost  a surprise to find out that we aren’t the only visitors.   

    In the same Westminster "neighborhood" we also visited St James Palace and St James Park and Whitehall, which used to be a palace and is now government offices.  It is where Churchill’s War Room was.  (That’s it at the end of the Buckingham Palace Mall Road in the fourth picture).  St James is where Prince Charles has his offices.    

    Buck_palace1      Buck_palace_queen_vic2                         Buck_palace_and_vic                         Buck_palace_avenue                          Changing_guard                                                    

    Changing_guard3

        Changing_guard_eq5                           Guard                           Palace_guard                           Guarding_royal_house                                                

    I

    Stjames_palace       Whitehall_war_room                                 

  • SOMETHING FOR THE LEFTIES

    Brit_mus_flint

                                                                            Brit_mus_lefthanded_flint                        

    This post is especially for Pete, Geoff, Jeff, and Jacob and any other family members with inherited (?) left-handedness.  These touchable artifacts from the Enlightenment Room in the British Museum highlight an excavated flint that dates from twelve and a half thousand years ago.  By the way it was filed, archeologists are able to say with certainty that this knife was made especially for a left-handed person.  (As a left-handed person who was made to switch hands  — in the 1940s! — I took some pleasure in knowing that this bad habit goes back a little ways in time!) 

    Another fun fact for lefties (this has nothing to do with the British Museum) is that in England polite people use their left hand to eat their meat or fish after cutting it — instead of switching their fork back to the right hand.  Easy to get used to (for some of us!).

  • THE BRITISH MUSEUM

    In a long afternoon, we only saw part of one floor of this amazing (and free museum).  It really is a wonder.  These pictures are from the Enlightenment Room — which mostly highlights the collections of the founders of the Museum.   We looked at this room, the Egyptian Room (mummies!), and the Greek Room.

    Brit_museum_2                     British_museumenglightenment_room_4                                   (Bill browsing in the Enlightenment  Room)

           Brit_museumelgin_marbles_2                     

    This picture is a detail of the famous Elgin Marbles.  These panels were taken many years ago by British anthropoligists from the Parthenon in Greece.  The panels extend all around a large room — and, of course, there are explanations of what each panel depicts.     There is controversy over whether the panels should remain here or be returned to Greece.  (They were saved from crumbling destruction by the British, or so they say here!)

    We want to go back to this Museum while we’re here — it will be impossible to see everything in it — that would take a lifetime. 

    click here for more information on the museum

    Click here for older archived posts

  • ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL (click on thumbnail pictues)

    8 St Paul’s was designed by Christopher Wren and built after the Great Fire of London in 1666.  It’s the third or fourth cathedral to be built on the same spot.  This picture shows the dome and is taken from the River Thames.

         The interior (no photography allowed) was redesigned during the Victorian era, because Queen V. was bored with Wren’s plain white walls.  It’s very ornate, all gilt and gold and beautiful lighting.   London_first_download_060   The whole thing is a combination of Cathedral, Museum, and Crypt. 

      This picture shows the Cathedral from the street entrance side.

    The Cathedral was saved from Nazi bombing during WWII by a volunteer fire brigade who stood on the roof during the raids (!) and bucketed out fires the bombs caused.  There is a lovely chapel to honor American Armed Services personnel who helped to save Britain.

    After a tour led by a very knowledgeable verger, we returned to hear Evensong services sung by the St Paul’s choir boys and priests.  The acoustics were amazing, wonderful organ music.  It’s quite something that such a concert takes place every morning and evening, twice on Sunday!

    read about Saint Pauls here

  • Living in London – click on thumbnail pix,

    1. 24

    25    26                         27                         28                                 

    •                                   

    79 Venner Road, Sydenham, London.  Our flat is the one in the left bay window.  The street scene is looking north up Venner Road toward Sydenham High (Main) Street, about 3 blocks away.   The home renovation is going on across our street.  It will be worth about 2 million pounds when it goes on the market.  Fun to watch the progress.  All of the homes in this area were constructed sometime around 1860.

    ———————————————————————————————————————-

       1 3                           5                                     6                          

    9

    A few London scenes taken from a boat on the River Thames.  They are (left to right):  London City Hall, The Tower Bridge, The London Eye, London Aquarium, and the Grapes Pub — it’s one of the pubs where Charles Dickens hung out and where he wrote.

  • SALLIE – London Notes 1

    We have every-day adventures learning about our little town of Sydenham.  It’s a multi-ethnic area in SouthEast London, part of the boroughs of Lewisham/Bromlely.  Part of the fun is learning to understand people.  Of course, they do speak English here, but our problem is — we speak American.  As well, the English speakers range from the typical accents you hear on BBC-America (the café owner and the laundryette lady who call me luv and Bill “ducks” or “darlin”), to the butcher who is Scottish, to the very proper (and very rapid) English spoken by our landlady to the English spoken with Pakistani, Indian,  Afghanistan,  and any number of African accents.   Everyone seems to know we are “American” even before we open our mouths and I haven’t figured out quite why that is.   Many of the people we meet are very interested – and knowledgeable – about American politics and ask us what we think of current events.   This is fun, and different for us, because in our RV lifestyle back in the states, people pretty much go out of their way *not* to talk politics to casual acquaintances – too much of a minefield, I expect. 

  • Bill — London Notes 1

    We have been in London for almost a month now.  Much of the time has been spent figuring out how to navigate the city.  We have rented (let) a studio flat, and many trips to the markets and “pound” stores have been required to set up housekeeping.  It is kind of strange to be buying things with the knowledge that they will be abandoned the first of August.  You can’t function here, using public transportation, without a shopping trolley.  We look just like you would imagine, two little old people trudging up the sidewalk and onto the train or bus with our cart!  Great fun!!

    London1The Tower Bridge photo is the bridge that MacCullough thought he was buying when he bought London Bridge and moved it to Lake Havasu AZ.  (At least that’s the story told here.)  We took a tour on the Thames, and the long time boatman Captain told us that the bridge is considered a vessel and requires a Captain, First Mate and   Engineer to raise and lower. (I think the watermen have a great union)

    (this is a thumbnail. click on photo for full shot)

    The buses run every 10-12 minutes all day and on the half hour at night.  Only time they are really packed with people is during commute hours.  It’s great to sit in the very front of the top deck above the driver and watch the street light come within an inch of your side window. (Honest)  Since the trees have fully leafed out, the neighborhood buses manage to thump a branch or two on the roof.  I noticed yesterday that some of the drivers are starting to recognize us, and just wave when we start to show our passes.

    We saw Monte Python’s SpamAlot at a great theatre (see, I’m becoming a Londoner with my spelling) The performance was great, “laughedAlot”.  The theatre has been restored recently and is very nice.  Has two or three bars and a seat vendor for intermission.