London

About a month and a half ago I took another trip to Ireland. The hours were long and as you may know, it's terribly dark there this time of year. Sunrise was about 7:30 and sunset just after 4:30. Consider the fact that there is hardly ever a clear day and I can see why the Irish spend so much time in pubs by the peat fire. Having said that the Irish are very warm and friendly people. I really enjoy my visits there even if I don't get to see as much countryside and and as many cultural aspects as I would like.

This time over I took advantage of being in Ireland to shoot across the North Channel to England. I took a no-frills airline across and learned a thing or two about low cost airlines. Despite having seats that don't recline, no first class, no food or beverage service, a very strict baggage policy, and general seating where you just pick your seat in the mass of people getting in, I had a good flight. The plane was very clean and the flight attendants very helpful. I suppose at $25 to $50 to go from Belfast to London it's hard to complain.

London itself was a little intimidating at first. Getting in I took the National Rail to Victoria Station. My friend Rob (we were at school together in Newfoundland at MUN) met up with me there after a few harried phone calls. It felt a little like the Amazing Race TV show. "I'm headed for this location, Rob, can you meet me there?" and then I figured out the train was actually going somewhere else so I called him back "Make that this place instead...is that a problem?" and so on. Add to the fact my phone was dying since I hadn't had a chance to charge it and you have two Canadians who were pretty happy to see each other when we finally caught up.

The first day Rob and I sneaked away and left Michelle with the the kids (they had birthday parties to attend). We did a huge walking tour of the city, getting out to the London Eye, Tower Bridge, The Monument, Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace, and even some of Hyde Park. Below is a picture from the Monument. It was raining very hard and it felt pretty cold, even by Canadian standards.

Saturday is also the major market day in London so we walked through a few markets on our way around town. This is Covent Market. It was very impressive.

Another picture from Covent Garden.

Off course we walked by the Canadian Embassy below, but didn't have time to stop and chat.

Here is Buckingham Palace. As you see the weather was not ideal.

The London Eye as seen from the other side of the River Thames.

This is Big Ben, the clock tower at the Palace of Westminster, which is the House of Parliament.

And a view from the back.

This is Westminster as it sits along the river.

Other activities included a trip to the science museum with Aiden and Kathleen. We saw all sorts of things from the very new to the not so new. Here is a Royal Post coach, for Jane and all her stamp collecting friends.

With Aiden around we wanted to spend some time in Hyde park. This is one entrance near Albert Hall. The monument is the Albert Memorial.

Here is Albert Hall with Rob, Aiden, Kathleen, and Michelle in the foreground.

Now, while I was away it was Jane's birthday. For that I had made her a Penfold Post Box replica. Here is Isabelle next to it.

Now, while in London one of my goals was to find a copy of the box I had replicated. Here it is, finally, after searching for three days, we finally found one near the back side of Hyde park near the Nepalese embassy. These post boxes it turns out are much rarer than I thought. There were only a handful in the city and it made for an interesting "treasure" hunt. In the end it took me a few weeks of nights and Saturdays to make but I think Jane appreciates it. Now I want to make one for Elizabeth.

Here is the real thing.

Still on the postal theme:

This picture is Postman Pat. Some of you may know him. I put him in for Elizabeth and Jane.

My last full day in London I ventured out on my own. I took the national Rail into town and then onto the subway, or Tube, to start my day. I had a list of things to see and do and had planned my day carefully. Off course the first thing I did was take a wrong turn. In the end it was a good thing since I wandered into the French Quarter. One of the first things I saw was a great little bookstore.

Once past that I managed to find my way to Hyde Park again and tracked down Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. There is a statue like this in Bowring Park in St. John's. It's sort of a tradition to be photographed with it in both locations in Jane's family but being by myself on a blustery fall day this is the best I could do with my phone's camera. (It turns out there are seven of these statues all over the world.)

My walk took me by lots of scenery and history. Here is the another entrance to Hyde Park. It's called Marble Arch.

Now back to Trafalgar Square and Nelson's Column, the monument to Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson who died due to injuries at the Battle of Trafalgar with the French and Spanish.

Of course no visit to London is complete without a trip to Tower Bridge. The one side was undergoing repairs and renovations and I didn't have time to go for a tour. It was just like in the movies though.

The end of my day brought me to Greenwich. It is a relatively quiet town near where Rob and Michelle live. Rob actually works in Greenwich so I was on my way to meet him there.

Greenwich is also where the Royal Observatory is and where the Prime Meridian is measured from. The museums were free and I was waiting on Rob so I walked around a little.

This is a shot of the top of the observatory at dusk. The large ball is called the Time Ball. It was used to tell time by the ships at anchor in the river. The ball would be raised and dropped at a specified time so the ships could set their clocks.

This is the view of the Maritime Museum and the Queen's House in Greenwich. It is below the hill where the observatory sits. The University of Greenwich sits behind it. That's where Rob works and studies.

Here is the line that was used to define the rest of the world.

The observatory set the standard for lots of things in its day, including the time and other measures. Below is a 24 hour clock and some length standards.

And that about sums it up. The last night we had a huge feed of Indian food and stayed up too late again. I was up in the wee hours to catch the National Rail and then the Tube to Heathrow. Through security, a little breakfast and I was home 18 hours later. Travelling the world is great but it's always nice to be home.

Now for Christmas...