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Post by htmb on Jun 20, 2013 7:41:26 GMT
During my next few days in London, after my visit to Greenwich and the Isle of Dogs,I did a lot of wandering around. I had a few places in mind I wanted to visit, but no specific itinerary. I spent a lot of time in the St. Pancras area since my hotel was located across the street. It was actually the colorful one in Kerouac's last London/Shakespeare's Globe report. Leaving one morning, I took the Tube to Westminster and started walking towards St. James Park. Once there, I first encountered a flock of pelicans, which seemed pretty strange to me. Here's the bird-keeper's cottage for St. James park, built in 1831. Looking down the path I thought I glimpsed a horse. Turns out it was headed for the Horse Guards parade area.
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Post by tod2 on Jun 20, 2013 12:40:49 GMT
St Pancrass is such a wonderful building.....and it goes for miles when you walk down York Way.
I am so glad you got to Mudchute Farm. It looks lovely and green now. I would be interested to hear your route there. I remember us getting to a supermarket carpark and then trying to find which direction to take. We left somewhere near the stables and walked for ages before getting on a bus. I love the DLR and find it fascinating to be taken somewhere without a driver!
You have certainly opened my eyes about St James's Park and the Bird Keepers cottage. What a lovely find! Are you using any sort of Travel Guide on London?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 12:48:41 GMT
The bird-keeper seems to have a pretty good kitchen garden!
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Post by htmb on Jun 20, 2013 13:10:39 GMT
St Pancrass is such a wonderful building.....and it goes for miles when you walk down York Way. I am so glad you got to Mudchute Farm. It looks lovely and green now. I would be interested to hear your route there. I remember us getting to a supermarket carpark and then trying to find which direction to take. We left somewhere near the stables and walked for ages before getting on a bus. I love the DLR and find it fascinating to be taken somewhere without a driver! You have certainly opened my eyes about St James's Park and the Bird Keepers cottage. What a lovely find! Are you using any sort of Travel Guide on London? What!!! No driver! I had no idea. I loved Mudchute Farm, too. No, I'm not using a guide book. I gathered my information from you and from Patrick, and then just kind of followed my nose to get to the farm (along with google maps). From Island Gardens, I walked sort of east through the neighborhoods and even cut through the center of one off street. At that point I had heard the sheep, so I knew I was headed in the right direction. When leaving, I asked a young girl about the closest DLR and she said Island Gardens was really the closest, so back I went through the neighborhoods. I really liked the apparent diversity of the neighborhood around Mudchute. I would also love to explore the financial district one day. I lot of what also appealed to me about the area was being out of the London crowds and the fast pace. I thought I was used to zooming through the metro due to my experiences in DC, but the London Underground is a whole new level. I have done a lot of looking up on the Internet, and used Google maps (when I can get my phone to work). Occasionally i will refer to Rick Steves London guidebook, but really, much of my wandering has been just that, along with helpful reports such as yours, Lola's, Lugg's, Patrick's and several others. The London 2013 thread with posts from Mossie, Spindrift, Kerouac, and many other helpful folks, plus several PM's back and forth with some specifics, have been just great. I'm no longer in London, but for a hint I will tell you that I learned it's another place Patrick should know well. I still have three days worth of London photos to post, and hope to get on with it soon.
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Post by htmb on Jun 20, 2013 14:56:23 GMT
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Post by htmb on Jun 20, 2013 15:13:21 GMT
After the horse guards departed I stepped back into St. James Park and headed for Buckingham Palace. Here's a map of the park. I started at the right side of the map and headed down the middle, to the left. Preparation for planting was being done in this part of the garden. And there were beautiful blooming flowers and shrubs.
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Post by htmb on Jun 20, 2013 15:18:30 GMT
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Post by bjd on Jun 20, 2013 15:33:07 GMT
For something completely different, they could have the Horse Guards finish with a game of beach volleyball. ;D
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Post by bixaorellana on Jun 20, 2013 16:03:51 GMT
Just dazzling, Htmb! I love that your text is so encouraging in showing how to enjoy a dauntingly huge city without having every step and destination rigidly worked out.
Your fifth photo in #4 is so perfect in every way, & can't have been easy to get in that throng.
But the gardens! Gorgeous pictures -- that would have made the whole trip for me.
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Post by tod2 on Jun 20, 2013 16:36:56 GMT
Htmb - Am I right in thinking that the Bird-Keepers cottage is on Duck Island? I looked for it on the map you gave but am not sure if what I saw is it?! Sort of near the bridge?
London always delights when one just happens to be present when a ceremony is kicking-off! In 2000 took my mum to see the changing of the guards and that is all the pomp & ceremony I have ever seen. Those horses are fabulous but I like the ones with a white blase in the middle of their foreheads.
Looking forward to more photos.....from your secret pad ;D
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Post by mossie on Jun 20, 2013 18:54:44 GMT
Super pics of the Horse Guards, when you see such ceremony it makes all the polishing and drilling worthwhile. Bet you didn't expect to see your type birds in central London, I think there are flamingos about there somewhere.
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Post by htmb on Jun 20, 2013 19:00:03 GMT
The horses were interesting. I used to be a horse person many years ago and I can tell you there's no way I could climb up on one of those huge beasts without a step up. Also, I noticed one of the horses getting a bit skittish; picking up his front feet, trying to nip the horse next to him, and acting like he really wanted to rear up. Wouldn't have been a problem for me except I was right behind him by about twelve feet. I decided to move.
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Post by htmb on Jun 20, 2013 19:01:44 GMT
Tod, the Bird Keepers cottage is just at the edge of the island, across from the Horse Guards Parade.
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Post by htmb on Jun 20, 2013 19:37:41 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2013 20:50:58 GMT
Some of the elite French forces have silly costumes, but I'm sorry, the British ones are even sillier.
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Post by htmb on Jun 20, 2013 21:29:22 GMT
On the way back to the Tube I got turned around and ended up walking all the way to Victoria station. On the way I came across Westminster Cathedral, The "mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales." Here's the back of the theatre where Wicked is playing. I almost got tickets, but decided to attend a different show. The area both inside and outside Victoria Station is a mess. I'm usually pretty good at finding my way around, but had to ask the "bored with his job" information man where to find the entrance to the Underground, and it was practically in front of me.
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Post by htmb on Jun 21, 2013 7:22:19 GMT
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Post by bjd on Jun 21, 2013 8:06:20 GMT
It's striking that people don't actually look at anything in museums or galleries any more -- they use their smartphones or cameras as intermediaries.
I have never seen Westminster Cathedral before (didn't know it existed), but that is one ugly building. Okay -- I just looked it up -- "Byzantine Revival" architecture, opened in 1903.
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Post by htmb on Jun 21, 2013 9:30:30 GMT
Yes, I was not enticed to enter the Cathedral.
The British Museum allows photographs, but others, such as the National Gallery, do not. Thats probably why so many people in these photos were using smart phones.
I have to admit that I didn't spend much time in the museums. I have visited the Louvre, Orsay, and National Gallery in Washington DC numerous times, so just didn't feel the need to peruse every nook and cranny of the museums in London. I think if I'd been able to visit the Pompeii exhibit I would have done so based on the rave reviews it has received. The friend I encountered in the airport, who is an academic scholar, spoke very highly of her experience.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2013 17:01:18 GMT
I have only started to master the buses of London in my most recent trips.
I only went to the British Museum once, but I still remember those stunning statues that you photographed.
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Post by htmb on Jun 21, 2013 17:25:04 GMT
I suppose I'm spoiled. The last time I visited the British Museum, a university friend was there on a Fullbright and he gave us a very personal tour. It was wonderful. As for the buses, I walked completely around St. Paul's once to find my stop. Then I saw my bus pass by going the other was twice. I was convinced I was in the correct place, but the bus didn't show up when it was supposed to. Another visitor waiting there finally gave up and hopped on a different bus. Five minutes later mine arrived and I got a direct ride back to the hotel. If I'm not in a hurry then I don't mind stumbling around, making mistakes, and finding my way about. However, it would drive most other people nuts, so I wouldn't wish to explore that way with most other people. Such is the beauty of exploring on your own. I suppose it's a trade-off, since you don't have someone with which to share experiences; on the other hand, you also don't have someone who would like to strangle you at the next opportunity.
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Post by nycgirl on Jun 21, 2013 17:26:33 GMT
I have to admit that I didn't spend much time in the museums. It's nice that the British Museum is free, so you can pop in and out without feeling obligated to spend a certain amount of time to justify the admission price. I've seen those winged, human-headed lion statues at the British Museum and at the Met. Did you notice that they have five legs? The sculptors were more concerned with having the creature look powerful both head-on and in profile than they were with logic. It worked, the sculpture is very striking.
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Post by htmb on Jun 21, 2013 17:54:47 GMT
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Post by htmb on Jun 21, 2013 18:17:40 GMT
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Post by bjd on Jun 21, 2013 18:36:37 GMT
Anything to attract attention! What was the guy with the horror mask and the knives doing?
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Post by mossie on Jun 21, 2013 18:39:33 GMT
A wonderful tourists eye view of London and showing how busy it gets when the tourist season gets underway. Reviewing the early part of the thread I was struck by one of the Horse Guards pics where both the rider and horse appeared to have you in their sights. And he was carrying that polished sword
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Post by htmb on Jun 21, 2013 19:01:05 GMT
I never could figure that guy out, bjd, and I didn't want to ask. Both the horse and rider were probably bored from having to stand in place for so long, Mossie.
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Post by htmb on Jun 21, 2013 21:34:13 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2013 4:26:26 GMT
Gee, I feel as though I recognize some of that stuff for some reason.
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Post by htmb on Jun 22, 2013 7:07:06 GMT
Yes, I'm sure you do. Looking back through your report and those of others I found that I photographed many of the same things on the South Bank. Sorry about that; it gets even worse.
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