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join the Fabérge Big Egg Hunt

Posted in Fun Stuff, interesting things that happen in London, things to do in London, tagged faberge big egg hunt, london big egg hunt on March 4, 2012| 1 Comment »

my favourite so far 🙂 #77 Blackberry Moon

Okay, so if I don’t kill myself finding these eggs, I am gonna have to #RIP my feet.

There is nothing I like more than a challenge, and boy has this easter egg hunt been a cool challenge. There are over 209 eggs dotted about the city from Westminster to Southwark, Canary Wharf to the City of London and Bloomsbury….and I am determined to find them all.

Last weekend saw me scurrying about Westminster for 6 hours, here and there across the city, I crossed the river more times than I can recall. Some I found, and some, to my dismay I walked right passed! Which means of course that I have to go back again. In all I found 27.

Today was no less exhausting as I travelled for miles in my quest to find some more. After 5 hours I had only tracked down 19 😦 and next weekend will see me walking the length and breadth of Bloomsbury and Westminster to track down some more. Thankfully many are clumped together in close proximity, but that is no guarantee you will find them. Some are so cleverly hidden as a window display that you can walk right passed and not even see them

So here are the photos.

Last weekend

Today.

I would love to describe my walk, about how last weekend was lovely and sunny and the daffodils are beginning to peek through, and today it rained and rained and I got soaked, and how I met a lovely young man from Estonia at egg #9 in Canary Wharf and how he joined me for my hunt through the City of London and how we rushed up and down the streets and jumped in the air when we found another one! About how I discovered dozens of super cool new sculptures, how this egg hunt has taken me to different parts of the city, that believe it or not I have not yet seen……but…….I am toooooo tired…..in fact I am so tired I am falling asleep at my computer. So now I am going to bath and bed, and when I recover, if I recover, I shall set out to find some more 🙂

Oh yes, and before I forget….this is meant to be a competition with the prize being a Fabérge egg worth £100,000-00 but guess who hasn’t entered?? hee hee, yes I am doing it just for the fun of it. Shame I don’t have my super duper new phone yet, then I woulda been able to scan in the code and post it to facebook (on their page). ah well.

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uncovering London’s secrets

Posted in Historical, interesting things that happen in London, things to do in London, tagged dragon and flagon london pub tours on January 29, 2012| 8 Comments »

If there was one thing in life I wish I could do, it would be to convert my passion for London into fairy dust so that I could sprinkle it onto everyone 🙂 I really, really love this city. There are so many layers to this city that it would take several lifetimes to uncover them all. Fortunately we are able to uncover many of them…by joining tours. Of course there is no guarantee that the guide will be any good, but every now and then you join a tour that turns out to be a real treat. I have been on a great number of tours in the city, some guides are great and some are just plain boring. But last night I had the good fortune to join a Pub Tour with Vic Norman of Dragon and Flagon Pub Tours.

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I connected with Vic last year already through my page 3 Days in London. Although Pub Tours are not generally my kinda tour, for some reason Vic’s tours appealed to me. His tours take in some of the most historical pubs in London in some of the most intruiging areas of London.

Last night I joined his Jar & Marbles tour from Holborn station. The first pub we visited was an ancient, tiny pub down a winding alleyway. From there we went to an 18oo’s Gin Palace, then a pub that started life as a pub called ‘The Dog and Duck’ in 1783 just over the road from one of the most famous museums in the world. We visited a pub where a Queen of England stored her husband’s favourite foods when he was in hospital and after one more stop a pub that I can only call ‘drop dead gorgeous’. I never thought I would call a pub drop dead gorgeous but OMWord… I was almost drooling! It is just so beautiful; lofty ceilings that look like the inside of a cathedral, a three-cornered stove and in the cellar the remains of a 15th century pub.

The group were lovely and I feel like I made a few new friends; Vic Norman the tour guide, entertaining and friendly, took a real interest in his group and mingled well with everyone…some of the people on the tour had already done 3 of his other tours 🙂 A good recommendation I would say. Mike, a lovely guy with whom I had some great, albeit short conversations about records (of the vinyl kind) and movies (of the Bedknobs and Broomsticks kind). Amy and Steve, a delightful couple who joined the tour with a friend of theirs Catherine who is a Blue Badge Guide in Tunbridge Wells. Chris, a Swedish, Irish, Englishman! An expert on the secrets of a good brew! I had a taste of his; Norman Conquest and although I am not a beer drinker (normally) I found it quite palatable. There were a couple of other folks in the group and what was really lovely is that we mixed and mingled, the dynamics of the group changed as we walked and conversations ebbed and flowed as we walked the streets of this marvellous city.

I was amazed to discover that despite my many 8hour walks around London, there are still streets that I have not yet walked along! Can’t imagine that now could you! 🙂 One of the streets we meandered along was Lamb’s Conduit Passage. I bet your’e thinking of little white lambs, bounding about….well, no you’de be wrong! In 1577 William Lamb, a clothworker by trade but musician by profession, repaired at his own expense of £1500 the old conduit, or water duct, which fed water to Smithfield, from a spring at Holborn. Neat huh! “The street was named after William Lambe in recognition of the £1,500 he gave for the rebuilding of the Holborn Conduit in 1564”.

In all a fab evening (Friday) and I am now booked onto the next pub tour for 24th Feb, where we will be visiting some even older and in some cases notorious pubs.

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discovering Kenwood House on Hampstead Heath

Posted in Fun Stuff, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged hampstead heath, kenwood house, things to do in london on May 25, 2011| 2 Comments »

I have been living in the UK for almost 10 years now and of those, in London for the last 2 years, as well as approx 3 years on and off between 2002 and 2007! I have explored the city and the parks, the churches and museums and the more I discover the more I realise that I haven’t touched sides yet!

so huge....takes a lot to touch sides, and that's just the Heath 🙂

For the last year I have been living in Highgate, quite near to the Heath which I have explored extensively……but it would seem, not extensively enough! Yesterday I discovered Kenwood House! 🙂 and what a discovery it was! I recently wrote a blog for GotSaga about the 5 Great London Parks for a Summer Picnic and one of those was Kenwood House. So I thought I had better visit!

Wow!!! What a fabulous place! Firstly let me explain that when you look at the map of the Heath, Kenwood House looks miles away and I imagined that it would take ages to get there…..as it turns out it took less than 35 minutes and that included time for photos. And as you can imagine, with my propensity for photographing everything I see… that takes up a considerable amount of time on the best of adventures!

I had planned to meet up with a friend at Kenwood House for tea and cake at 3pm, so at just after 1.45pm I set off for the Heath. My route took me past the Highgate ponds and needless to say I stopped off to take photos! (I can’t tell you how many photos I have of the ponds now and yet they remain fantastically photographable!!) I studied the map and set sail. Along the way I met some interesting folks that I stopped to chat to, one of whom, a gentleman asked what I was photographing………..”everything said I”. 🙂

Hampstead Heath

Suddenly, to my amazement and in no time at all, I reached the gates of the estate! What an delightful surprise it turned out to be. Firstly the estate is way bigger than I imagined and had some amazing treasures and areas to explore and discover: Thousand Pound Pond, Sham Bridge, Wood Pond, a Henry Moore sculpture, Stable Field, a Bath Hoouse and of course the main house. This was going to require more than one visit for sure!

a map of Kenwood House estates showing the different areas to visit

The woods are delightful and I felt like I had been drawn into a symphony of green and birdsong. A thick canopy of leaves towered above my head and on all sides thick green tangled undergrowth hid trilling birds and all manner of creatures. The sandy paths are fabulously clean, meandering this way and that, taking you on journeys of discovery. I approached the house from the south-east gate and on the way saw what looked like a bridge that on closer inspection turned out to be just the facade of a bridge. weird! I took some photos and thought I would like to visit the body of water I could see beneath the structure.

As I walked the temptation to meander off and just follow the paths was strong, but I had to keep in mind the meeting for tea….most important! So instead I carried on and as the path lead on up the hill I noticed a marvellous green lawn…..well a bit more than a lawn really, more like a very large field….but beautifully manicured and kept. There on the left of this green sloping jewel was the pond, that turned out to be Thousand Pound pond!! Across the south-east corner of this lake is the Sham Bridge (about 1767-1768, Listed Grade II*), attributed to Robert Adam, which consists of a timber three-span facade with a balustrade.

Sham Bridge on Thousand Pound Pond

The pond is gorgeous and the bridge across the corner creates a glorious romantic image, offset by the wonderful greenery, reed and trees on the perimeter. Spring is in the air and I noticed two sets of babies; 5 duckings and 2 goslings. All happily pecking away looking for snacks in the grass. I took loads of photos as you can imagine! Following the perimeter of the pond I noticed a derelict rowing boat beneath the trees, thick reed beds bright with yellow irises and onto the smaller pond; Wood Pond where I noticed a tiny stone bridge.

I got my first glimpse of the magnificent house on the crest of the hill, a massive cream structure, imposing and grand it looked out across the green wooded landscape, as I rounded the lake.

my first view of Kenwood House from the ponds

The lawns of the area known as Pasture Ground are beautifully manicured and lend a sweeping vista flowing down the slopes of the ground to the ponds. After stopping on the Stone Bridge and takes loads of photos of the pond, I headed off uphill to see the Henry Moore sculpture. The view from there was phenomenal.

Henry Moore sculpture at Kenwood House - 2 piece reclining figures 1963-64

By now it was close to 3pm so I headed for the house and to my surprise as I neared the house I noticed an air of unkempt faded elegance; paint peeling and shutters dusty. Nonetheless it was grand and imposing. My first stop was the Bath House; built in the early 18th century when cold plunge bathing was fashionable. Over the years it fell into disrepair, filling up with silt, but has since been cleaned up a restored. Fascinating.

inside the Bath House at Kenwood House

Next I explored the kitchen, in the corner of which is a fabulous old fashioned oven, the gardens and then met up with Charmaine for tea and cake…yummy! I chose a slice of the best tasting chocolate cake I have had for ages.

delicious cakes to eat!!!

a fab afternoon, a fab place and now on my list of favourite places to go! and since it is so close, and in the words of Arnie……..

“I will be back”.

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discovering London and a visit to the British Museum (again)

Posted in Fun Stuff, Historical, It's my life, things to do in London, tagged British Museum, sicilian avenue, The Royal Courts of Justice, things to do in london on May 24, 2011| 4 Comments »

Gothic London

and my latest London #walkabout. Oh how I love to wander the streets of London! I am sure that if you had to track my journey on a map my route would look a bit like a demented fly has been let loose!!! My initial plan was to visit the British Museum, as I have not been for ever such a long time and wanted to see the Afghanistan exhibition as well as explore Temple. So onto the bus and off I went. Enroute CJ suggested that since I would be walking right past the Petrie Museum I should stop off there first….turns out the museum is situated within the University College London complex, which as it turns out is a complex maze!!! But what an interesting maze! I discovered a couple of really interesting items whilst ‘switchbacking’ as one does in a maze! First was a lovely greek mural

mural on the wall in one of the many rooms I meandered through enroute to the Petrie Museum

and the second were the Koptos lions! Awesome.

Koptos Lions

Finally I found the Petrie Museum, only to discover it was closed!!! hahaha. Tuesday to Saturday = opening hours and hey….it was Sunday! Urgh.
Anyhow it was worth the meander, and now at least I know the easier access route.
From there I set off to find the British Museum. One of the most sensible things the city has done in recent years is put up the ‘easy find’ maps. These are positioned around the city on just about every corner and show you not only where you are, even if you are lost it still tells you where you are, but it gives a wider view of the surrounding area. Easy peasy find your way around. Very useful for folks like me who cannot be bothered to carry a map.

maps

When I got off the bus in Euston Road I was delighted to discover more examples of our modern architecture. I am becoming quite a fan of the newer buildings. I also had a good view of the BT Tower so knew I was on the right track.
Never one to take a direct route I meandered here and there following whatever caught my eye. I discovered some fascinating places along the way:
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Bonham Carter House – which has a blue plaque proclaiming: The First Anaesthetic given in England was administered in a house on this site 19 December 1846. whoa!
a wonderful row of Georgian Houses
the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
University of London – Senate House and Library (brilliant building)
a delightful park
and the rear entrance via Montague Place to the British Museum 🙂 yay

rear entrance to The British Museum off Montague Place

The Afghanistan exhibition was meant to be booked, which I had not, so instead I visited the Iranian exhibition, where I got to see one of the first copies of the Qur’an F.A.B.U.L.O.U.S. And if you have not yet been and if you live in London…….why are you waiting?
I am sure I wandered around the museum for at least 2 hours. The exhibitions are marvellous. I seldom get past the first floor so this time I made the effort and climbed the stairs to the next level to see what I could see. Wow!!
in all I visited
Ancient Iran and the Middle East in the Raymond and Beverley Sackler Gallery – fascinating.
Enlightenment
Living and Dying – with displays of some of the most outlandish coffins you could imagine, made by the Ga people of Ghana.
Living with Land and Sea – where amongst other fascinating objects I saw a parka made from seal gut!
and then I revisited
the Middle East exhibitions of which the Rosetta Stone was inundated with visitors as usual.
The Clocks and Watches exhibitions
part of the Hans Sloane curiosity collectables collection
as well as a number of others that I have forgotten the names of.
With well over 100 exhibitions and displays to visit you would seriously have to visit a dozen times to see it all. There are so many wonderful treasures to see the mind can’t cope with all the intriguing artefacts and facts on display. Thankfully the British Museum allow you to take photographs for future enjoyment! 🙂

one of the many displays inside the British Museum

I left the Museum via the main entrance and stopped for a few minutes to visit the Australian exhibition in the forecourt. A journey through Australia’s varied and actually mind-boggling landscape.
Also in the forecourt were two vans 1) selling ice-creams and 2) crepes 🙂 and I had no money 😦
Outside the museum I saw a taxi decorated like a Pirate Ship 🙂

pirate ship taxi

and across the road on Great Russell Street, a row of terrace Houses #’s 67 -70 the first works of John Nash – architect 1752–1835.
then Bloomsbury Square
with a statue of Statesman Charles James Fox 1749-1806
the house where Sir Hans Sloane – benefactor of the British Museum lived 1695-1742
It was my plan to visit and explore Temple as well today so from Bloomsbury Square I headed off in the general direction and wandered along Southampton Row where I discovered the delightful pedestrianized Sicilian Avenue… a triangular area of restaurants and cafes. Wonderful.

Sicilian Avenue

Southampton Row is lined with wonderful buildings some of which are adorned with fascinating sculptures and reliefs.
On my way to Temple I walked along Kingsway and discovered the marvellous Aviation House!!
and quite by accident; Lincoln Inn Fields! I was delighted to discover this historic part of London and park. On the perimeter are a number of imposing houses one of which is where William Marsden – Surgeon lived 1796-1867 (I think) the plaque was too far away for me to read it properly.
I walked through ‘the fields’ (aka a park) and passed a beautiful memorial for Margaret MacDonald who spent her life in helping others.

Margaret MacDonald memorial at Lincoln Inn Fields

Enroute round the perimeter of the park I found a slightly decrepit bust of John Hunter; Surgeon, Anatomist, Teacher and Collector 1728-1793! Hmmm, little did I know what i was to discover next!
Leaving the park, I turned left and headed towards a marvellous red-brick gate and what looked like a church; eager to explore. And on the way I passed the Hunterian Museum!!! OMGosh!! sadly it was closed, but no matter at least I know where it is….will just have to find a quicker way to get there. Next stop was this marvellous gate et al and to my dismay I learned it was private property and No Entry! How rude. But I did find out through diligent questioning that they have tours of the place every Friday at 2pm! So guess where I will be at 2pm on Friday! I did not discover what the place was except that it has something to do with ‘The Law’!
And hey presto to my right was the rear of The Royal Courts of Justice…whey hey! Super duper.

The Royal Courts of Justice, London (rear view)

Of course I have been inside these magnificent courts and even got to play at being Judge in the high court last year on Open House weekend in September 2010. heehee. CJ has a photo of me somewhere in my Judge regalia, wig and all!!
My destination at this stage was still Temple and I figured I would get there eventually. Walking past the courts I noticed an old building with a statue tucked away in a niche above the doorway; Thomas More – Sometime Lord High Chancellor of England, martyred July 6th 1535! The Royal Courts of Justice are no less fabulous and imposing at the rear as what they are at the front. A must visit!!!
on my way I passed:
an old silver merchants shop ‘The Silver Mousetrap’ est 1690…mind-blowing
The Union Bank Chambers est 1865
and then delight of delights….King’s College London. I had seen this marvellous building some months ago from the other side when I visited Samuel Johnson’s house, but had no idea what it was. I had it in mind to find out and today I did….quite by accident mind.
Marvellous, marvellous. It looks like a fairytale castle and since the gate was open….I explored. I wanted to explore the building but got asked to leave by the very grumpy security guard. Yeah alright already! God! Instead I meandered the gardens, wonderful. I also met Confucius 😉
from there I did my demented fly thing and suddenly found myself at Fleet Street and the doors to Inner Temple, which as it turned out were locked and I had to do a detour!

the doors to Inner Temple - beneath Prince Henry's Room in Fleet Street

And I will write a separate blog about that….in due course and by this stage I had taken over 400 photos! 🙂 some of which I have uploaded (32) in an album on facebook.

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a walk with Shakespeare…….

Posted in Fun Stuff, Historical, It's my life, things to do in London, tagged shakespeare trail, shakespeares life in london, sweetie pies bakery twickeham, the city of london, the guildhall on April 24, 2011| Leave a Comment »

…….and my daughter!!! As mentioned in a previous post, yesterday was my birthday and I had the joy of spending this special day with my daughter and enjoying a couple of adventures in London.

: one of my favourite views of the City of London; just a glimpse

I slept over at my daughter’s house the night before and our day started with a lie-in (unusual for me with the type of job I have), then tea and cake (chocolate of course) in the garden. The weather was perfect , already warm and the heat a precursor of the temperatures ahead. After a lazy morning we set out on our adventure: first into Twickenham to Sweetie Pies Boutique Bakery for tea and cupcakes. Along the way we stopped to smell the roses

if only I could have captured the heavenly perfume.......

and admire the wisteria, now in full bloom just about everywhere you look! Of course this is the easter weekend too so naturally we had easter cupcakes!! 🙂 We sat out in the courtyard, in the shade and enjoyed our tea, chatting away enjoying the slight breeze that wafted by.

: tea and easter cupcakes at Sweetie Pies

From there we headed off to Richmond and onto the first train out, into London Central for the next leg of our adventures – first a guided tour of The Guildhall in the City of London, then a guided Shakespeare Trail. Exciting!!! We alighted from the tube at Temple thinking to get a bus from The Royal Courts of Justice to St Paul’s Cathedral to meet our guide. We were ever so slightly behind schedule, so when we got to Strand and discovered massive roadworks going on in the area had pretty much wrecked any chance of getting a bus, our hearts sank. However, not all was lost and quick as wink we hopped into a London Cab and within 5 minutes we arrived at our destination. Love that you can just hop in a cab in this city!!

: getting about the City in a London Cab

We met up with the lovely Zoe who is a City of London tour guide and set off for the Guildhall. I have been to the Guildhall a couple of times before but never on a guided tour! So cool! I wish I could have recorded all the interesting little snippets she told us! Suffice to say it was brilliantly interesting and I loved all the little details she pointed out. The Guildhall is so worth a visit, it is fabulous inside: the memorials are fabulous works of art and the stained glass windows; breathtaking

stained glass windows at The Guildhall

After the tour, we parted company briefly with our delightful tour guide and headed over to the Guildhall Art Gallery for a look at the Roman Amphitheatre and it was fun for me to play tour guide for a wee bit and show my daughter around. We had a quick look at some of the beautiful paintings on display and marvelled at the talent and work put into these paintings, some of which look like photographs the detail is so perfect. In fact in many ways they are better than photos coz they have texture and depth. Then it was a quick look at the massive painting in the foyer of gallery, stunning!! Exiting the Gallery we saw a wedding party; the outfits were a glorious spectrum of rich colours, and what a perfect day for a wedding!

We then strolled across the city back to St Paul’s to meet up with Zoe again who would be conducting the Shakespeare Trail. Along the way we discovered all sorts of interesting things and items of historical note. I love just walking about this city, you just never know what you will find!

a world of discovery; historical sites

This time we were joined by a young man and the four of us set off on a jaunt around London and through the portals of history, to discover more about Shakespeare and the places in London he frequented. There was however, one piece of information that gave me quite a jolt……Shakespeare pre-dated the current St Paul’s Cathedral!!!! I just never really even thought about it and just kind of assumed that this was the building that he saw on his daily walks.!!!! And…..in order to cross the river to the Globe Theatre he would have had to use a ferry!! How about that!

don't pay the ferryman till he gets you to the other side... Globe Theatre is just to the left of the bridge on the other side of the river

The weather was perfect, hot and sunny and the city was quiet/ish with not many people about. Wonderful.

We learned so much that I can’t even begin to tell you everything, so instead I will give you a brief run down and suggest you book yourself on one of the tours for a more comprehensive view of Shakespeare and the London of his time.

London in Shakespeare’s time was miniscule in comparison to the size it is today, and the great urban sprawl we know wasn’t even a figment of his imagination I am sure, and the Great Fire of 1666 would have destroyed much of what he did know. Our first stop was the remains of Roman walls discovered during excavations for new buildings, I constantly marvel at how these places are largely preserved and not ripped out…..thank goodness. Zoe gave us a glimpse into what London would have been like in Shakespeare’s day; pretty grubby and smelly by all accounts!!! Not at all the romantic images we tend to carry around.

Next stop was the remains of the historical site of a wee church where Shakespeare was likely to have worshipped: the Parish Church of St Olave’s. We learned some delectable tidbits about his connections to this church and one of the families he was closely associated with. We also got to see the site of the lodgings where Shakespeare made his home in later life, just over the road from St Olave’s. On our way to the next stop of the tour we walked past the remains of St Alban’s Church and I finally discovered a) the name of it and b) that it is now privately occupied!!! How amazing is that! To live in the remains of an ancient church, albeit only a very small part of it. This area of the city is closely associated with The Museum of London (in my opinion the best museum in London and totally underrated) and the road we briefly walked along; London Wall marks the boundaries of the Roman City. Of course the area is now filled with towering skyscrapers and busy roads, but you can still catch glimpses of Roman, Mediaeval and Tudor London in hidden corners.

Our next stop was the ancient site of St Mary Aldermanbury Church, now a tiny little park, where you can find relics of the original walls, and Love Lane where you will find a decorative memorial with a bust of Shakespeare looking towards the River (a good 5-10 minutes walk away), as well as a carved marble book depicting his first folio; published according to the ‘True Originall Copies London 1623’. Compiled by John Heminge and Henry Condell, close friends of Shakespeare’s, these two gentlemen are in fact buried at this site. The memorial commemorates John Heminge and Henry Condell – fellow actors and personal friends of Shakespeare.

memorial on Love Lane

Next it was back to the Guildhall where once again I was surprised and delighted to discover the links that Shakespeare had with the Guildhall, albeit not very pleasant links.

Also to be found at the Gallery are the busts of four famous citizens of the city: William Shakespeare, Christopher Wren, Oliver Cromwell and Samuel Pepys.

Heading back towards St Paul’s Cathedral we next discovered his associations with Carter Lane, The Cockpit Tavern, St Andrews-by-the-Wardrobe Church and many other interesting snippets and fascinating sites. These are places that we tend to walk past without even the tiniest clue of what went before. At the King’s Wardrobe we parted company with Zoe and meandered once again along ancient lanes to take ‘sup at one of the oldest pubs in London; with links to Charles Dickens!!! Guess who is next on my list! 🙂

the centre page, dickens pickwick papers

The Centre Page, near St Paul's - for the best darn chips and onion rings in town!

We enjoyed a delicious meal of Burger and chips with onion rings for CJ and baked spud with bacon and cheese, chips and onion rings for me. A draught of apple cider (juice) slaked our thirst!!! Replete, we strolled down to the riverbank passing a headless man along the way,

a headless man......

then we meandered along the Thames Path. I love these views of the river!! By now the horizon was black with rain, and the wind whipped the rushing incoming tide into a frenzy of choppy peaks and troughs! As we hurried along (not too fast mind), we felt spots of rain, but not enough to discourage a number of stops along the way to take photos!

rain on the horizon

By then we had come full circle and reached Temple station where I said goodbye to CJ, she heading into the underground and me on my way to Charing Cross. I discovered a memorial to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the entrance to Inland Revenue, And then the rain came down and I got soaked along the Strand! 🙂

Charing Cross - the story

A marvellous day and what an adventure! I have created a short video with more views of our wonderful city that you might enjoy.

p.s. you will notice some of the photos have a wide border….it seems I am having some HTML issues. I have no idea why it’s doing this!! So, if you do….please let me know 🙂

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so who is this man who shares my birthday?

Posted in Fun Stuff, Historical, It's my life, things to do in London, tagged Saint George's Day, Sweetie Pies Boutique bakery, William Shakespeare on April 23, 2011| 5 Comments »

: Bluebells in spring

For some reason I have always loved my name and my birth date. Now this is not from any egotistical aspect, merely that my name is quite lyrical and somehow my birthday, especially the April bit (not so much the year anymore 🙂 ), appeals to me.

Back in South Africa I was an autumn baby. April is the start of autumn in the Southern hemisphere, and as far as seasons go it’s not too bad. Of course what it did mean is that growing up I could never have a ‘pool party’. Not that that was an issue since we didn’t ever have a pool in our backyard, but it was the thought of the delightful possibilities of having a ‘pool party’ that appealed to me.

My birthday usually signified the slow slide into winter and was a time of chilly winds and mornings, not t-shirt type of weather at all. Not that I minded, since I am a ‘wrap up warm in lots of layers’ type of person; one of the reasons I love the UK so much!

So when I came over to the UK, it was to the sudden realisation that I was no longer an ‘autumn’ person, I am now a ‘spring’ person!!! and how marvellous that is. I adore spring in the UK and it has become quite my favourite time of year. Of course I still do love autumn and that season in the Northern hemisphere is something to behold. So lucky me, I have the best of both worlds.

Now a little secret here…..I never progressed very far in school and left as soon as I reasonably could without being considered an uneducated dunce! 😉 haha!! In fact I left school in what is Standard 8 (should have been Standard 9 but I failed one year! What was that I said about being a dunce?). heehee!! ( f.y.i. Standard 8 in South Africa is Grade 10).

So the sum total of that is I never got to study any of the subjects that were on the higher curriculum, one of which was Shakespeare! or the classics for that matter, not that it matters now, since I can read up on whatever I wish, coz thankfully I did learn to read!!! and we have google!

So where am I going with this? Well here’s the thing. I learned about Shakespeare at some stage of my life (don’t we all?) and of course his sayings and quotes and stories are quite well known, aka Romeo and Juliet! But more than that I did not know! So when I came to the UK, it was quite a surprise to discover that this dude shared my birthday!!! and not only that, he also died on that date!! how weird is that?

William Shakespeare - born and died April 23rd

So, now of course when I celebrate my birthday I always think of ‘our Will’, and remember that he shares such an auspicious day with me! Of course I have thoroughly enjoyed discovering all the places he hung out in London, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre is one of my favourite sights in London (of which there are many). My daughter and I have visited Stratford-Upon-Avon (his birthplace) and walked through the house where he was born (which was beyond awesome).

In London you are quite unable to miss the man, he is everywhere. I have seen him in so many places, that if you didn’t know who he was before, you would most assuredly get the message that this is one important dude! So who is Shakespeare? Here is a wee biography courtesy of wikipedia (of course).

William Shakespeare (baptised 26 April 1564; died 23 April 1616) was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world’s pre-eminent dramatist.
He is often called England’s national poet and the “Bard of Avon”.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, later known as the King’s Men.

He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare’s private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the 16th century. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608, including Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth, considered some of the finest works in the English language. In his last phase, he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.

William Shakespeare was the son of John Shakespeare, a successful glover and alderman originally from Snitterfield, and Mary Arden, the daughter of an affluent landowning farmer. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon and baptised there on 26 April 1564. His actual birthdate remains unknown, but is traditionally observed on 23 April, St George’s Day. This date, which can be traced back to an 18th-century scholar’s mistake, has proved appealing to biographers, since Shakespeare died 23 April 1616. He was the third child of eight and the eldest surviving son.
Although no attendance records for the period survive, most biographers agree that Shakespeare probably was educated at the King’s New School in Stratford, a free school chartered in 1553, about a quarter-mile from his home. Grammar schools varied in quality during the Elizabethan era, but the curriculum was dictated by law throughout England, and the school would have provided an intensive education in Latin grammar and the classics.

And as if that is not enough!!!! I also discovered that I share a date with……….St George! He who slays dragons. St George’s day is 23April!! Which in a weird way is quite apt, since I have often been referred to as ‘a dragon’ and one of my very ex-boyfriends put up at sign at the entrance to my house in R.S.A. ‘Never mind the dog, beware the dragon’. He didn’t last long! 🙂 The boyfriend that is, not the dragon!!

So what do we know about St George? Well first of all he is the Patron Saint of England; of course!! heehee. Secondly he is a Saint (I can’t lay claim to that title for sure), and like the bard, he is everywhere to be seen.

Saint George and the dragon

Saint George (ca. 275/281 – 23 April 303) was, according to tradition, a Roman soldier from Syria Palaestina and a priest in the Guard of Diocletian, who is venerated as a Christian martyr. In hagiography Saint George is one of the most venerated saints in the Catholic (Western and Eastern Rites), Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and the Oriental Orthodox churches. He is immortalized in the tale of Saint George and the Dragon and is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. His memorial is celebrated on 23 April, and he is regarded as one of the most prominent military saints.

Many Patronages of Saint George exist around the world, including: Aragon, Catalonia, England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, India, Iraq, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Serbia and Russia, as well as the cities of Genoa, Amersfoort, Beirut, Fakiha, Bteghrine, Cáceres, Ferrara, Freiburg, Kumanovo, Ljubljana, Pomorie, Preston, Qormi, Rio de Janeiro, Lod, Barcelona, Moscow, Tamworth and the Maltese island of Gozo, as well as a wide range of professions, organizations and disease sufferers.

The episode of St George and the Dragon was a legend brought back with the Crusaders and retold with the courtly appurtenances belonging to the genre of Romance. The earliest known depiction of the legend is from early eleventh-century Cappadocia, (in the iconography of the Eastern Orthodox Church, George had been depicted as a soldier since at least the seventh century); the earliest known surviving narrative text is an eleventh-century Georgian text.

In the General Calendar of the Roman Rite the feast of Saint George is on April 23. St George is very much honored by the Eastern Orthodox Church, wherein he is referred to as a “Great Martyr”, and in Oriental Orthodoxy overall. His major feast day is on April 23 (Julian Calendar April 23 currently corresponds to Gregorian Calendar May 6) and that very coincidentally is the birth date of my youngest sister!

We, my daughter and I will be celebrating the day with a visit to Sweetie Pies Boutique Bakery in the morning and in the afternoon going on a walk……check it out!! heehee!!!

And, in order to celebrate not only my birthday, but Shakespeare’s too, as well as Saint George’s Day I have created a short video. Hope you enjoy it 🙂

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commemorating the Great Fire of 1666

Posted in Historical, It's my life, things to do in London, tagged tallest freestanding column in the world, the great fire of london 1666, the monument city of london on April 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »

This is to certify that…………………….has climbed the 311 steps of the Monument.

my certificate

After the dizzying and arduous climb of those 311 steps that circle 160feet (48.7metres) up in an ever tightening spiral to the viewing platform of the Monument, when you return to the bottom you receive a certificate to prove that you have indeed made it to the top and back. And quite rightly too!

an ever tightening spiral of stairs going up!!!

on Monday last I went #walkabout again as mentioned in a previous post. My number one priority was to visit the Monument to gather information and photos for a piece I am doing. Here is the story of the Monument.

The Monument stands in Monument Street off Fish Street Hill and Pudding Lane in the City of London.

Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke, the monument was built between 1671 and 1677 to commemorate the Great Fire of 1666, the Monument is the tallest free standing monument in the world.

The Monument

The Great Fire of London 1666 began in a baker’s house in Pudding Lane on a Sunday in September 1666. The fire burned for 3days from the 2nd September till it was finally extinguished on Wednesday 5th September, by which stage it had destroyed the greater part of the City.

The fire brought all activity to a halt after having consumed or severely damaged more than 13,000 houses, hundreds of streets, the City’s gates, public buildings, Churches and St Paul’s Cathedral, in all 436 acres of the City. Amazingly there was little loss of life and a very interesting account of the fire can be read in the diaries of Samuel Pepys.

The only buildings to survive were those built of stone, such as the Guildhall.

Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned by King Charles II to erect a permanent memorial to the Great Fire of London near the spot where it started……Pudding Lane.

The Monument, a colossal Doric Column in the antique tradition, contains a cantilevered stone staircase of 311 steps that lead to the viewing platform, surmounted by a drum and a copper urn from which flames emerged; symbolising the Great Fire.

the Monument as it looked in 1750...the buildings are certainly very different now

the flaming urn and the viewing platform, which as you can see, is enclosed with wire mesh

The Monument is 202feet (61metres) high, (30 feet taller than Nelson’s Column). 202feet is the exact distance between it and the site in Pudding Lane where the fire began. Be sure to study the fabulous carvings on the square base of the monument.

on the base of the monument are some fabulous carvings.

The monument originally housed a telescope, and scientific experiments were conducted there.

The platform, open on all four sides, is enclosed by a strong wire mesh (to prevent suicides). Notable buildings that can be seen from this vantage point would be:
St Paul’s Cathedral – dome, the Gerkin (Swiss Re building), Lloyd’s Building, in the distance you can see Canary Wharf, Tower Bridge, HMS Belfast, The Shard (a new building that at the time of writing is being built near to London Bridge in Southwark, Tate Modern, London Eye, and a great number of our more modern buildings in Bank.

the dome of St Paul's Cathedral...I zoomed in to get this shot

St Magnus-the-Martyr Church (although it is open only on Sundays) there you can see a relic of a Roman Wharf dated AD75
London Bridge – a short walk from the Monument
Bank – a brisk walk will take you into the centre of London at the Royal Exchange and Mansion House.
The Thames Path – a short walk will take you to a point where you can pick up the Thames Path on the north bank for a really interesting walk past old and new buildings, pubs and cannons, historical sites, under bridges and through tunnels.

It never ceases to give me a thrill when I visit these places. To think that I am walking in the footsteps of Christopher Wren and many other notable personages over the years…… as well as the less notable! On the day that I visited the monumnet was crowded as usual and it’s a tight squeeze on what is a very narrow ledge. It’s probably a good thing they have the wire mesh, as someone would be likely to fall off. As I was leaving a group of about 20 schoolchildren were ascending and it was a real laugh trying to squeeze past on the way down, esp at the top of the spiral staircase that gets narrower the higher it gets. Bless….one little poppet was screaming her head off with fear, stuck about a 3rd of the way up, refusing to walk one more step and not happy. The noise in the narrow confines was deafening!

I do count myself so very lucky that I am able to visit these places and can’t imagine that many years ago in my very distant past I used to say that I had no interest in visiting London! I must have been mad!

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AD 75

Posted in Fun Stuff, It's my life, things to do in London, tagged roman wharf AD75, the monument city of london, things to see an do in london on March 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »

I got some extra time off on Monday afternoon and of course made my way into Central London (where else would I go?) 🙂

Unlike other trips where my intention is to just go #walkabout, this time I had a particular destination in mind: the Monument, just over London Bridge from Southwark.

the Monument, built between 1671 and 1677 to commemorate the Great Fire of 1666

I am doing an article for the online travel site GotSaga, and have been gathering photos on various venues for the post.

After climbing the 311 steps to the top, taking my fill of the fabulous views from there across London and taking hundreds of photos (ok well maybe dozens!)

view of Tower Bridge in the distance from the viewing platform of the Monument

I returned to terra-firma via the incredibly dizzying spiral staircase, at which point I decided to go walkabout anyway 🙂

Let me say this right now……if you ever come to London….be absolutely sure that you go walkabout in The City of London. It is fascinating. I had noticed a fab clock on the side of the St Magnus-the-Martyr church just down the way from the Monument, so made my way there first. whoo hoo!!! You will never believe what I discovered there, tucked away in an unobstrusive corner!

check this out!!!!

the remains of a Roman Wharf dated AD75 🙂

and yes I got to touch it. 🙂 I even took a photo of my hand touching the wood!! (don’t even say it, ok!) 😉

I will write more about this fantastic monument later.

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an afternoon in Richmond Upon Thames

Posted in around the UK, Castles of UK and Ireland, Historical, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged 4 Maids of Honour Row Richmond, historical homes in Richmond, Richmond Palace, Richmond Upon Thames, thames path richmond, things to do in Richmond on March 28, 2011| 4 Comments »

Yesterday I had some time off so made my way through to Twickenham to visit my daughter who has been quite peaky the last week and needed some ‘Mummy TLC’. 🙂 The weather was great by the time I arrived there and it was lovely to see the sun (the journey took 1.5hours!!!!).

transport for london, trains from barons court to richmond, district line to richmond

waiting at Baron's Court for the first train to Richmond

First we had a cup of tea and a wee chat and then went for a stroll along the river. She was looking decidedly pale and needed some sun. We crossed the river via Twickenham Bridge and taking a short-cut along a delightful little road, we passed the entrance to the Old Deer Park.

the entrance under the bridge to the Deer Park, Richmond

The houses that lined the road were wonderful, gardens and lawns beautifully maintained with the spring flowers and greenery sprouting vigorously. The flower boxes are a delight of colour.

delightful houses, window boxes filled with colours of spring

As we reached Richmond Green, which certainly lived up to it’s name,

living up to it's name...Richmond Green

we walked to the right and behold…..the remains of ‘Richmond Palace’!!! OMG!!! Show me a palace or a castle and I go weak at the knees. It was extraordinary to stand under the archway that led into the courtyard knowing that 3 of our Monarchs lived here at some stage of our history. King Henry VII, King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I. Right up my alley; I was enchanted.

inside the courtyard of Richmond Palace showing the King's Wardrobe on the right

Yes it did say private land, and no I did not take heed!! We strolled around the courtyard and discovered the ‘Trumpeter’s House’, ‘Number 2 The Wardrobe’ as well as the ‘Palace Gate House’ 🙂

Trumpeter's House, Richmond Palace

Can you just imagine living in a house called ‘The Trumpeter’s House’!!! How marvellous. The courtyard is delightful and so quiet you would never guess your’e right in the town. The ancient hinges on the wall are massive and show just how enormous the gates themselves must have been to require such large hinges.

...now that is what you call a hinge!!!!

From there we walked past a magical row of houses named ‘Four Maids of Honour Row’……how quaint can you get!!!!

4 Maids of Honour Row, Richmond

Next we walked across the green to the town and made our way to a wee tea-room, a delightful little place, quaint and twee. There we relaxed and chatted over a pot of tea and scones with jam and cream (of course!!!).

scones with jam and cream

After tea we walked back to the green and lay out on the green, green grass in the sun….the citizens of Richmond were scattered about on the grass, relaxing, playing games, throwing ball, little kiddies running about, parents trying to keep up; the buzz of conversation and laughter filled the air.

As the sun started to slip down the horizon it got chilly, so we decided to head on home. I unfortunately had a deadline too. 😦

A quick stroll along the main road where we passed a pub called ‘The Old Ship’. Above the entrance were two lovely old lamps!

The Old Ship has stood on this site since at least 1735

old lamps and carved wooden detail

and then along the embankment that forms part of the Thames Path that runs approx 180 miles along the Thames riverbank from the Thames Flood Barrier at Woolwich in South East London to Kemble in Gloucestershire. The grassy verges were filled to the brim with people all sitting out enjoying the sun. I have never seen that particular area so heavily peopled before. It’s quite weird….it’s like in winter everyone gets packed away in a box, and when the spring arrives…they all get let out again.

along the embankment near Richmond Bridge

Along the way we passed some amazing houses…wow!! Richmond upon Thames has, and is surrounded by, a great selection of historic houses and stately homes.

can you imagine that the water reaches right up to the wall at high tide

I saw a heron fishing

heron fishing at the deer park in richmond

a heron fishing

and stopped at the old ‘Meridian Line; that used to be positioned here (now moved to Greenwich).

meridian line richmond, kings observatory old deer park, kew road, richmond

where the meridian line used to be positioned. if you follow the line as the crow flies you will reach the King's Observatory

Then it was back home, a quick stop on the bridge to take photos….the river was looking absolutely fabulous.

River Thames as viewed from Twickenham Bridge

Then home for one final cup of tea and finally I had no option but to head on home…..a journey that took 2 hours!!!! urgh. Sunday on TFL is no joke!

map of Richmond Upon Thames

There is so much to do in Richmond, and with a fabulous selection of historical houses, quaint and ancient pubs, high street shops, a number of restaurants and tea-rooms, the Old Deer Park, boating on the river and the Thames Pathway….you are spoilt for choice. It’s a wonderful area and so worth the trip out of London…a trip that is an adventure in itself.

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My Canterbury Tales – February 13th day two

Posted in around the UK, Fun Stuff, It's my life, things to do in London, Travel, tagged from Southwark to Greenwich, Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury tales, travelling round the UK on March 26, 2011| 5 Comments »

Southwark to Greenwich – possibly (?) in the footsteps of Geoffrey Chaucer. (and I have finally finished documenting this leg of the journey! – it takes longer to write about the journey & upload the photos than it took to do the walk)
The 2nd leg of my journey was meant to start at 6am…….hahaha. I only woke at 9am!!! Again I tweeted my about stops on my journey and sent photos along the way. Hope you enjoy the journey as much as I did 🙂
09:55 urgh! So much 4 an early start! Still in bed! Hahaha. Had awful nite; soft bed 😦 but just about to up & going 🙂 #njgtravels whoo hoo
I had really intended on making an early start, wanting to catch the sunrise, but after a really late night decided that the world could get on without me and since this was my walk, I could wait a bit before starting….no rush 🙂
09:55 RT of a quote – Sometimes dreams are wiser than waking. (Ogala Sioux)
I finally got my act together, had breakfast and with my camera in hand, was on my way. Hooray!! I kept my twitter app open on my phone and watched the tweets go by and it was quite weird how the quotes kinda matched what I was doing!
11:08 rt of a quote – Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow. -Doug Firebaugh
Then finally…..
11:09 I’m on the road again….tahdeedah I’m on the road again. FINALLY!! only 4hours l8! Hahaha. #njgtravels Good thing i have no train to catch!
Ha!!! of course I had a train to catch, a bus too. First bus 214 to Kentish Town, then onto the tube and the start of my journey.
11:11 next stop #London Bridge 🙂 This is like groundhog day! Only earlier #njgtravels
As a reminder of the places I had visited the day before, I made a quick tour for some more photos and then….
11:45 the adventure begins. 1st stop St George the Martyr church c12th century #njgtravels at last 🙂
It’s amazing to me to walk along these ancient roads and I revelled in the history of the area.
12:09 passed The George Inn, leaving London Bridge & Southwark Cathedral behind #njgtravels
Of course I did not stop in today, just waved goodbye and set my sails for Greenwich.
12:13 Tooley Str & Jamaica Rd part of Chaucer’s route? #njgtravels
Tooley Street; a road in South London connecting London Bridge to St Saviour’s Dock runs past Tower Bridge on the Southwark side of the River Thames, forms part of the A200 road.

Tooley Street, an ancient byway survived many reincarnations

The earliest name for the street recorded in the Rolls is the neutral regio vicio i.e. ‘royal street’ meaning a public highway. I planned to follow Tooley Street then into Jamaica Street and thence to Deptford via Rotherhithe. First I passed London Bridge Station

London Bridge Station

This was the first time I had actually walked so far along Tooley Street. My usual walk would be on the riverside along the Thames Path. Mounted on the wall I saw an old WW2 sign that said “Is your journey really necessary?” …..uuummmhh yes!!!

is your journey really necessary?

12:26 now exploring unchartered territory. Never been this side of #london b4. #njgtravels
Hmmmm. Really interesting to see all the new buildings amongst the old. Passed a great little pub with a fabulous frontage; The Shipwright’s Arms.

shipwrights arms tooley street southwark

the Shipwright's Arms......a delightful entrance

I stopped for loads of photos along the way and could probably have done the walk a lot quicker but for that. 🙂
12:55 making good progress! Passed Tower Bridge, now in Jamaica Road. Taking a detour to look at the Thames. #njgtravels
Tower Bridge is just marvellous and certainly the most magnificent of all London’s bridges.

Tower Bridge - London

Once I reached Bevington Street I had grown bored with the buildings and apartment blocks on the route so decided to head for the river for a bit of a break.

Whoo hoo….I met up with the Thames Path…whey hey. I did not realise it ran this far. See…I have been here 9 years and am still discovering things 🙂

looking back along the river from the Thames Path near Bevington Road

13:09 okay. Have decided to follow the Thames Path 4 a way. Interesting things to see 🙂 #njgtravels
It was way cool and looked so much more interesting so I decided to continue along said path and find what I could find! At my point of entry I found a wee pub “The Justice” that had been used by Sir Paul McCartney for scenes from his film ‘Give My Regards To Broad Street’ and for his music video ‘No More Lonely Nights’.

Old Justice - exterior & interior used by Sir Paul McCartney

As it was closed I did not get to go in, another time perhaps. I marched on, aware of the time ticking along….that waits for no man!!! By now I was getting tired and thirsty and all the water in the river was beginning to look really inviting 🙂 and then….
13:14 hooray! I spy an Inn. This traveller is going in 4 a pitstop! Just met Dr Alfred Salter #njgtravels The Thames path is gr8
Wonderful. I discovered a sculpture of Dr Alfred Salter (born 1873 and started Guy’s Hospital 1889) and his daughter Joyce who died from scarlet fever aged 9 in June 1910, and their cat.

Dr Alfred Salter - born 1873

Diane Gorvin’s sculpture shows a kindly Dr Salter waving to his daughter Joyce who is leaning against the Thames wall with her cat nearby. It represents the “daydream of an old man remembering happier times when his ‘sunshine’ was still alive.”

Joyce Salter - died of scarlet fever 1910

Marvellous. I love discovering things like this…..our hidden gems.
13:25 whew! Gr8 to put the old feet up for 5min. At the Angel Inn, fab views frm upper lounge. Prop. Jackie a peach. Allowed photos 🙂 #njgtravels
Definitely worth the stop and something to bear in mind for the future, I stopped off at the Angel Inn for a bit of feet up and something to drink.

Angel Inn, Rotherhithe - a fine place to tarry awhile

The views from the upstairs lounge are fabulous and the Sunday lunch that was being eaten a few feet away smelled delicious. The coke went down exceptionally well and slaked my thirst. The proprietor was lovely and allowed me to roam about and take photos. The Angel Inn is a 19C restored pub on a 15C pub site, originally kept by monks from Bermondsey Abbey and mentioned by Samuel Pepys.
13:26 i dont usually drink coke but by golly this 1 is going down well. #njgtravels
The opposite side of the Thames is yet to be explored by this adventurer and looking across the river at the buildings lining the bank was really enticing.

view across the river.....begging to be explored

13:28 there are some awesome buildings across the river. Bear further exploration l8r. #njgtravels
After my drink I set off once again, but not before having a quick look at the remains of King Edward III’s (1327-1377) moated Manor House. Don’t you just love that we preserve these places instead of ripping them out!!!

ruins of King Edward III's Manor House - directly opp the Angel Inn

From there I walked along the winding Thames Path, marvelling at all the interesting buildings. I spied a Church that demanded further exploration: St Marys the Virgin, 14C rebuilt 1715 is the 3rd church on the site and Grade II listed. Features of note are: Timbers from Termeraire. Grinling Gibbons carvings. A fine ‘peel’ of eight bells. Tomb of Prince Lee Boo of Pelau. And has links with sailing of the Mayflower. Whoa!!! This little church was frequented by Capt Christopher Jones of Rotherhithe, captain of the Mayflower and apparently the Mayflower set out not far from this spot all those years ago.

Saint Mary the Virgin Rotherhithe

The little pub ‘The Mayflower Inn’ (1780 as Spreadeagle) displays a list of passengers who sailed on the Mayflower.

Mayflower Inn, Rotherhithe

The pub looks absolutely darling and I noticed that they serve afternoon teas there…hmmmm gonna have to come this way again sometime. 🙂 Venturing only just a few yards along I made another discovery…………
13:48 oooo! I just discovered Brunel’s Museum. Awesome 🙂 def gonna come back #njgtravels
Wow!!! how amazing. ‘A scheduled Ancient Monument and International Landmark Site’ the museum dates from 1842.

the Brunel Museum, Rotherhithe - 'A scheduled Ancient Monument and International Landmark Site' the museum dates from 1842

There are a number of metal structures, tiny replicas of some of his works dotted around the grounds of the museum. Definitely have to visit this area again. On the move again, I chanced upon a small enclosed garden and patio hidden behind a screen of hedges.
13:52 just passed Cumberland Wharf & the statue of a wee boy reading the Sunshine Weekly. Cute. #njgtravels
how cute is this. I am constantly amazed at the delightful sculptures that abound in this city.

reading the 'Sunbeam Weekly' - Cumberland Terrace, Rotherhithe

Besides the other wonders I discovered I also visited the Bascule Bridge which replaced the original swing bridge over dock entrance of Surrey Water.

Bascule Bridge Rotherhithe

Along the way I passed some girls collecting for a memorial to a friend who had died. Chatted to them briefly and they were highly amused by what I was doing and when I told them my twitter handle was ‘notjustagranny’ they burst out laughing. hahaha
14:12 rightio! Back on Jamaica Rd. Brilliant detour along Thames Path. Has started raining, wish me luck! Eish #njgtravels
After a long walk and further exploration I finally made my way back to Jamaica Road. Popped in at Southwark Park 1869 (63 acres, designed by Alexander Mckenzie)

Southwark Park - 1869

for a quick look see and after picking up a rather marvellous brochure from Rotherhithe station I discovered that……
14:25 btw its Sunbeam Weekly not Sunshine Weekly hahaha #njgtravels – So that corrects that error! 🙂
The Rotherhithe Road Tunnel 1908 looks quite interesting and the archway at the entrance/exit is constructed by parts of the Greathead Shield used to partly dig the tunnel.

part of the Greathead Shield over the entrance to the Rotherhithe Road Tunnel - 1908

14:36 mmm, interesting. Just did a quik detour to look at Rotherhithe Tunnel & Southwark Park. Nice. On the way again. #njgtravels
From there I had planned to walk along Brunel Road into Salter Road in a semi-circle following the curve of the river to Surrey Docks. But the weather had other ideas and it started to rain. So I hailed a carriage (aka a bus) and travelled in ….maybe not style but certainly in comfort out of the rain. (I am sure Chaucer would have done that same!)
15:00 now in Deptford = Chaucer’s 1st stop. Did what any sensible pilgrim wld, took a modern day carriage aka a bus 🙂 Its raining! #njgtravels
Geez…..I sure hope that Deptford was a little more interesting in Chaucer’s day.

looking along the road at Deptford

Not to offend anyone but it sure ain’t pretty. Mind you it was probably forrested in his day and they most likely had to contend with wild boar and highway men!!!
15:08 i hope Deptford was a tad more interesting in Chaucer’s day! #njgtravels …in the rain! Urgh must be insane!
It was still raining but I was determined to walk and not take a bus again, so ignoring the wet I soldiered on. The I spied…..
15:18 ok, Deptford…all is forgiven. Just spotted a gorgeous little church, St Lukes. Lovely 🙂 #njgtravels

St Luke's Deptford - very cute

Whey hey!!! Just spotted a sign that told me I was not far at all from Greenwich and my destination.

4.5 miles behind me from Tower Bridge to Deptford...almost at Greenwich

15:23 15min or less till #Greenwich if i dont get distracted! #njgtravels
Well famous last words…..of course I got distracted. A sign showed me the way 🙂 Hahahaha. I spied a signboard that told me if I walk thataway I would see a statue of Peter the Great. How could I not take a detour. Mind you by now I was dead keen on getting to a loo!!! and a cup of tea would not have gone amiss….but never to bypass something of interest I followed the detour and boy am I glad I did.
15:36 taking a small detour to see statue of Peter the Great. See! I told u 🙂 Fab view of Canary Wharf. #njgtravels
Wonderful, wonderful! The views along the river in all directions was fabulous. The statue was brilliant and not at all what I had expected. Had fun sitting on his throne (not quite the kind of throne I was wanting, but hey…) and surveying the peasants heehee!!!

view along the Thames from my vantage point on the throne 🙂

15:39 am sitting on Peter the Great’s throne. Hpe he doesnt mind 🙂 Brilliant views along the Thames. #njgtravels

a fabulous emsemble...Peter the Great towers above the wee man on his right and the throne on his left & a cannon

Tsar Peter I of Russia (described as ‘Peter the Great’) travelled to Europe in 1697-98 as a young man, to study new developments in technology, especially shipbuilding. He lived near the Royal Dockyard in Deptford, at the home of the writer John Evelyn, for much of his four-month stay in England. The monument includes one dwarf jester holding a ship and globe, while Peter standing next to a throne, carries a telescope. Next to the throne is an ornate cannon.
The statue was unveiled by Prince Michael of Kent in June 2001.
Created by: Cleve Severin – Erected 2001 to commemorate the Tsar’s visit

After I had had my fill of the scenery and sitting his lordships throne I headed back to the main road. The light was beginning to dim and I still wanted to head for the Royal Observatory…my aim was to stand on the Meridian Line. I bet if Chaucer had known he would be able to do that he may have postponed his trip somewhat!!! and yes……….tah dah…………
15:40 from where i am now its 4.5 miles to Tower Bridge behind me! Whoo hoo!! Almost there #njgtravels

And finally I entered the outskirts of Greenwich. Hooray!!!

greenwich book place and gallery greenwich london

Greenwich ......hooray!

15:55 I’m here! #Greenwich hooray! 4 hours 5 miles 1,000’s of steps & i am here! 🙂 #njgtravels
and now it was……………….
15:56 time for a cup of hot chocolate! Think i deserve it, am frozen! 🙂 #njgtravels
Hhmmm, on 2nd thoughts and as the light was getting dim………
16:03 actually, am heading up to the Observatory 1st. Getting dark & want to stand on Meridian Line #njgtravels 🙂

Whew, thanks heavens I had decided to do this first. The Observatory closes at 5pm!!! so I just had enough time to whizz thru, take some photos, stand on the line where east meets west,

16.19 - standing on the Prime Meridian Line, Royal Observatory, Greenwich

a quick visit to the observation deck and then head downhill……

the Royal Observatory perched on a hill overlooking Greenwich...the climb is a 'bit' of a challenge!!

I have been to Greenwich before and climbed the blessed hill to the Observatory. It wasn’t any easier this time around either!
16:33 whoa! The walk up to Royal Observatory is a challenge! The view phenomenal Stood on Meridian line 0’00 degr longitude awesome 🙂 #njgtravels

17:27 whew! At last i am sitting down! Journeys end @starbucks #Greenwich. Cappuchino in front of me 🙂 yay #njgtravels
OMGosh did that coffee taste ever so good. And it was marvellous to take the weight off my feet! I had intended going to Costa Coffee for a hot chocolate…..but it was closed!!! dimwits. After the coffee I meandered towards the station, first visiting the Greenwich Market, great place. I love the little alley ways and cobbled streets in the area.

narrow alleys and lanes of Greenwich Market

I visited St Alfrege Church as well…wow! Gorgeous interior. Made a quick visit to the Mitre Pub, looked fun albeit noisy so was glad I had changed my mind about sleeping there that night. And then it was………….
17:51 ok! My carriage awaits – aka the DLR – heading home= shower & bed! Gr8 day 🙂 #njgtravels

and again a marvellous quote to end the journey.
17:51 rt of a quote – Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such.” ~Henry Miller

underground at Greenwich station

after a long day and fun day of exploration, discoveries galore and doing what I love…walking, photographing and generally having a good time I reached home. And one last tweet for the day!
19:45 rt of a quote – Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” ~Mahatma Gandhi #quote

What a great time I had. Rotherhithe is filled with delights that I have yet to see, so with the brochure in my hands, my next visit will be more extensive and since I won’t have a schedule to run to I will be able to explore some more and definitely stop off for lunch at the Angel Inn, afternoon tea at the Mayflower Inn and visit the Brunel Museum and St Mary the Virgin amongst others. Another adventure!!

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