Wildlife in London

"I had a faire opportunity of talking to his Majestie... & thence walked with him thro St. James's Parke to the Garden, where I both saw and heard a very familiar discourse between... [the King] & Mrs. Nellie"

 ~ Diary of John Evelyn, 4th March, 1671 

London is not all stone buildings and cobbled streets.  There are nice parks you can escape to all over the city.  We spent two afternoons in Queen's Park reading and knitting and enjoying all the greenery.  We also spent part of an afternoon picnicking and strolling through St. James Park, enjoying all the waterfowl its canal attracts.  St. James' Park is the oldest Royal park in London and it sits surrounded by the palaces of Westminster, St James, and Buckingham.  And you know what they say about location... :)  These birds have chosen some prime real estate as their home!

Ducks!

Geese! and Willows!

Some late hatchlings.

Our first sighting of Ruddy Shelducks.

A Coot.

For the first time, we saw a Coot's very beautiful webbed foot

 We spotted this Great Blue Heron.  And of course, one cannot escape the pigeons...

Two Red-Breasted geese and one Greylag goose causing a ruckus.

By far, our favourite sighting was the pelicans! The first pelicans came to the park in 1664, gifted by the Russian ambassador.  They get fed fish every day by the park's officials from 2:30 - 3:00.

Eastern White Pelicans.

So there you have it.  Plenty of nature to be found if you are looking for it.  I wonder if anyone has ever done such a thing as touring London via its parks?  And if you are wanting more exotic wildlife there is always London Zoo... Maybe next visit! This brings my first-ever series to a conclusion.  Hope you enjoyed it!

The London Underground - Unsung Hero

The London Underground.  How does one go about trying to pay tribute to the oldest section of underground railway in the world which has been operating since 1863 and services 207 stations along 402 kilometers of track while transporting 1.2 billion people to and from work and play?  I offer up these photos as a small glimpse into an amazing feat of both engineering and organisation.

A drawing of the construction of London's Underground.  Image courtesy of London Historians.

This is a photo from the archives of the British Library.  It shows workers constructing a Tube tunnel.

Henry C. Beck's 1931 draft of the London Underground.  Most modern transit maps are based on this breakthrough design.

The design hasn't changed much (other than to include all the new lines) in 70 years.

The ever-trendy tube - keeping up with the times! A Jubilee line train celebrating Her Majesty.  Wonder if she's ever ridden on the Tube?  Image courtesy of the Londonist.

As you can see from the luggage, I had just arrived in London and was soooooooo excited about riding the tube.  The Bakerloo line was our trusty companion for our week's sojourn.

Tail end of the festivities for the Olympics and Paralympics.  It was nice to capture this Underground sign in the same frame as a Canadian flag.  :)

Leicester Square tube station - alight here for movie premiers with the rich and famous all glitzed and glammed.

Flats above Charing Cross tube station.  Hmmmm... wonder if they are noisy?

Piccadilly Circus tube stop is not your friend if you are afraid of gaps between the train and the platform.  Good thing Matthew was there to help me not fall down the foot-wide abyss.  I guess I now know why they have the announcement, 'Mind the Gap.'

I just really loved how all the tube stations have their own personality.

They also have their own history... even if it is fictional!

Anyone want to go pay Sherlock Homes a visit?  Evidence would suggest he lives near the Baker Line.

Close up of the Holmes outline.

The tube is not above making a few pennies off of one of its most beloved travellers.  To see my picture of Paddington Bear go here.  North Americans with a hankering for a good doughnut can satisfy their craving at the nearby Krispy Kreme. :)

So there you have it.  London can be your Oyster if you buy the card.  It did all of the work for us as we travelled about seeing the beautiful and bizarre.  A truly unsung hero that I thought deserved a nod for all its elbow grease this past century and a half.  For more amazing photos in celebration of the Tube's 150th birthday this year, the Telegraph posted some amazing shots here. And lest you think that London is all stone structures and tunnels of steel my final post in my series on London will show off some of its wildlife.

 P.S. While on my internet wanderings, I came across this site.  I don't know if it is legitimate, but it is hysterical.  It claims the phrases posted have actually been said by tube conductors.

Tremendously Terrific Tower Bridge

"It represents the vice of tawdriness and pretentiousness, and of falsification of the actual facts of the structure."

~ H. H. Statham

 "A more absurd structure than the Tower Bridge was never thrown across a strategic river^."

~ Frank Brangwyn

Well, fellas.  I politely disagree.  I happen to think that the Tower Bridge is absolutely stunning!  Of course, the fact that it is Victorian also endears it to me.  Its versatility and functionality is indisputable.  Anyone who watched the Diamond Jubilee flotilla can only admire how the bridge's ability to raise up in order to allow Tall Ships to pass through was put to ingenious use in a salute to Her Majesty.  This was made possible because this is a combination bascule and suspension bridge.  That's right.  I don't know what I am talking about but I feel I am doing it rather well.  :)  But seriously, the mid section supported by the towers is a bascule bridge (the road can break open and upward) and the two sections on either side of the towers are small suspension bridges.  This is not just a feat of engineering, this is a piece of artwork.

So pretty!

I show off the Tower Bridge from the Tower of London.

You can just make out the Paralympic symbol on the underside of the walkway.

A close-up of the Paralympic agitos on Tower Bridge.

A double decker makes its way across Tower Bridge.

This is possibly my favoutite just because the sunset light is making it look like the bridge is brooding.

Close-up of the suspension aspect of the bridge.

I show my excitement after walking across Tower Bridge. :)

So there you have it.  If you are ever walking along the Thames, I can suggest pointing your feet in the direction of Tower Bridge.  Excellent engineering, beautiful aesthetics and gorgeous views.  No wonder this is one of London's famous landmarks!

Next post: Another of London's engineering feats - The Tube!

Famous London Landmarks

"Pussycat pussycat, where have you been?"
"I've been up to London to visit the Queen."
"Pussycat pussycat, what did you there?"
"I frightened a little mouse under her chair"
"MEOWW!"

First published in London during 1805 in the book "Songs for the Nursery"

I think I spent my entire week in London with a huge smile on my face.  Now, the effect of heat, sunshine and a direct hit of vitamin D every day probably contributed to this, but the perma-smile was also a direct result of coming face-to-face with these famous landmarks every day.  I was walking in famous places, walking through history, getting to do all the kitschy touristy things that are clichés because they are so fun to do!

Matthew hanging out in Piccadilly Circus.  I think I would have much preferred touring around it in an omnibus in the 1800's but it was still pretty cool. Plus, they would not have had a Cinnabon shop in the 1800's! 

Requisite uber-touristy photo!  I was so stoked -- even though we have phone boxes in Edinburgh, we never have 5 in a row!

Big Ben! Big Ben!

So, The Palace of Westminster is really big and hard to fit all in one frame...

Another shot of the Palace of Westminster.

Excellent flag action combined with a close up on the gilding going on at Westminster.

Standing on the Thames it is much easier to  take a shot of the whole Palace.

The real Big Ben, an Olympic mascot painted to look like Big Ben, and Matthew imitating the imitation of Big Ben.  :)

Westminster Abbey.  We attended a service of Evensong (no fee!).

Westminster Abbey from the side.  It was really neat to see a place where so many Royal services take place (like Kate & Wills' wedding).

This is the 'North Portal', one of the side doors of Westminster Abbey.  I think it is way cooler than the front entrance.

A dream-come-true. The interior of Shakespeare's re-created Globe Theatre.  I've only wanted to see a play there since it opened while I was in high school.

Exterior of the Globe Theatre.  We stood as groundlings for the performance of 'The Taming of the Shrew'.

Trafalgar Square.  Wee Nelson dominating his pillar.

Buckingham Palace!!!!  Now I, too, have been to London to visit the Queen!  Well, I visited her gilded house at least. :)

Admiring the Victoria Memorial.  I had no idea it was so hugemongous!

The famous Black-and-Gold gates of Buckingham.

The Thames and London Eye.

No amount of money could ever induce me to ride on this thing. 

Matthew on the Millennium Bridge over the Themes.  On our way to St. Paul's Cathedral.  He's so excited and just can't hide it!

St. Paul's Cathedral.  We attended Evensong here another evening.  I much preferred its mosaic interior to that of Westminster.  It was a bit brighter and the dome meant that its acoustics were flawless.

Detail of St. Paul's.

The front of St. Paul's.

It is really, really huge...

Those pillars are attached to the British Museum.  It is famous but I had never heard of its gardens.  I am in the North American section enjoying some flora from home.

I met Paddington Bear at Paddington Station and my face almost broke I was grinning so hard.  :)

The imposing Tower of London

Peter the Beefeater!  His tour was a highlight of our time at the Tower.  A definite must.

Matthew with the White Tower - the original palace for the monarch in London before the area around it gets built up and used as prisons for the wealthy (at which point the monarchs had other residences in London).

The Shard as seen from the Tower of London.

Top of the White Tower.

Two-for-one special on landmarks.  The Tower with an old Double Decker.  I regret not taking a bus ride so if I ever get the chance to return to London I will have to do so!

I know that there are a lot more famous London landmarks, but a girl only has so much energy, time and moolah.  One noticeable omission from this collection is the Tower Bridge.  This is because I think it is stunning and took far too many photos of it and it will therefore be the subject of my next post in this series.