The end of my time in London was quite rushed as I re-packed and prepared to head to Paris, so I didn't get to post about many of the sights towards the end of my stay. I'll be doing that now from home. The pictures above are of Cleopatra's Needle, which is on the Thames Embankment. I had walked past it earlier in the week (maybe more than once), but I was always pressing on towards another place. On Sunday (April 24), I finally had time to slow things down and take in the details along my route. I was hoping to walk along the Thames from St. Paul's, where I had worshiped that morning, to Trafalgar Square to relax there a bit and to spend some non-rushed time in the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery before heading to an organ concert at Westminster Abbey that evening.
In other words, the goal was to have some actual sabbath rest on a sabbath day during my sabbatical! At some point on my walk along the Embankment, as I was coming up through short underpass (under a bridge?), I noticed a roar, and I thought it was a band concert or something . . .
. . . but when I was able to see over the crowd I realized the London Marathon was taking place. It was a very exciting even to be near - to the point where I had thoughts of taking up running again!
I love the signs - "Run like you stole something!" Another one offered free fist bumps, and another encouraged the runners to "Think of the beer!" But that last one was being held upside-down, so maybe the spectator had already had his! For the rest of the day I saw people all around the city wearing medals received for having finished - many of them were sporting a severe limp too! I also saw people on the tube giving up their seats to people who had run, which I thought was really sweet!
While it was pretty cool to be there while this was going on, I actually had places I did want to see again, but after walking and walking and walking and walking and walking to the point where I thought I was participating in a marathon I hadn't signed up for I still couldn't find a place to cross over in order to head towards Trafalgar Square, so it started to get a little frustrating. Near Clock Tower I finally found a way to get under the street and over to the Westminster tube station - from there to Embankment station - from there to Leicester Square station -
I hopped on the tube and saw and heard a lot of what I'd been seeing and hearing all week! The tube was very convenient, and I made much use of it! "Mind the gap!"
It wasn't until I popped into a quiet little Italian restaurant ("Piazza") near where I got off the tube at Leicester Square that I realized how overwhelming the noise and the crush of people had been. I figured all the restaurants in town would be packed too, but this one was kind of tucked away, and I imagine most people were still running or watching runners. I had a lovely, peaceful lunch. When I was rested up and ready to brave the crowds again I decided to make my way to Trafalgar Square by way of Shaftesbury Avenue - because why not - I'd heard of it, it figures in the Harry Potter movies, and it was close by, and now I can say I've been there :-)
Though I had two visits there, I really did not do justice to the National Portrait Gallery. It should really have had a whole day to itself, but I enjoyed what I did see on my two visits - mostly just keeping my eyes open for famous paintings that I was familiar with.
London's National Gallery as seen from Trafalgar Square
Venus and Mars by Botticelli
National Portrait Gallery, London
The portrait above by Moretto da Brescia (1498-1554) isn't one I was familiar with, but it caught my attention - and even more so when I read the description, which says, in part, "Rare ancient coins and a bronze foot oil lamp on the table allude to his scholarly interests. His melancholic expression and pose are reinforced by the inscription in Greek on his cap, 'Alas, I desire too much.'" When it comes to learning, I can identify!
I couldn't not pop around the corner to the National Portrait Gallery to take leave of my beloved Brontes, particularly Emily (of whom more here).
I did head to Westminster Abbey for an organ recital and for a worship service Sunday night, but that's covered in another post.
That was all Sunday. Now skipping back to Friday - Thames River cruise, the Tower of London, Greenwich.
Aside - I did purchase a 3-Day London Pass for this trip. I felt it worked especially well for me given that I had been in London once before. The fact that I'd been here previously meant that there were some sights I wanted to see again but just to stop in briefly - not enough to justify a full-price ticket - so without the London Pass I wouldn't have revisited those places. With the pass I had already "paid," and the visits I made that were quick ones made me feel I was getting my money's worth out of the pass since I was packing a lot into those three days. Something else included on the London Pass was a Thames River cruise (hop on, hop off), which I probably wouldn't have done had I not had the pass. I probably would have taken the tube everywhere instead - less costly - but since I had the pass - off I went!
It was pretty cool seeing things from a river's-eye-view rather than traveling underground!
Heading out from Westminster Pier
Cruising down the Thames
Replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theater on the south bank of the Thames
Getting ready to dock at the Tower of London, north bank of the Thames
View from the Thames of the Entry to the Traitor's Gate
Tower of London from the Thames
Traitors' Gate from inside the tower
Tower of London - The White Tower
Recreation of how the rooms of Edward I may have looked in 1294
Recreation of how the rooms of Edward I may have looked in 1294
Tower of London
Tower of London
Memorial Sculpture on Tower Green at the approximate place of the scaffold
In both of my visits to the tower (2003 and 2016) I was drawn to this memorial. I have a great deal of interest in the Tudor Era. I was disappointed in 2003 to find that the chapel was closed, the chapel where Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey, and Catherine Howard and other victims of execution were buried after being beheaded. This time I joined in with a tour and was able to enter St. Peter ad Vincula Chapel. I found it quite moving (no pictures allowed, though)
Tower Green - also Tower Bridge as seen from inside the Tower of London
Tower Bridge as seen from the Tower of London
After leaving the tower I hopped on another boat and headed under Tower Bridge and on down to Greenwich.
View of the Cutty Sark from the river cruise ship
Cutty Sark displayed in permanent dry dock in Greenwich
National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, England
Heading up to Greenwich Observatory. It was quite a hike, which makes sense - an observatory needing to be on a high point!
The red ball drops at 13:00 so ships can synchronize their clocks
Flamsteed House, Royal Observatory, Greenwich
Royal Observatory, Greenwich
My first time in the eastern hemisphere - well, ONE foot anyway!
And now time to head back down. I had dinner near the pier - and very close to the Cutty Sark - at Zizzi (yes, another Italian place!). Sadly I had arrived at the observatory grounds too late in the day to get into the buildings and was only able to take pictures of the outside - but I was happy to have come anyway. I thought it was super cool to stand with one foot on either side of the Prime Meridian. It was also a nice walk, though very rainy, and just good to have been here, having heard of it and known of it for decades. Now when I hear about it in the future I'll have very specific memories and images to attach to the information.
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