Tuesday, August 26, 2014

London bits & bobs

Five days in London. Glorious weather--low 70's, just a bit of rain, so I spent a lot of time outside.
The river path along the Thames is a beautiful way to see the city. (Thanks to Petra for the suggestion.)

Riding the bus is another great way to view the city.
This is the only cat I saw in London.

English English.
Boot sales, wellies, lorries, elevenses, whip rounds
and summer tidys.

It seems a gentler language than American English 
where boots are trunks and wellies are boots.

Another peek at the glorious flower market.

The amazing food markets. I went to the Borough Market twice in five days.
I wish I could have taken some of these home to my sausage loving sons.

Kew Gardens. Deserves a post of its own.
(prepare for an abundance of roses and water lilies)

 Street art, East End.

Really my favorite thing to do in a city is walk.
See the various neighborhoods, watch the people,
look for the small things that give a place character.

Browsing the used books stores on Charing Cross.
(Here, gifts for the son who loves classic mysteries
and the one who loves language and politics.)

A Turner sky

and a Turner painting, at the fantastic Tate Modern,
which also deserves its own post
(maybe on the other blog).

Best sign ever.






31 comments:

  1. Lucky you, I would have loved to walk till I got blisters. I would happily follow in your footsteps.

    Xo J.

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    1. I started getting blisters the first day. Would love to see you in the food and flower markets. You would have made a lot of friends.

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  2. So, very very wonderful. Great photos. We thought we'd wait to go to London when Jay is too old to rent a car (70, I think), but maybe we shouldn't wait that long. We've both been there in our youth, but old age slows one down to do more observing.

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    1. Karen--the public transport in London is great. The underground and busses will get you everywhere. There are also river boats and taxis and some light rail. If I had gone to the countryside (which I would love to do) I would have taken trains.

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    2. I'm assuming YOU thought you'd wait until Jay is too old to rent a car. :-)

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  3. Hello Jen, London is a great walking city, For all its size, it seems that many of the most interesting neighborhoods are adjacent to and within walking distance of each other, especially if you allow a few short hops on the bus or subway.
    --Jim

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    1. I was so impressed with the underground and busses. It's such a big sprawling city, but I found that having a mental picture of it as a cluster of villages, and using the Thames for orientation helped a lot.

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  4. How great Jen, that you got to visit the wonderful City of London.
    Its a great place. I love London. One can never tire of all it has to offer.
    Its been a couple of years now, that I havent been there. Last time I was changing trains to go to Norfolk and on to Greece.
    I love the hustle and bustle of Oxford street and widow shopping. The book shops are so incredible.
    I have bought a few books from the book shops there in Charing cross.
    Great photos.
    Val xx

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    1. Hi Val--I really want to see Norfolk one day. And Greece. I went there when I was young. Very high on my places to revisit. And of course you have made me want to visit Portugal!

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  5. Hello Jen,

    What a wonderful time you look to have had in London with such an intriguing mix of activities. To walk round a city certainly is the best way to see it and you seem to have navigated London fantastically well. It can be extremely confusing and not a little tiring. We are certain that you will have needed a holiday to recover from it all!

    Tate Modern is so amazing. We are most interested to know what you thought of it. The entrance is most impressive and the collection is wonderful. We also think that the guided tours there are terrific.

    We are so pleased that you had a lovely time....... never time enough!

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    1. Oh Jane and Lance--I wish I'd had more time there and to plan. Would loved a day trip to Brighton (don't even know if you were there. And I wanted to take the Tate boat or some boat along the Thames…And so much more.

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  6. lovely pics. almost make me a little homesick...

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    1. almost…I can see that it could be a nice place to come home to, but I'd spend time in Malaysia and the UAE in a heartbeat if I could.

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  7. i have missed so much. you were here in my home country.
    i can just imagine your bliss in kew gardens.
    that sign IS the best ever.
    like you, my favourite thing to do is just roam the streets, and look, and listen.

    so glad it was a joyous trip for you.

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    1. Monica, thanks for popping in. I think of you…

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  8. What a wonderful trip! That's my favorite thing to do in cities just walk and walk and walk. Great photos!

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    1. I still remember all the wonderful sign pictures from your trip to Spain.

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  9. Walking is my favorite way to explore a city too. It looks like you filled your days with excellent decisions. I especially like the East End street art. It has me thinking of To Sir, with Love.

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    1. Oh, interesting. I haven't seen that movie in a zillion years. Now I want to watch it again. (It made me think of Peter Pan.)

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    2. I came to To Sir, with Love very late... I haven't seen Peter Pan in a zillion years ; )

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    3. "I won't grow up, never grow up, not me…"

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  10. Well, I'm floored. You sure packed a lot in, in 5-6 short days. Does "changed priorities ahead" mean a lane change? That IS the best sign
    ever! Aaaaaaaaaand, you went to Kew...deep breath taken here, trying to suppress sighs of huge envy.
    Thanks for sharing, Mizz Jen
    Diane in misty, coolish
    yet sunflower-full
    Denver

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    1. I have no idea what the sign means. It wasn't apparent. Mystery…

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  11. The same that I said at the previous post! Jelous!
    I remember a great exhibition about Bonnard at the Barbican centre. The charity shops were my favourite places!

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  12. I've never had the yearn to go abroad but if I ever should get one, London would be one of the very few places I'd like to visit. I hate to admit it but I'm in love with the present royalty. It looks like you're having a great time Jen.

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    1. So we are sharing guilty pleasures here? For me it's the new show Outlander. (And the books of course.)

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  13. If you were coming to Barcelona or the Basque Country we could arrange a meeting!

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