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London from above

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 2:04 pm

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Next it was on to the London Eye.

Based on the bank of the river Thames near Waterloo Station this is spectacle well worth the visit. Basically it is the biggest observation wheel in the world, hence its name, which will in matter of 30 minutes make a full circle and thus give you a splendid view of London. It towers 135 meters over the Thames River and weighs 2,100 tonnes. If the sky is clear you will have a 25-mile panoramic view.
Built by British Airways for the Millenium celebrations. B.A. hate it being called a Ferris Wheel. They call it a 'flight'.
But in reality it is almost a copy of Vienna's Prater ferris wheel and dominates the river skyline opposite Parliament. We had no problem with queus, although people warned us that they could be long.. The capsules can get very hot in sunny weather - you can book a whole capsule if you wish (some famous uses include advertising cars, cocktail parties, wedding ceremonies). Take a telephoto lens if you want to get good photos from the top - London is a big, big city.
Nb It is usually closed for annual maintenance at the end of January/beginning of February, but this can shift so check their website.

Here is a pic from a distance.

It takes around 30 minutes to do 1 revolution.

Here are some pics from inside. This one looking down the Thames River.


Here is a pic of the capsules which you are in.




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Abbey Road

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 1:49 pm

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For those who can remember the Beatles (and who can't!) here is some nostalgia.
Remember the Abbey Road album? The front cover depicted the Beatles crossing a Zebra Crossing.
One cannot visit London and not walk the hallowed steps of the Beatles at least once!

I just had to get a pic of me crossing the same well-worn Zebra Crossing. Now, this was no mean feat! The Abbey Road Studios are located at St. John`s Wood, London, NW8. Because there was a major protest happening in Hyde Park (a 'bring the soldiers home" rally of around 40,000 people) the buses were not running. So we had to leg it most of the way.
To get there, walk up Grove End Road, which runs along the west side of Lord`s cricket ground, until you come to the junction where it turns into Abbey Rd. Do not forget to bring your friends, cameras and to put your signature on the wall in front of the studios (everybody else does it, and you are perfectly safe to do it).

Anyway, here I am.


A funny aside. As I didn't know where Abbey Road was I decided to ask some folk who knew. London Bobbies.
They were clueless. They hadn't even heard of Abbey Road. UNBELIEVABLE! A major British tourist attraction.
Here they are scratching their heads and scanning a street directory.





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London still................

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 1:05 pm

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Then we decided, because rain was imminent, that we should do something under cover. So it was off to the Royal Mews.
The Mews are where the Royal Carriages and horses are kept.
5 families live at the Mews, actually inside Westminster Palace.
(So their address is actually Westminster Palace. Very prestigious, even though they are stablehands!)

The following are some pics of the various carriages. I have not put all the carriages on here. If you would like to see the others let me know and I will post them.

All of the carriages are very ornate, some more so than others.

This is the Scottish State Coach. It is the lightest and brightest of the coaches. The lower half was originally part of the Glass Coach built in 1830. Later it was sold to the Earl of Albermaire and was subsequently given back to Queen Mary in 1920. In 1969 it was refurbished where large glass windows were fitted, allowing viewers to see who was inside.


Also, the Rolls Royce is housed here as well. This is the Rolls Royce Phantom VI. Today there are 8 State limosuines at the Mews, 5 of which are Rolls Royces. They are all painted Royal Claret & Black. They do not have number plates as they are only used for state business. They are simply called Rolls Royce number 1, number 2, number 3, etc.
The most important is the Rolls Royce VI, presented to the Queen in 1978 for her Silver Jubilee. The Queens mascot, on the front, is a silver statuette of St George and the Dragon. The Duke of Edinburgh has his own mascot, an heraldic lion wearing a crown.
All the cas are modified with fluorescent lighting inside and a raised roof to allow for ease of movement.


But the one most come to see is the State Coach. Covered in gold leaf and ornate in the extreme, this coach is used for very special occasions and needs 4 horses to pull it.
When it is required the stablehands have to actually dismantle the wall to get it out. It will not fit through any of the doors, so, down comes the side wall. This takes around 6 hours, so pleanty of notice needs to be given.

More later on London.......

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London still..........

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 12:45 pm

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Then it was back on the bus and touring again. We went to Tower Bridge (where the Crown Jewels are kept in the Tower of London) Here is a distant pic of Tower Bridge.

In the foreground is the retired vessel HMS Belfast.
HMS Belfast is part of the Imperial War Museum, this battleship moored beside Tower Bridge is for the enthusiast only, but it's still impressive that people went to sea, let alone to battle in these tin cans. The Maritime Museum in Greenwich has earlier examples of Britannia's warhorses. For non-maritime firepower there's the new Royal Artillery museum


Here is a closer on of Tower Bridge. This was taken while we did a cruise along the Thames.


Next to Tower Bridge, and quite a contrast, is the recently erected Council Offices.


There are many monuments and statues in London. Almost everywhere you look is a statue or monument commemorating something or someone.
This one is of Wrens Column.
Sir Christopher Wrens spectacular column symbolises the rebuilding of London after the Great Fire of 1666 (its 202ft height is equal to the distance it stands from Pudding Lane where the fire started). Magnificent views over London are offered to those brave enough to conquer the column`s 311 steps.




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On to London

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2005 12:24 pm

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From Paris we journeyed on to London. We caught the ferry from Calais to London. It is really funny on the ferry. As soon as people get on they make a beeline for the dining room and self-serve carvery. Even if they are not hungry. Partly this is because that is where the best seats are.

Once in London we bought a 2 day bus pass fromThe Big Bus Company, a double decker open top bus (you can hop on & off anytime). they also have a running commentary on places you visit or pass.

Firstly we visited the Houses of Parliament. very imposing structure with heaps of history attached.
The Houses of Parliament are the place where laws governing British life are debated and enacted. Begun in 1840 after a fire destroyed the previous building, the Gothic style was designed by Sir Charles Barry with aid from A.W. Pugin. It contains the bell Big Ben that is struck each quarter hour. A light in the clock tower tells when the House of Commons is in session.

The Houses of Parliament are steeped in pomp, ceremony and splendour. The Queen rides in a State coach to Westminster to open each new session of Parliament, usually in the second week in November. A word of caution; in the summer months it can get pretty congested with all of the tourist coming and regular traffic trying to cross the square.


Next door is the Tower of Big Ben (Big Ben is actually only the clock in the tower) Again a very imposing structure.


Then on to Trafalgar Square. It was a fairly wet day (locals say it was normal!) and they were setting up for a concert, so parts of the square were inaccessible. But the pigeons were still there. (I'm sure thats where I caught the bug from. I was crook for 4 days. Flamin' pigeons!)



There were so many things we saw (& passed). We stopped at Waterloo Station for a drink and lunch. Security is VERY tight at most public places. Eg, in Waterloo Station there are no bins. I asked a Bobby why. He told me that bins are a security threat (bombs, etc). I asked "What do I do with my food wrappers, etc?". He said "Just leave them on the table or on the ground. The cleaning staff will collect it"
They are paranoid about bombs since the bus incident. In most public buildings (Eg, Madame Tussards, Museums, etc) you need to go through a metal detector on the way in.



Next door is the Tower of Big Ben (Big Ben is actually only the clock in the tower) Again a very imposing structure.






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Versailles Palace

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 3:36 pm

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While in Paris we took the opportunity to visit Versailles Palace. (Prononced 'Versay')

The Palace of Versailles was the official residence of the Kings of France from 1682 until 1790. It was originally a hunting lodge, built in 1624, by Louis XIII. It was expanded by Louis XIV beginning in 1669. He used it as a lodge and as a secret refuge for his amorous encounters with the lovely Louise de la Valliere and built a fairy tale park around it. Jules Hardouin Mansart, the king's principal architect, drew the plans to enlarge what was turning more and more into a palace from A Thousand and One Nights. The terrace that overlooked the gardens was removed to make way for the magnificent Hall of Mirrors, the Galarie de Glaces. It is here from which the king radiated his power and where the destiny of Europe was decided over a century. The French classical architecture was complemented by extensive gardens.

Here is another of the massive gardens.

Versailles was the unofficial capital city of the kingdom of France from May 1682 (King Louis XIV moves the court and government permanently to Versailles) until September 1715 (death of Louis XIV and regency, with the regent Philippe d'Orléans returning to Paris), and then again from June 1722 (King Louis XV returns to Versailles permanently) to October 1789 (King Louis XVI forced to move back to Paris by the people of Paris). During the entire period, Paris remained the official capital city of France, and the official royal palace was the Palace of the Louvre, but in practice government affairs were conducted from Versailles, and Versailles was regarded as the real capital city.

Versailles became again the unofficial capital city of France from March 1871 (French government takes refuge in Versailles due to the insurrection of the Paris Commune) until November 1879 (newly elected left-wing republicans relocate government and parliament to Paris).

It is very difficult to describe the richness and wealth of Versailles in a few pictures. It is opulent!!


Versailles was made the préfecture (capital) of the Seine-et-Oise département at its inception in March 1790 (Seine-et-Oise had approximately 400,000 inhabitants at its creation). By the 1960s, with the growth of the Paris suburbs, the Seine-et-Oise département had reached almost 3 million inhabitants and was deemed too large and ungovernable, and thus it was split into three départements in January 1968. Versailles was made the préfecture of the Yvelines département, the largest chunk of the former Seine-et-Oise département. At the 1999 census the Yvelines département had 1,354,304 inhabitants.

Versailles is also the seat of a Roman Catholic diocese (bishopric) which was created in 1790. The diocese of Versailles depends from the archdiocese of Paris.

In 1975 Versailles was made the seat of a Court of Appeal, whose jurisdiction covers the western suburbs of Paris.


Here are some pics of inside the palace. There is literally gold inlay everywhere.


They also have a fantastic hall. Called The Hall of Mirrors, this hall has one wall entirely covered with 18 foot high mirrors. It is very long and I couldn't get it all in, but you get the idea.


Much of the expensive furnishings have been taken over the years (100's of years) during the many wars and occupations the palace has suffered. Our tour guide told us that there is a local society who are trying to get as much back as possibl.e However, as the guide said, to get all of it back there would not be enough money in France to buy it. Even if France itself were sold! So you can imagine the worth of the items taken.

Finally, here is one of the front yard! (No lawns to mow, which I think is a great idea!)




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Paris with pics

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 12:10 pm

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Ok, here are some pics.

Firstly, I had to take a photo of this house. The front is flat except for a sewing room stuck out the front. It has obviously been added on later.
The interesting thing is that it is about 1 foot from the road! It is actually built on the footpath. Too bad if you are in there sewing one day and a truck makes an over correction artound the corner!


Here is a typical suburban area just outside Paris.


In Paris itself. One thing I noticed that, on nearly every corner, there was a massage parlor. In Australia we have an abundance of pubs. In Paris its massage parlors.


The view of Paris from our motel room.


We went to the Eifell Tower at night, on the way to our restaurant.


And then we went back in the morning so we could climb it.


We went to the second level. It was a bit overcast that dy, so the pics did not come out the best.

And one cannot visit Paris and not have snails and frogs legs for dinner! Actually the snails were very nice, there wasn't enough of them though!









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On to Paris.....

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 11:37 am

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From there we journeyed to Paris.

Now, I gotta say, Paris is CRRAZY!! I thought the drivers were bad in Italy. Paris tops them by miles! There is only one rule - THERE ARE NO RULES. Anything goes.

If you want to park in the middle of the lane and duck into the shops - feel free. If you can't find a park, simply bump someone else out of theirs! True. they even have a name for it - tamping. Everyones bumper bar is is all buckled where they have either tamped - or been tamped.

Most people leave their cars out of gear and with the handbrake off, as repairs to gearboxes and brakes after being tamped are expensive.

(Having problems with my server at present so will upload pics later)



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Lucerne.....more

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2005 12:56 pm

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Lucerne is a beautiful city. It is situated next to a huge lake, which we cruised on, and also at the foot of some spectacular mountains.

Here is a normal street.


And a typical house


In the middle of Lucerne, spanning the river, is a fantastic footbridge. This bridge is over 800 years old! It was certainly built to last


In the bridge, at each support beam, is a pictorial history of the city and surrounding areas. I wished I could read the language, but even looking at the pictures gives a good idea of the history.


The tower in the middle of the river was used for defense of the city long ago. It is now a small tourist shop.


Also, in the heart of the business area in lucerne is a unique sundial.
Not only does this sundial give the time of day, it also gives the month of the year.


A closeup of the sundial. Sorry, it does not adjust for daylight savings!




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Lucerne cont............

Category: My latest Europe trip | Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2005 3:30 pm

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After we had descended the Stransnehornbahn we were privileged to be able to have a genuine Swiss lunch at a local farm. (When Tour Directors find this sort of thing they very much keep it to themselves. If they told others it would soon become way too busy)

So, we went about 10Km to a great farmhouse. Half the group went for a horse & buggy tour of the village while the other half enjoyed a wonderful Swiss luch of a variety of freshly-made swiss breads, cheese, wine and various cold meat. It was very nice.


This is the farmhouse as we approached. Everything was so green! The rainfall is quite adequate and it really did look a picture.


After lunch, our group went on the buggy ride. We toured their lovely village. In Switzerland each village basically governs itself. There are national laws of course, but each village is very much responsible for it's own governance. It has its own council, and their equivalent to a Mayor. No other village may interfere in their governance.

The homes are beautifully maintained and there are piles and piles of neatly stacked firewood everywhere. Everything is SO neat.


Even though it would be cold in winter, I could live there tomorrow!

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