London Revisited, October 13

We spent our last day with Emily visiting London since she was staying with friends there before returning to California.  Our list of "must see" attractions seems to be growing rather than diminishing  but we limited ourselves to three so that we could make the best use of our time.  Our first stop was Buckingham Palace whose famous balcony is the site of many royal wedding pictures --and a few kisses.

EVERYONE wanted a picture in front of the gates so we were hard pressed to get one with with just us.

I was surprised to see the fleur de lis design all along the top of the gates and fence and have been  unable to find a definitive answer.  One person told me it may have something to do with Wales and indeed, the emblem on the Wales Rugby team's jerseys looks something like a stylized fleur de lis but it is the Prince of Wales' feather design (three feathers emerging from a gold crown).  Overall, I think although we may see the fleur de lis as a design strictly associated with all things French, that is not the case in Europe.

In front of Buckingham Palace is the Victoria Memorial filled with various statues and fountains.  It is unclear what is wrapped up in scaffolding but we assumed it was from here that television cameras were perched to get a good look at William and Kate. Next June will be Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee (60 years on the throne) so maybe there are already preparations for that celebration???

A lucky shot. This is the only horse drawn carriage we have seen.

Our next stop was the Tate Modern art museum on the south side of the Thames, a short ride away on the underground.  The Tate Modern opened in 2000 in the former Bankside Power Station.  Like many museums in London, it is free but requests a donation of 3 GBP.

Looking at the chimney of the Tate Modern.  The railings in front are part of the Millennium (pedestrian) Bridge.

We spent our time looking at a photography exhibit and paintings and sculptures by artists of the early 20th century.  The most unusual exhibit was by the Chinese artist, Ai Weiwei, the artistic consultant for the Beijing National Stadium ("Birds' Nest") from the 2008 Olympics. He had been jailed for 3 months earlier this year for his criticism of the government.  The current exhibit "Sunflower Seeds" was taken from his work of the same name that was in another area of the Tate where people could interact with the seeds.  There was concern that dust from the porcelain seeds might cause a health hazard so this smaller version of the exhibit was installed.

Our last planned activity in London was to walk across the Millennium Bridge, a suspension pedestrian bridge that opened in June 2000 and was almost immediately closed because the bridge "wobbled."  It reopened about 2 years later after an $8 million fix-up.  The bridge spans the Thames from the Tate Modern to St. Paul's Cathedral.

Walking to the Millennium Bridge.  Supposedly the design of the handrails deflects wind over the heads of the pedestrians.

St. Paul's at the other end of the bridge.  After our visit St. Paul's was the site of the global "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrations.  With so many demonstrators camped around the cathedral, St. Paul's was closed for the first time since WW II.

We thought we could make a quick getaway by jumping on the underground at Blackfriars station.  However, construction had closed that station and we walked (and walked) towards the next one.  At one point vehicular traffic was stopped to let a bus go by.  Too bad I didn't pull out the camera then; a busload of men dressed in red costumes with black hats (were these Lords or jesters??) was given the right of way. Another English mystery.

We eventually made our way to Euston Square, had a pub dinner, and bid farewell to Emily as she headed back to stay with her friends and we caught the train back to Cambridge.