Happy Christmas everyone and all our best wishes for a peaceful 2015

Happy Christmas everyone and all our best wishes for a peaceful 2015

 What a great time to visit London. The lights are just fabulous, ice rinks everywhere and there is lots to see in the shops and Christmas markets.

Saw 100 cycling Santas leaving Trafalgar Square! 












The Crystal Palace campsite was well placed on a Bus route that took us over the Lambeth Bridge, passed Westminster, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and to Oxford Street.



It was like having a bus tour every day as we went into town. Just to reorient ourselves on the first days we did an actual bus tour which included a river tour and a choice of walking tours.

"3 to Crystal Palace"……..our bus
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/bus/route/3/     just copy into the browser line, click on it and get the route and the sights when you move the yellow walking person onto the route!!!

     

                            More fine weather for London for Dec 13 2014……. orders from Lord Nelson of Trafalgar 1805. 

London @ Xmas Convent Gardens

Crystal Palace sunrise.

Lovely squirrels in Hyde Park……...everywhere, very friendly!

Urban Fox on the move in Kennington Lane on our # 3 Bus om our way to Crystal palace Dec 14 

We chose the ‘Rock and Roll’ walking tour and had a fascinating time walking around Mayfair and Soho seeing where Jimi Hendrix first played in London and the building where the Beatles final performance together was held on the roof of Apple Studios.

As the weather was cold, for us antipodeans(!!), we made the most of the wonderful museums and galleries; seeing the Sutton Hoo ship finds at the British Museum; the exhibition of the Wild Life Photographer of the year at the Natural History Museum; a tour of quirky objects at the Victoria and Albert Museum (learnt that the word cartoon is the name for the large size paper that designs for tapestries were painted on); 

Each year the V and A have their own Xmas tree

National Portrait Gallery!! Dec 13

National Portrait Gallery

Young scientists in a school group @ Natural History Museum Dec9

National History Museum and another ice rink in London!Dec 9

War cabinet rooms including the Churchill Museum (these are all underground and everyone smoked not only the chap with the cigar, imagine!); National Gallery and the French Impressionists especially Van Gogh's Sunflowers; Film Museum and a display of about 20 of the cars and boats etc used in the Bond films; Tate Briton and Tate Modern and a photographic exhibition on the aftermath of conflict and a brief look at Somerset House.

Col with Churchill

A real leader

Under ground War cabinet room.

High tech Wool used in the mapping room!! 

We had to book a week ahead for a tour of Westminster and it was worth it and very informative. It felt like an old boys club and maybe this is because women members only make up about 20% of the Commons and the Lords. The Lords half of the Palace of Westminster is decorated in a very ornate style whereas the Commons, which had to be rebuilt after bombing in WWII, is very plain and even the carpet in the debating chamber does not match.

Emancipation of Slaves

Abolition of slavery monument.

Memorial to Emily Pankhurst, NZ was way ahead

Around Westmnster Dec14

Around Westmnster Dec14

Around Westminster…."BB"

"Now Look here Wilkinson, I've told you before about blunt blades, and look at me when I'm talking to you lad"

Inns of Court, local tavern

Always find interesting wee highlights here and there this one at the Inns of Court, local tavern. 

We visited the very large Christmas market in Hyde Park with many of the stalls from Germany and we saw similar stuff for sale as we had seen over there. Lots of mulled wine, hot chocolate, mince pies, strudels and roasted nuts on sale as well as gifts. 

There was a tent with ice sculptures, which seemed to be at minus 9 degrees but the visit was worth the discomfort. 

One of many Ice Sculptures Dec8 at -9C!!

Cold Hyde Park Dec8

Walked down to see the Diana fountain and thought it was really creative. There was another Christmas market by the Tate Modern with many of the same stalls.

A section of the  Princess Dianna Memorial Fountain Dec8

 Visited Camden Market and Camden Lock Market, and the markets at Covent Garden. We missed Harrods but went to Fortnum and Masons for the first time and watched the figures of these men come out of the clock on the hour. It was sheer bedlam inside. The shop windows had a great a Christmas theme.

Every year Norway donates a very large Christmas tree to London as a thank you for looking after their Monarch during the war. The tree stands in Trafalgar Square and a ceremony and celebration is held when the lights are switched on. 

Just before the tree was lit!

All lit up now!

We joined in the carol singing and celebration. As the sun at this time of year is setting at 10 mins to 4pm all the Christmas lights come into their own.

Among the highlights of this amazing 3 weeks (it was like eating too much rich cake and not being able to stop) was attending some West End shows. Warhorse was the first and everything about the production was suburb. We had seen one of the horse 'puppets' close up beforehand so we were not distracted by trying to work out how they did it. The emotions those 'puppets' displayed were skilful. We next went to see a musical based on the 60s band The Kinks, Sunny Afternoon. The band's songwriter, Ray Davies, helped with the production and the music was brilliant with some arrangements better than the originals. A fantastic performance and by the end we were all up and dancing to Lola! The next show we went to see was Memphis, which has strong songs and amazing singers. It tells the story of a white DJ in Memphis the 50s and how he introduces 'black' music (rock and roll) to the 'white' airwaves and all the barriers he comes up against. It is based on a true story and this DJ was also the first to give Elvis airtime. We have always been interested in how the Beatles and other UK bands brought rock and roll back to America, where it previously had not been widely played because of the prejudice against 'black' music in the US.

Kinks with "Waterloo Sunset", right here!

We caught up with old friends who live in London, one of Sarah's friends and an ex student of Colin's. Great to hear about their London lives. One weekend we drove down to Chobham where we were well looked after by one of Marg's cousin and her friend, both of who had been to see us in NZ. They took us to the local village Christmas market which had both carol singing and Morris Dancers (what!!) and also visited a National Trust property, Polesden Lacy which was all decorated for Christmas. 

There had been a heavy frost that night and some areas of the gardens stayed white all day, very Christmassy. Just in time for Marg's birthday!!

 

Polesden Lacy walk Dec6

Marg

Cold grass!!

Peedie is cold!

Peedie is cold!!!
We are heading now for Harrogate and Christmas with all of Marg's brother's family and Sarah, who arrives on Christmas Eve from Brussels - we will have about a week together. Then the adventure continues with the ferry booked for Jan 2 to take us to France and our trip to Spain and Portugal.

Xmas Lights in London Town

Xmas fan lights

Merry Xmas from us in London Town!