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Regina first visited London as a tourist in 1977 and Ron was there in 1967on business. London has become more crowded (but happily, less polluted) since then but it's still an interesting place to walk. At right, the best way to get around, the famous London Underground. It is fast, clean, efficient and relatively inexpensive... especially compared to taxis. But you must remember, as signs and the disembodied voice advise, "Mind the gap" as you board to trains. |
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| There are so many impressive monuments in London. It's hard to keep track of which honors what person, battle or event. Above is a hero stylized in Roman attire while, at right, one of the arches near Hyde Park Corner memorializes, we think, a victory. | ||||||
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London's
Financial District was familiar ground to Regina but, like many cities,
it had changed since she’d been there on business in 1983, 1993
and 1994. Leadenhall Market, which has had a market on that site since
the 14th century, was still there with its stalls and shops. But, instead
of the numerous butcher shops, bakeries and fishmongers there in years
past, the offerings included men’s clothing stores with lavender
silk ties in the windows and upscale restaurants. Come to think if it,
we did see raw fish for sale at Leadenhall. It was in a sushi restaurant.
There were new buildings, too. There was Swiss Re’s new building, at left, described in the guide books as an “ecologically-friendly” structure. The architecture is not universally liked however; many locals politely call it “the gherkin”. (Ron wanted to caption this picture "batteries not included"). Lloyd’s, too, had moved sometime between Regina's trip to London in 1983 and the next in 1993. The pipes on the structure at left are part of the the new building - they deliberately left the infrastructure on the outside as a design point. The only traditional feature the new building retained was the gentleman in the red coat and top hat at the door. He’s called the “waiter” since Lloyd’s used to be a coffee house. |
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| The British really don't deserve their reputation as being reserved and unfriendly. Why, these nice ladies are so eager to make new friends they put their pictures in all the classic red telephone booths. They even included their phone numbers. | Admiral Nelson is still perched on top of his column in Trafalgar Square, of course. And Big Ben can be seen in the distance. There's still more! Walking in London, continued |
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