In and Around London

Arrival in London:

We arrived in London on Saturday June 6. Other than getting a few groceries and hitting a pub for dinner we mostly just relaxed until late in the evening when we watched the Pharaoh win his crowns.  Sunday we organized our week, including the transportation to and around Tuscany.  And of course we hit another pub for dinner, after which we walked over to the Ally Pally.

35 Woodland Rise, Highgate, London

In the back was the typical English Garden,
Reminding Janet of her “Gran”
Sunday roast was something good to eat at the Victoria Stakes.
Michael Jackson would weep for joy at the cask conditioned beer
served at 55-60F but showing the influence of US west coast hops.
A perfect melding as the US pale ales show their influence in the
land that inspired them.

The pub was in the Alexandra Palace area so we walked
over to look around.  Alexandra Palace (aka “Ally Pally”) is
in need of repairs and restoration but is an interesting and
historic old place nonetheless.
 Of course we found an ice rink…  Looking south from the Ally Pally toward
London proper and south west toward the
townhouse on Woodland Rise

Cambridge:

Around Town – On Monday we took the train up to Cambridge. Walking around this little town one is constantly running into shadows of Darwin, Newton, Hawking, Watson, Crick, and others amidst incredible and historic architecture.  Few nations can match that concentration of intellectual influence and certainly not many small towns.

Map of Cambridge University AreaNice lady in front of Round Church built
by William the Conqueror’s henchmen in
1068, well before the University was founded.

Darwin spent just a few years at Cambridge as
an undergraduate and left a fairly quiet reputation
for smoking and drinking ale but they still gave
him a college and why not!

Janet behind Darwin College and across a
tributary creek of the Cam River

Garden along the CamGate into one of the collegesSt. Mary’s Church

Another church
(down an ally – we didn’t catch the name)

Someone left a door to the grounds
of a college open so…

Very Brief Video of Hawking’s “clock”
Don’t ask what this is about because we have no idea!

At the “Eagle”The Eagle also had an “RAF Pub”, an area with
graffiti on the ceiling from RAF squadrons stationed
in the area during the war.  “Never have so many
owed so much…”

                      Corpus Christi College:

King’s College (celebrating 500 years this year)

Street-side entrance to the College
On the commons:
The inside of the street-side gate

The Chapel:

Exams were underway during our visit so much of the university access was restricted but we attended “Evensong” (prayer and choir service) at the King’s College Chapel early in the evening and so were admitted to the grounds and of course the chapel.  Although you have probably seen it pictured many times, follow this this link to understand the history and magnificence of the Chapel.  Photos of the chapel are from the town, the grounds,  the river, and “The Backs” (beyond the river).
Approaching the chapel for the service
From a punt on the Cam River

Punting on the CamAt our pub-lunch, watching the punts…
and a while later off we went.Above/below is supposedly the site of the original
Cam bridge
Of course there are many Cam bridges nowAbove, the “Bridge of Sighs”


St. John’s College

Brief Video of Punting on the Cam

A Day Trip South of the River to Greenwich:

We took the Underground to were we could
catch the “Emirates” cable car across
the Thames to the “O2” Centre… Looking up past the O2 Centre
toward the City of London
Then we walked to 51.48N,  0.00  Below, looking north along the zero meridian Having pictures taken, neither east nor west

If you are a nerd about sundials, this is the best we’ve seen.  The time is shown at the point between the shadow of the tails. The waving lines correct for time of year. At 3:30 in early June the shadow was close to the bottom of the scale and read the time to the minute. (The plates can be change for British Summer time, their daylight savings time).  

We had have a book about Harrison’s
clocks.  The museum here had the clocks: H1
through H4

If you want to know the time or check
your yard stick, this is the place to come. We saw the statue and wondered,
“That Wolfe?”
YesLooking NorthWe left the old observatory and walked
up to Greenwich, past the Maritime Museum
and the Naval College (above) and past the
Cutty Sark (nothing to do with whisky). We took the “River Bus” from the
Cutty Sark to the London Eye Under the Tower BridgePast the Traitors’ Gate at the
Tower of London
To the Eye, with a good view of
WestminsterAnd finished a long day at a nice
pub near the Charing Cross