A Day in London (Part Two)

After passing Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial, we headed down The Mall, the boulevard which heads toward Trafalgar Square.

Poking above the trees of St, James Park to the right of The Mall, we caught sight of Big Ben.  (Technically, Big Ben is the nickname for the great clock bell, but most people use the term to refer to the clock tower attached to the Houses of Parliament.  The tower, which is London's most iconic site, was officially named the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.)

Continuing down the boulevard we stopped to look at the statues of Queen Elizabeth's parents, KIng George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.  Elizabeth II must have inherited her longevity genes from her "mum", since the Queen Mother lived to the ripe old age of 101.  On the other hand, her father George, a heavy smoker, died at the age of 56.

Next to the statues is a carving showing King George and his Queen visiting the common people of London during the bombardment of London during the Battle of Britain.

A little farther down The Mall, we saw another rather imposing monument.  We climbed up the stairs to see what it was.

It was dedicated to Frederick, the Duke of York, the second son of King George III and the commander of the British forces during the Napoleonic Wars.  (I have to admit that I never heard of him.)

Beyond the monument is a short, plaza-like street called Waterloo Place.  It contains numerous monuments.

I know that London leads the world in the number of museums, but I have to wonder how it ranks in the number of monuments and statues.

The Mall ends at the Admiralty Arch, a former government building whose central arch provides access to Trafalgar Square.  The archway is now blocked with construction barriers, but there is still a narrow passage for pedestrians.

I read that the building is now being renovated as a luxury hotel (to be operated by the owners of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York).  I suspect that's the reason for the barriers.

Passing under the Admiralty Arch we come to Trafalgar Square with its column honoring Admiral Nelson, the victor in the naval battle of Trafalgar during the Napoleonic Wars.  The square was also closed off due to construction work.

On one side of the square is the National Gallery of Art.

Adjacent to Trafalgar Square is the Church of St Martin in the Fields.  The present structure was completed in 1724, but there has been a church on the site since at least the 13th century.

Our long, long walk in London, will continue in the next post in which we will head down Whitehall, the road which leads to Big Ben.

A Day in London (Part One)

We stayed for two nights at our hotel near Heathrow Airport so that we could have a day to explore central London.  I had already purchased tickets online to take the Heathrow Express from the airport to the city.  The train is the quickest way to get there, but it is more expensive.  However, by buying tickets well ahead of time there was a considerable discount.

We took the six minute bus ride to Terminal 5, and went down to the terminal's train station.  The train was boarding as we arrived.  It is a comfortable 20 minute ride into London's Paddington Station.

We didn't see any bears at Paddington Station...

...however we did see this humorous sculpture of a bubblegum chewing policeman called "Bubbly Bobby".

We walked a few blocks through an attractive neighborhood...

...until we reached Hyde Park, one of the largest royal parks in London.

The park features a long lake known as The Serpentine.

The lake is home to a large population of waterfowl, especially ducks and swans.

At the end of the park is the Wellington Arch, commemorating the Duke of Wellington, the general who won the Battle of Waterloo against the forces of Napoleon.

Nearby is a more recent monument honoring the more than 55,000 airmen with the RAF Bomber Command who lost their lives during World War II.

From there it is a short walk to Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the monarch of the United Kingdom.

In front of the palace is the Queen Victoria Memorial, honoring the queen who reigned for 63 years when the British Empire was at its peak.

From there we walked down The Mall (which was closed to automobile traffic, perhaps because it was Sunday) toward Trafalgar Square.

More from London in the next post...

A Long Night's Journey

Last night we traveled across the Atlantic to England.  Unlike my ancestors who made the long journey by boat from Europe to the U.S., we went in the opposite direction on British Airways.

We arrived at Mexico City International airport three hours before our departure time at 10 PM.  I was very impressed with the renovations that were made to the terminal prior to the World Cup.  Even more than that, I was impressed with the smoothness with which everything operated.  In all my travels over the last fifty years, I don't think I have ever had a more effortless check-in process.  Perhaps it was the hour of day, but we encountered no line at all at the British Airways desk, nor going through security.  The staff at security were very pleasant.  It was less than  a half hour from the time we arrived at Terminal 1 via Uber, to the time we reached out gate.

Departure was from the same hall from which I left on Lufthansa for Germany a couple years ago.  Unlike then, plenty of seating has been added for waiting passengers, and everything seemed more organized.

By the time we had a so-so meal at one of the restaurants on the concourse and visited the restroom, it was time to board our flight.

No, we did not fly on first or business class, but I did splurge on Premium Economy seats.  British Airways definitely makes Premium Economy feel more special than just offering more legroom.  We received a small amenities bag, and we had very comfortable headphones instead of just cheap little earbuds.  The beverage cart offered free liquor, beer and wine although I stuck to water and orange juice.  The flight attendants were very pleasant. The menu of supper and breakfast offerings sounded very gourmet.  It was just OK, but was at least served on real dinnerware.

On the negative side, although we had plenty of legroom, I think the seats could be more comfortable.  I kept sliding in my seat and had to constantly pull myself up.

Unfortunately we were seated behind a family with a crying toddler.  It was annoying but her crying was sporadic, and, since I was wearing my headphones listening to classical music, it was not that bothersome.  Her parents were actually more annoying.  I don't know how they were allowed to board with so many pieces of carry-on luggage but they filled the entire overhead bin above us.  (Fortunately there was room in the bin across the aisle.)  The father was constantly up out of his seat and taking stuff out of the bin or putting it back.  At least our stewardess told them to put their seats in an upright position when supper was served.

I have never been able to sleep on a plane, and this time was no exception.  I spent the night staring at the flight map as we made our way across the Atlantic.  At last we arrived at London Heathrow airport.  Here a some photos from our descent...

You can make out the Thames River down there.

Heathrow Airport was the complete opposite of our pleasant experience at the Mexico City airport.

Heathrow is so confusing, and it seemed like we had to walk for a mile to get to immigration (Yes, it made that long walk getting off a plane at Mexico City airport seem like a piece of cake.) Then after immigration there was another trek to get to the luggage claim.

I had studied videos on YouTube on how to get to our hotel by bus.  With no problem we found the platform where the bus would take us the short distance to our hotel.  The bad part was that there was no place to put luggage.  I thought that odd for a bus that serves the airport.  The driver must have taken lessons in Mexico, and I had to hang on for dear life as he negotiated turns and roundabouts.  The aisle was on an incline, and when I let go of my suitcase for a moment it went rolling halfway down the aisle. I had to go after it.  This jet-lagged traveler was completely frazzled by the time we reached the stop in front of the hotel.

At least the hotel is very satisfactory.  I booked a room at the Premier Inn, part of a chain of budget hotels.  I stayed at a couple of them on a previous trip, and they have been good value for the money.

The room is clean and comfortable, the staff is very helpful, and as you can see, the room is quite spacious for a European hotel.

So, now it is the next day.  I got a good night's sleep, and I feel as if I have adjusted to the time change.  Today we will take the train into central London and do a bit of exploring. 

Heading Across the Pond

 

In a few hours we will be taking an Uber to Mexico City International Airport for our flight to London Heathrow.  The plane does not leave until 10 PM but we are supposed to be there three hours before the flight.  This will be my first time flying on British Airways.  We have "premium economy" seats, so although it will not be as luxurious as flying business or first class, at least we will have more leg room and wider seats.  The flight is 10 hours 30 minutes long, and we arrive at Heathrow at 3:30 PM (London time) tomorrow.  (That would be 8:30 AM Mexico City time.)

We have booked a hotel near the airport for two nights.  The Premier Inn is a chain of clean and comfortable budget hotels that I have used previously.  We have train tickets to go into central London the next day.  We will walk around and look at some of the famous landmarks.  We will then take a bus to Bournemouth on the coast of the English Channel.  My cousin Kevin and his wife Sue live nearby.  After spending three full days with them, we head back to Heathrow for a flight to Switzerland to visit my Swiss cousins.

It is going to be very hot, much hotter than Mexico City.  During our stay in England the forecast calls for highs in the 80s F, but there is no rain predicted.  Switzerland, surprisingly, is going to be even hotter, with highs in the 90s!

My next post will be from sultry England!

Pepe and Dr. Simi

Time and again I have talked about Dr. Simi, the mascot of the drug store chain "Farmacias Similares".  The image of the rotund, mustachioed doctor has become one of the most recognizable and beloved images in Mexico.  If you spend any time in Mexico City, you are sure to see an employee of the pharmacy dressed as Dr. Simi dancing on the sidewalk outside of one of the stores.  Frequently he interacts with passersby... waving, posing for photos, giving hugs, or dancing.  Alejandro's sister was walking Pepe, one of the family dogs, and passed by a nearby branch of "Farmacias Similares".   There was a "Dr. Simi" outside the store, and he posed with Pepe.  She sent me this photo.

Here is are a couple of amusing videos on YouTube that are compilations of shots of the beloved doctor...Dr. Simi Is Everywhere and El Dr. Simi en México.  You don't need to speak Spanish to enjoy them.

Sprouting Tall

Less than two weeks ago, I wrote about the avocado pit that I have in water.  It had several roots, and at that time it was just beginning to sprout from the top.  

THEN

Since then, my how that sprout has grown!

NOW

I suspect that by the time I return from my trip to Europe, it will have some leaves.  At that point I will think about planting in soil in a pot.

The Running Angel

 As I mentioned yesterday, the traditional place for Mexican City soccer fans to celebrate victories is at the Monument to Independence, one of the city's most iconic landmarks.  It is topped by a gold gilt Winged Victory, which gives the monument its nickname of "el Angel".

Alejandro found this picture online which I thought was funny.  The terrified Angel is running down Paseo de la Reforma chased by the hordes of fans celebrating Mexico's victory and advance to the Round of 16.