London 2024
Well, vacation this year was in sunny London. We stayed in South Kensington near the Gloucester Road station on the tube. When in London, be prepared to walk. Maps and other distance information shared from various persons are typically quoted in minutes-of-walk. Unbeknownst to us, South Kensington is a very wealthy (posh) neighborhood similar to Chelsea. We stayed in Chelsea the last time we were in London, so we thought we were “down-grading” our stay, but not true. The sights were incredible as expected and costs extremely higher than we remembered, especially given the fact that we had to cough up almost US $1.31 to get 1BP. Oh well, such is life. Driven by fellows with turbans, the occasional Bentley and Rolls Royce could be spotted among the more common, Mercedes, BMW, Tesla and strange looking electric cars with a “Taxi” light on the roof. FYI: London has more cameras and electric vehicles than I recall from our last visit, so air quality was pretty good. Oh, yes, don’t forget - always look right, then left, then right again before crossing the street. We saw a few close calls as the tourists neglected to follow this critical rule. And, whatever you do, cross the streets with caution. Better yet, just wait for the crossing light. That is much safer… LOL
The Infamous London Double-decker Bus - a very good alternative to the tube for getting around the city.
These “first-day” images are from the Buckingham Palace area. It was interesting to see the changing of the Guards, among other spectacles. We also visited Kensington Park on our fist day. All I can say is WOW! It felt like I walked 10 miles that day. Those of you who know me can appreciate the determination it took to cover the mileage with my bad knee. I was not about to let that stop me. It just took us all day to walk what most people would have probably done in a couple hours… LOL…
The wildlife in Kensington Park and surrounding areas was varied and very “friendly” towards humans. I suppose since they see the humans in droves daily, no fear of humans exist. Most of the tourists fed the birds, despite the signs that say, “do not feed the birds.”
Here are two videos of the action at Buckingham Palace. We missed the changing of the Guards by 30 minutes or so, but witnessed the parade of the old Guards heading back to the barracks after the official changing of the Guards….
These guys did not budge until they march. I think they are allowed to "move" every hour or so to keep the blood flowing. This shot was taken with my Canon RF200-800 as the distance from the fence to the guard was very far.
This is a shot of the Palace Guard from the fence. Incidentally, there are armed police all around (plus the cameras) to protect Buckingham Palace and its surrondings.
Another angle to that Palace guard
Kensington Palace
Queen Victoria
Yup! She is tired.
This goose came up to the fence to check me out.... Sorry buddy! No food for you here... :-)
Great Blue Herons all over
A Rare black rose in Kensington Park
UK Pigeons have a pretty blue head unlike their US cousins.
Gloucester Station lizard
Signs all over will guide your direction...
Kensington Palace
The Palace walkway
Kensington Palace Garden (tribute to Diana inside)
Queen Victoria
The Queen's Jewels
Architecture is interesting in London
Tube signs
Tube signs
Our Hotel
The Restaurant in our hotel
Hanging out with the "Bobbies." Locals no longer use that term. They are simply called Policemen....:-)
The old phone booths are left to teach the younger generation what it was like in the past.
These next set of images are from the mall in Woodgreen - easily accessed from the Turnpike Lane station on the Piccadilly line of the tube. To ensure you are going in the right direction from London, the last stop on the Piccadilly Line going east from Gloucester is called Cockfosters. Fascinating! The mall is huge with three floors that we were accessible to us in the time we had. Incidentally, in the UK, the US clothing store TJ-MAX is called TK-MAX and the cash register is called the “till.” It was a learning experience as I chatted with the locals - any issues were easily sorted as people were very polite and accommodating to the tourists.
On our way to the Mall we stopped at the BBC, and viewed the All Souls at Langham Place among other sites.
On our final day of this wonderful holiday we went to Hyde Park. There we saw several species of plants and wildlife….
One rare species that was not originally a native of the UK is the rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri), also known as the ring-necked parakeet, ringneck parrot (in aviculture) or the Kramer parrot, is a medium-sized parrot in the genus Psittacula, of the family Psittacidae. It has disjunct native ranges in Africa and the Indian Subcontinent,[2] and is now introduced into many other parts of the world where feral populations have established themselves and are bred for the exotic pet trade.
Buckingham Palace - View from the park
The Queen Victoria Monument sits directly across from Buckingham Palace. It had recently undergone refurbishment and proudly stands in the square surrounded by a reflecting pool. It is a great vantage point to watch the changing of the guard or other ceremonial pagentry.
