"ini namanya ......"
by ukirsari
i was only kid ... 9 to 10 years old whenever travel around with my parents and visit charming-but-busy london, long long time ago. so, became my dad's "duty" to show us around [yes, he was stay in netherland before and fly to england if there's long weekend available]. "ini namanya ..." [this is ....] and "itu adalah ..." [that is ....]. one of my fave in his explaination was "pergantian pengawal kerajaan". exchanging the guardians in front of buckingham, where i take picture with my first [mini] camera :)
and from now on, how nice to have someone who visit london regularly and keep inform me about the things i love from this city. he's my beloved one who live nearby.
BBC's Bush House
by grandmaR
Someone who has never been to London should definitely take a bus tour. We took the Big Bus, and I can recommend it. It gave us an orientation and overview of the city in a relatively short period of time (a bit more than 24 hours) that we could not have gotten in any other way. Also the top of the bus is windowless, so you don't have to cope with reflections
The only problem with such a tour (other than the weather if it is raining) is that you can take a lot of photos in a very short period of time, and may not remember what the thing pictured is. Particularly if, as in this case, it isn't a building which is in most guidebooks.
There are no tours of this facility, which is why it isn't in guidebooks. Domestic BBC programming comes from Broadcasting House in another part of the city, and tours of that facility are available.
I do not know what the guide said which led me to take the picture, but I absolutely couldn't figure out what it was of. So one of my fondest memories is of M.K. (Martin), the VTer who identified the location for me as Bush house
It is between Australia House and India House in Westminster, London. This photograph is taken from the Big Bus on the Aldwych Circle side. The inscription above the columns reads, "Friendship Between English-Speaking Peoples." The World Service does broadcast in English, but also in 42 other languages as well.
From 1940 to 2008 (when the lease expires), Bush House has been/will be the home of the BBC World Service (originally called the Empire Service) and BBCi. American businessman Irving T Bush planned the building, and the first part was finished in 1928. In 1929, Bush House was declared 'the most expensive building in the world', at a cost of $10,000,000.
According to the website, "The centre block opened in 1923, and boasts marble walls and floors. Portland stone was used to build it, the floors were made of Indian Hardwood, and the foyers all have Travertine marble on the floor. The foyers are heated by radiators set inside the stone walls, with grilles letting the warm air through into the rooms."
"The main entrance ..[has] two statues... symbolise[ing] Great Britain and America, they each hold a flaming torch and a shield which have the British lion and the American eagle on them. In between the statues is an altar embossed with a Celtic cross."
In 1930, when The Strand was excavated for the east wing, a Carrara marble head of a grim visaged Roman man was unearthed. The slightly damaged head now sits in the Centre Block reception.
In June 1944 a bomb landed outside Bush House. Three staff were severely injured, and one of the statues lost an arm. Thirty years later, an American businessman who worked for the Indiana Limestone Company was visiting his daughter in London and saw that the arm was missing. He persuaded his employers to send a replacement, and a stonemason to attach it.
Take a walk around The City
by vichatherly
A visit to the financial "City of London" is worthwhile.
It shows you London at work and at play. The architecture is great, plenty of nooks and crannies leading to wine bars and book shops.
Just get off at either Bank, Moorgate or Liverpool Street underground stations and take a walk around.
You can also visit the Bank of England musuem.
Bank of England Museum
Swiss Re - otherwise known as The Gherkin
by alucas
This tower in the CIty of London has just won Britain's most prestigious architecture prize - the RIBA Stirling Prize. The award was anounced live on Channel 4 television on Saturday October 16 th 2004.
This picture was taken late afternoon on 19th October as I happened to pass by.
The correct name of the building is 30 St Mary Axe (the address), but the client who commissioned the building was Swiss Re, hence the Swiss Re Tower, and you can guess why it's called The Gherkin - amongst other things.
Unfortunately it's not open to the public.
Address: - 30 St Mary Axe
Stroll along the Thames
by sue_stone
When the weather fines up Londoners want to get outside and enjoy it while it lasts.
What better way to enjoy a summers evening than taking a stroll along the Thames River.
We took a leisurely walk......along with many other people......along the Thames path near Kew Bridge.
We saw plenty of ducks and a gorgeous sunset!
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Excited at the prospect of Natural History Museum
CS3 Cycle Superhighway - London
The Serpentine.
The gardens & lake
