London food, SoHo, Tate modern, The Deacon Pub
by WesleyTyler
I think we got off at Paddington station, go above ground, you pass St. Paul's Cathedral, go over the Millennium Bridge, then to the Tate Modern, Admission is free, Leave the Tate take a stroll along the Thames to The Deacon Pub, have yourself some Fish & Chips, "lots of vinegar please" , with a great view of the Lovely Thames, Do not miss going over Blackfriars Bridge, and have a coffee at Cafe' Nero A cool little Gallery, called "Gallery @ DXO" we saw a collection called "Cabaret Mechanical" a display of hand made Automation. It was way cool.
Punch & Judy
by Lalique
That evening was a nice change of pace in my tight biz schedule.
As it was agreed in the forum just a couple of days before, we met in front of P&J in Covent Garden. Though everyone was saying that pub was as easy to find as Big Ben, if it wasn't for Phil, whom I met the 1st, I would never made it there! :))))
As I mentioned above, before meeting everyone, we met with Phil after extensive SMSing each other. Phil was very nice as to show me a bit around, i.e. around Soho, which I've been always wanting to visit whilst sober... and then we went to Covent Garden and the evening began. On the pic: Punch & Judy gang - from the left - Bruno (bzh), the French sailor :)), Pieter (floss1) and Rae (Pieter's wife) - both good old freinds of mine, me (the spy Cat) and Phil (phil_uk_net), my short term guide.
The home of Princes
by alucas
Marlborough House was built for the first Duke of Marlborough, and the original building was completed in 1711. The great architect of the time, Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned to build the house, but Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, fell out with him and sacked him. The Marlborough’s occupied the house for over a hundred years before the Royal Family took it over, and it was home to a succession of Princes and Queens until 1953. The house was extended in 1863, including the addition of an extra floor.
Queen Elizabeth II handed the house over to the British Government for use as a centre for The Commonwealth, and today it houses the Commonwealth Secretariat and has been the venue for a number of Commonwealth conferences.
On Open House weekend, we were allowed to roam the ground floor. This contains a number of very fine rooms, all splendidly decorated and hung with paintings by well-known artists of the 18th and 19th centuries, including many Royal portraits. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any photographs inside, and I couldn’t even find an opportunity to grab a surreptitious snap. So you will have to be content with the one picture of the outside. The picture was difficult to take (through an arch) and shows the front entrance. It doesn’t give any indication of the wonderful rooms that lie inside. Next time I will go out into the gardens and take a picture of the garden frontage – it must be more imposing !
Go on a tour. There are lots...
by SusanneBeck
Go on a tour. There are lots of different tour buses offering their trip around the sights of London, but one that's not so well-know but is perhaps the best is Frogtours. This is amazing. I did this during my last trip to London. It's £15 and you ride around in a big, ugly, yellow bus type thing. First, you get to see some of the sights and learn a little about them from a funny tour guide. And then, the best part, when the bus turns into a boat! They take you to a slope and the bus goes straight down into the water. Scary!! It's like something in a theme park but real! It's amazing and such a brilliant experience. You get a cruise down the Thames, past the Houses of Parliament and under the Westminster bridge and then you go back on to dry land and see a few more sights onland. The tour lasts about 80 mins and I'd recommend it to anyone. For more info, see the frogtours site. (Will put a photo on soon)
MIND THE GAP. SERIOUSLY
by DAO
Getting one of your feet ripped off violently could ruin your visit to London. Wow. I think I have your attention now. In the Underground, or Tube, you will here the same ladies voice saying “MIND THE GAP”. The gap is between the trains and the platforms in certain older tube stations. Take a look at one of the pictures. That gap is at least a foot wide. 300 mm for our metric friends. You could fall into a gap that big either getting on or off the train. Then the train will start and drag you along. Not good. So pay attention of you hear this announcement on the train right before the stop. There are painted lines and words for those of you getting on the train. They are invisible during busy periods (see the last 2 photos). So have a safe time in London and MIND THE GAP!
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London ,UK, Photos by Benjamin Voloch
Gas lamp, St James's
Inside the shopping center.
All Souls
