One more tidbit about the London bus system....the amount of CO2 emissions reduced by using cleaner and quieter hybrid buses is 40%. In 2016, when all 600 New Bus for London vehicles are in service the reduction in CO2 will equal 20,600 tons!!! London is very conscious of going green!
Originally built by the Duke of Somerset....then used by the government to house all birth, death and marriage records......now the Courtauld Art Gallery.
This is the church of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Although the first church on the site was reputedly founded in the 9th century by the Danes, the current building was completed in 1682 by Sir Christopher Wren. Wren's binding was gutted during the Blitz of WWII and not restored until 1958.
Evidence of the bombing was left during the restoration of 1958.
For all you tea lovers...
This is the Royal Court of Justice -- civil justice.
Protests signs in front of the court
This is the Templar Bar Gate where, traditionally, a ceremony is held when the Lord Mayor of London greets the English monarchs and grants permission to enter the city.
This fellow works in the London Tube in customer relations. He admired my Wimbledon hat and proceeded to tell us jokes and make small talk. David and McKenzie thought he might be a little daft.
Bus lineup
There is one Closed Captioned Television Camera (CCTV) for every thirty-two people in the UK, most of which are in London. The CCTV is a crime prevention measure analogous to Orwell's 1984 - over here, Big Brother really is watching you.
St. Paul's Cathedral, the most famous of Sir Christopher Wren's 52 churches in London, was (re)built after the great fire of London (1667). There has been a site of worship on this little hill above the Thames for over 2,000 years. During the blitz of WWII, locals camped out in the cathedral overnight, each night. They stayed there to protect the church (and put out) the incendiary bombs that were being dropped by the Germans.
It is also a national site of major weddings, funerals, and mourning. After the 9/11 attacks, thousands gathered in front of St. Paul's - so much so that no traffic could pass in front of the cathedral.
Queen Anne - the first queen of Great Britain (when England and Scotland merged in 1707) - stands in front of the entrance.
We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, so we downloaded this one from the Internet.
The northern exterior of St. Paul's.
As we wrapped around the corner to Paternoster Square, we were struck by the apparent - shall we say - religious names of the streets...(Paternoster, for starters, means 'Our Father')
Paternoster Square is right next to St. Paul's, in the heart of the city, and is home to The London Stock Exchange.
These angel wings are really just steam vents for what lies beneath.
We walked along Fleet Street for much of the day, which used to be home to all of the country's news media - both newspapers and magazines.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is the one of the oldest pubs in London. Back when Fleet Street was still home to news media, you'd find journalists sharing a pint with Members of Parliament to get a 'scoop'. It's also where Charles Dickens wrote most of his novels.
There are many insignia that let folks know they're in The City of London, which is technically different than what most people think London is. For more information, click this link: click.
Above is Dr. Samuel Johnson's house, where he wrote the first widely accepted English dictionary (in 1755 with 43,000 words). In the courtyard of his house is a statue dedicated to his cat, Hodge (pictured below).
Amazon lockers - sporadic around the world - are just that: order online, send it to the locker, and go pick it up at your convenience!
We happened upon an impromptu big screen television, complete with lawn chairs, for city workers to watch Wimbledon and the World Cup on their lunch break. We took a pit stop for a few sets to watch Andy Murray play.
Lincoln's Inn is comprised of law offices, residences, dining, library and temporary housing for law students and barristers. It is private, membership only. There are three such organizations in London, this being the oldest and largest....dating back to 1422, encompassing 11 acres in central London.
The original Bank of England
A lunch stop....we posted pictures of a different Caesar's Head restaurant for the beauty of its flowers....this time, we decided to try the food....which was quite good. Tom declared his fish n chips the best, but he says that nearly every day! The Romeo and Juliet scene is in the colorful bathroom!
A funky, fun, charming neighborhood, located in the borough of Covent Garden, distinctive because seven streets converge here.
Franklin and Marshall is a retail clothing store. It is also a U. S. college located in Pennsylvania. The retail store was started by two Italian men who had seen a Franklin and Marshall tshirt. They liked the name and adopted it. When the college discovered the situation, there were, needless to say, a few "intellectual property" discussions. Rather than contention or a lawsuit, the two entities decided to benefit from one another. Hence, the clothing bears the school's logo. I saw a few Franklin and Marshall tshirts around town....alumni or just shoppers? who knows? Name recognition is the hallmark of advertising....school and store both win! (for more story, click here)
On to Covent Garden Market, comprised of three separate stalls, selling a wide variety of merchandise
There are some known names where there were formerly fruit stalls...
The 18th century Piazza is always bustling with more street performers and shoppers.
This was the most interesting of the stalls...."craft and design" actually included antiques and collectables
A lousy picture of a "stall"
So much of London is RED!!! Convinced that is one reason Kenz loves London.
Back in our nest, each to his/her own devices.....hatching or typing?
