What’s in a Name!

My overwhelming desire while I was in London last summer was to see a traditional Pub with oak furniture, fire burning in the hearth, draught beer drawn from a keg and perhaps a game of dominoes being played in a corner. Unfortunately most of the pubs I came across were modern establishments but I did come across something interesting – Unusual Pub and restaurants names!

Here’s one on Convent Garden, ostentatiously named after the famous Puppet Show.

And my all-time favorite, I saw this near Westminster.  Perhaps its frequented by detectives ! 

And I suppose even writers must eat ! 

And finally a Pub in Windsor named after Royalty. It was initially called The grapes, then the Knight Tavern and Finally renamed the Duchess of Cambridge Pub.
Oh heck I suppose even royalty needs a pint now and then :p 

London Diaries 10:Stonehenge and Bath

After our scenic drive through the countryside, we reached Bath late in the afternoon. Our first task was to find ourselves a place to stay, and after a few misses we did find a quaint little B&B nestled in a small village near Bath. 

Once we had settled in we decided to explore the City of Bath. Bath lies on the banks of the river Avon, and as the name suggests, has a magnificent temple and Bath built by the Romans. It has now been designated as a UNESCO heritage site. The Roman Baths themselves are below the modern street level. They have four main features, the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House and the Museum.

The actual Bath is magnificent. It is still fed with hot spring water from the source.


  It’s surrounded by pillars with statues of Roman kings including Julius Caesar.

Everything is extremely well preserved and we walked amongst the ruins we felt we were back in the Roman Era. Infact we saw a few romans too :)

 After we had walked amongst the ruins on the Roman Baths we emerged into the late evening sunshine and did what we like doing best – simply walking. Bath is quintessentially Roman, it’s reflected in its cobbled streets and its fantastic old world architecture.

 Late in the evening we went to a little Pub for dinner. I had wanted to see a traditional British pub for a very long time, with its oak furniture, draught beer and perhaps a game of dominoes being played in a corner.
The Pub looked inviting enough from outside but its interiors were all plush and modern from inside and did not have any of the old world charm I wanted to see. I however did manage to have this great British Delicacy there :)

Fish and Chips !

After Breakfast the next day, we decided to drive to Stonehenge. Now Stonehenge is another UNESCO Heritage site and is truly a site to behold. It has huge stones set in a circular pattern and is one of the first Neolithic and bronze age monuments in Britain.

 Stonehenge’s history is not very clear, some believe that it was constructed as a temple for sun worship, some take it as a burial ground and some consider it as a healing center. It’s a mystery how so many huge stones were carried so far away and how such a magnificent structure was built using the most primitive of tools. Standing remote and aloof on a great hillock, Stonehenge is an awe inspiring site.

Stonehenge is still considered a healing place by many. We caught a healing on camera ...

London DIaries (9) :A walk through the English Countryside

I have grown up reading James Herriot’s books. Infact I am still hooked to them. More than his animal stories what I loved most about his books was his vivid descriptions of the beautiful English countryside. The sweeping fells, the rolling hills with the sheep placidly grazing among them and the snow peaks in the distance .. it all seemed so very beautiful. So of course I decided that my visit to the United Kingdom could not be deemed complete without a visit to that part of Yorkshire which is now known as “Herriot County”.
Unfortunately due to lack of time and the fact that I couldn’t tear myself away from the sights and sounds of London, I couldn’t squeeze in a trip to Yorkshire. But what I did manage to do was go on a weekend trip to the country.

After my cousin had heard me lament and moan long enough about how awful it would be to go back without a single trip into the famed English Countryside, she finally gave in and decided to take me on a road trip through the countryside. We decided upon Stonehenge and Bath as our destinations.

We left bright and early on a cool Saturday morning. The start was marred slightly by the fact we couldn’t find a single B&B (Bed and Breakfast) to stay in. But being the intrepid travelers that we are, we threw caution to wind and decided to take things as they come.
The day promised to be sunny. A pale daffodil yellow sun was peeking through the clouds and the wind felt almost warm. As we drove towards the country, leaving the maniac pace of the city behind, my wish got fulfilled. The clusters of houses and buildings were replaced by vast green fields and the heavy London traffic by just an occasional farmer’s car on the road.

We drove past villages with quaint little cottages that had hedgerows and neat pocket sized gardens in front. The gardens were ablaze with flowers and I loved looking at the windows with their lace curtains and window boxes with flowers in a multitude of colors.

It was the strawberry season and since both of us can’t resist strawberries we stopped frequently at the roadside stalls selling strawberries and raspberries. The terrain grew more and more hilly as we drove on and I had my fill of the rolling green hills, emerald as far as the eyes could see, with a few buttercups thrown in like a splash of yellow or white. Streams trickled through like silver threads. It was all extremely picturesque.

Since I couldn’t have enough of the countryside from inside a moving car, we decided to park the car and just walk. This is exactly the kind of travel I like - to be able go at your own pace and stop wherever you want, whenever you want. We walked on through the woods, through pastures and uneven paths, lost in our own thoughts, enjoying the peace and the rare sunny day. 

 
coming up next Bath and Stonehenge .....

Serenity !

I took this picture while strolling on the banks of River Thames near Hampton Court. It was dusk and all the tourists had left. Everything was very still and quiet and the river was mirror calm. 

The first word that comes to my mind when I look at this picture is serenity.  With the kind of stressful lives we lead, we all need stress busters and spending some alone time in quiet places is one of my favourite ways to beat stress. 

Whenever I feel over whelmed and exhausted, I close my eyes and visualize myself walking through the mountains, through peaceful woods or on the banks of a river on a quiet evening… And I feel instantly calm !

I wish you all a very Peaceful and Serene year ahead ! 

London Diaries (8): Walking across the Millenium Bridge - from the Ancient to the Modern

The Millennium Bridge is one of the 8 London bridges that span across the river Thames. On one end of the bridge is St Paul's Cathedral and on the other end is the Tate Modern art Gallery. 
I decided to walk to St Paul’s cathedral on a blistering cold and windy day. Under the overcast sky, the dull white structure appeared almost drab. But Like Westminster’s Abbey the real beauty of St Paul’s Cathedral lies inside it. Most of the people find cathedrals and churches boring to visit; they click a few photographs from outside and quickly leave for the next destination. But for people like me who revel in quietude, time spent inside St Paul’s was simply amazing. The sheer beauty of the cathedral, the magnificent stain glass and the paintings inspire peace and serenity. You are almost compelled to sit quietly and connect with yourself and God. Clicking photographs inside the cathedral is not allowed.
Here are some pics of the outside.

 The most imposing thing about St Paul’s is its three domes. The outer dome is what is so prominently visible in the London Skyline and makes St Paul such an iconic landmark. The interior dome, that one can see from inside the cathedral is a masterpiece in painting and art. Between these two domes is yet another dome that acts more like a support structure. Three galleries run inside these domes. In case you are wondering why I am describing the domes in such details, it’s because I spent the better part of the morning climbing them to reach the galleries. All the galleries are accessible to public provided you are willing to climb dizzying heights to reach them.

The first gallery is the whispering gallery, so called because even a whisper can be heard on the other side of the gallery- an effect of the acoustics there. The Whispering Gallery is reached after climbing 357 steps of a long, winding circular stairway. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant climb because it was a narrow closed stairway and I tend to get claustrophobic very soon. I didn’t get a chance check out the acoustics there because a whole lot of tourists whispering together just created cacophony! But if look down at the cathedral floor from the gallery you do get a stunning view of the murals and the naive.

Next comes the Stone Gallery after another dizzying and claustrophobic climb of 150 odd steps. This gallery is open and you get a very panoramic view of London when you peep over it. My knees and back were creaking and shaking and protesting loudly by the time I had reached the stone gallery. But this view of London made the effort worthwhile.



you can see the millennium bridge and Tate Modern across Thames

Now all that was left was the Golden Gallery. Most of the tourists don’t go up till the Golden Gallery. It’s not an easy feat even if you are totally fit and not claustrophobic – and I was neither! But I persisted and decided that another 150 odd steps couldn’t hurt me.

How wrong I was. The climb up till the golden gallery was much much worse. The staircase was so narrow that my shoulders almost touched the two sides of the walls. I became so claustrophobic and breathless halfway though that I almost decided to give up. But there is a separate staircase for coming up and another one for going down so there was no way I could backtrack and go down. So with my lungs burning with the effort and panting like a fish out of water, I carried on. But the worst was yet to come – Till the last 50 steps the staircase was narrow but closed – it gave you a very claustrophobic but a secure feeling. The last 20 odd steps were nothing but a circular iron staircase going up the dome – I really couldn’t see the top of the dome even if I craned my neck. All I could see was this open circular stairway going up and up to nowhere ! And if you dared to look down you would get a dizzying view of the cathedral floor 365 feet below you. Oh and did I tell you I am scared of heights!

This is a pic I clicked from the iron staircase. Yes I was dizzy, hyperventilating and about to faint but I still managed to click a snap. Just to give you an idea about high up I was – those black spots are people and the brown ones are chairs!

Needless to say the view of London from the Golden Gallery is absolutely breathtaking.

As usually happened to me during my stay in London, the weather gods turned against me and the sun was completely obliterated by clouds!

Can you see the London Eye in the distance?

From the Golden Gallery, you can also see "Big Tom" – the clock face on the right-hand tower of the cathedral.

After an arduous climb down the galleries, with my knees wobbling and about to give in any minute, I sat down on the steps of the Cathedral to rest my tired and aching feet.
Then I decided to walk across the Millennium Bridge to Tate Modern Gallery.  Walking from St Paul's to the Tate Modern Gallery across the Millennium Bridge is like walking from the ancient towards the modern …

St Pauls Cathedral on one end of the Millenium Bridge

Tate Modern art Gallery on the other end

Frankly Tate Modern is a rather drab brick colored building that doesn’t look too inviting from outside. But it is one of the best modern and contemporary art galleries that I have been to and is definitely worth a visit even if you are even a teeny weeny bit interested in art. The most intriguing thing about Tate Modern is that its actually an old Power station that has been converted into an art gallery.

Here are some pics that I took



The turbine hall - now an art gallery



London Diaries (7) : Shakespeare’s Globe !

London is a mecca for theater lovers and The Globe is a pilgrimage all Shakespeare theater lovers must make ! As an ardent literature and theater fan,The Globe for me was a must visit! The original Globe Theater was built by Shakespeare’s theater company to stage his plays. It was destroyed in the Great London fire. The current theater is built almost as a replica of the theater in Shakespeare’s time. The original structure was made entirely of wood and had a thatched roof. The city of London has very stringent fire - safety rules and the Globe theater is the only structure with a thatched roof that is allowed in London.

As soon as you enter the theater you feel as if you have been transported back to Shakespeare`s London. There is the stage – made of wood,bright colorful and with an old world charm. Nowadays they have mikes installed on it but in the olden times the artists performed there without the help of mikes and they still managed to ensure that their voice reached the last benches ! Then there is the `pit` a standing room only area just below the stage where in the olden times the common man would stand and see the plays – which often ran for hours at a time. The sitting area behind the pit comprises of wooden benches.

Even now people buy tickets to see theater in the traditional manner by standing in the pit as commoners or by sitting on those hard wooden benches. The tickets for the plays at the Globe get sold out almost immediately. I was in London for about three weeks and I tried desperately to get a ticket to see a play at the globe but I was not successful – I couldn’t even get tickets to stand in the pit !


Here are a few snaps that I clicked

The Stage

The wodden benches, the area where the lady is standing is the Pit



Juliet`s balcony - for the staging of romeo and Juliet !

The Globe Theater

London Diaries(6) :Westminister Abbey

Westminister Abbey ... An ancient church steeped in history ... A place of Royal coronations and burials and most recently the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Most of the people who go to Westminster, just look at the whole Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, Westminister Abbey Trafalgar square bit from a tourist bus and content themselves by clicking a few snaps from the outside. But if you are a lover of architecture and history, Westminster Abbey is something you should not miss.

It’s truly an architectural masterpiece. The marvelous gothic architecture, the breathtaking sculptures, the carvings, the high vaulted Roof, the magnificent altar and the beautiful stained glass windows all come together to lend it a almost hallowed beauty. Westminster Abbey is a working church and services are still held every day. Inspire of the multitude of tourists walking about, everything was very hushed and peaceful. As I walked around the Abbey,an unbelievable sense of tranquality stole over me. I sat down for a few minutes near the high altar  and in those few minutes of quietude I felt a lot more serene than I have felt in a long time.

Apart from the obvious architectural magnificence, another thing that had attracted me to the Abbey was the poets” corner -A corner in the Abby that contains burials and memorials of many British poets such as Chaucer, Tennyson, Robert Browning, John Masefield, William Camden, , Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy are also buried here. Charles Dickens John Milton, William Wordsworth, John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Robert Burns, William Blake, T.S. Eliot Jane Austen, William Shakespeare, etc.

Unfortunately taking pictures is not allowed inside the Abbey – I was bitterly disappointed as I would have wanted nothing more than to capture the magnificence of what I was viewing on my camera.

Here are a few of the pics I clicked of the outside  

London Diaries (5):Down the Downing Street

Across the Westminster Bridge lies the Big Ben and the houses of parliament. I chose a warm sunny day to walk across the bridge to reach the big Ben.

Next to it is the imposing House of Parliament. Its a great deal of effort to go inside - you need a whole lot of permissions so I just contented myself by clicking photographs from the outside.

A short walk down the street is 10 Downing Street. Off course its a extremely high security zone and we couldn't click any pictures except of the fierce looking policemen !



Just across downing street was a tribute to the women who fought in world war 2

London Diaries (4) : Marching with the Guards at Buckingham Palace

After I was done with Trafalgar square, I decided to walk to Buckingham palace. Its quite a walk but I didn’t really mind. I believe that the best way to see a city is by foot. I like doing things at my own pace and I abhor guided tours where they stuff a lot of useless information about a place down your throat and then herd you quickly to the next tourist spot without giving you much time to actually enjoy the place. It makes me feel as if everything is just passing in a blur. I need to go slowly, walk around and get a feel of the place, take snaps, stay for as long as I want and take in the surroundings …

One of the things Buckingham Palace is famous for is the changing of the guards’ ceremony. I did want to see the change of guards, but I had been told that I’d have to reach at least 2 hours before to make sure I get a good spot. I had no intention of waiting for such a long time just to see the ceremony and I didn’t want to push and shove a lot of people to get a good view and get pushed and jostled around in return. So I decided to just see the Buckingham palace and forget about the change of guards.

From Trafalgar square, I walked under the Admiralty Arch and on to The Mall road. The Admiralty Arch houses important government houses is also a ceremonial entrance to the mall road that leads from Trafalgar square to the palace.

Admiralty Arch

The mall is a very long road and was milling with tourists. Both sides of the road were decorated with the Union Jack. It has the St James palace and St James park on it as well as many important buildings whose names I forget but remember them as being rather imposing structures. Architecture in London is spectacular where ever you go.


I was walking leisurely when there was a sudden rush of activity and all the tourists started rushing towards the St James Palace that was a little ahead. Not one to miss any action I followed them. Everybody had their cameras out and ready as if they were waiting for something to happen. Suddenly Four mounted policemen came out of the palace and stood on all sides of the roads to ensure none of us would rush forward - Although for the life of me I couldn’t understand what they thought we would rush forward for. Suddenly we could hear the sound of a marching band. The crowd fell silent and quivered with anticipation. And then marching round the corner, resplendent in their red tunics and bearskins came the Queens guards! What I didn’t know was that the Queens guard always marches out of St james palace and down the Mall before joining in the change of the guard ceremony. I was lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time! The guards marched on towards the Buckingham palace and we kept pace with them by walking along on the pavement. We had the most perfect view !

The guards



A policewoman

The mounted guards

My luck ran out when the guards turned towards the Buckingham Palace. The road ahead were so packed with people that it was impossible to get any further. I knew that even if I did manage to reach close to the palace I would hardly be able to see anything over the heads of let’s say – a million people ! So I contented myself by listening to the band and catching an occasional flash of red as the ceremony took place inside the gates of the Buckingham Palace.

If I may say so, (and I say this at the risk of earning the ire of many) Buckingham palace is not really that imposing a structure. Honestly I find our Presidents house much grander. The Victoria memorial right in front of the palace is rather impressive though. So are the royal mews and the gardens.

Here are a few pictures!



Buckingham Palace





The memorial in front of the palace



The changing of the guards ceremony inside the Palace



coming up next - Down the Downing Street !