The 6th Day in London

On April 9th, my daughter was going to take me to Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard. We planned to meet at Victoria Station at 10:40, and since I still had plenty of time, I decided to walk around Chelsea.

I headed toward Chelsea along the Thames. Many people in London commute by bicycle. I crossed Chelsea Bridge and then Albert Bridge. Near Battersea Bridge, I noticed a small, old church on the north side of the road—Chelsea Old Church, which dates back to the 12th century. In front of it stands a statue of Thomas More. I walked a little farther, crossed Battersea Bridge, and strolled along the south bank of the Thames for a while. It was still early, but I took the No. 170 bus to Victoria Station since I had no reason to return to my hotel. My Android tablet was very useful for checking London bus routes.

 


Battersea Park

Chelsea Bridge

Cadogan Pier

Battersea Bridge


Chelsea Old Church

Thomas More's statue

Cheyne Walk


On April 9th, my daughter was going to take me to Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard. We planned to meet at Victoria Station at 10:40, and since I still had plenty of time, I decided to walk around Chelsea.

I headed toward Chelsea along the Thames. Many people in London commute by bicycle. I crossed Chelsea Bridge and then Albert Bridge. Near Battersea Bridge, I noticed a small, old church on the north side of the road—Chelsea Old Church, which dates back to the 12th century. In front of it stands a statue of Thomas More. I walked a little farther, crossed Battersea Bridge, and strolled along the south bank of the Thames for a while. It was still early, but I took the No. 170 bus to Victoria Station since I had no reason to return to my hotel. My Android tablet was very useful for checking London bus routes.

 

at Buckingham Palace

at Buckingham Palace

at Buckingham Palace

at Buckingham Palace

The Mall


 Afterward, we walked along The Mall to Trafalgar Square, then continued to Piccadilly Circus, where we had a light lunch at a small yakisoba shop. The yakisoba had an ethnic flavor—quite different from Japanese taste.

 

a yakisoba shop


Next, we visited St Paul’s Cathedral. We said goodbye there, and I walked to Tate Modern via the Millennium Bridge. I enjoyed the exhibits until evening. Later, I learned that Shakespeare’s Globe, a reconstruction of the original Globe Theatre, stands right next to Tate Modern. 

 

St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul's Cathedral

Peter's Hill

Millennium Bridge

Tate Modern


In the evening, I took the tube from Pimlico via Victoria and walked back toward my hotel. 

 



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flowers at Dusk

Image
They say, in Japan, that cherry blossoms, the sakura, is the symbol of the joyful moment and the transience, which is associated with Buddhistic influence. The flowers in full bloom come suddenly and fall soon. It is epitomized as " mono no aware ". Cherry blossoms also can be the symbol of sadness. Ichiyo Higuchi depicted the saddest scene with falling flowers in her first novella, 'Flowers at Dusk' . Flowers at Dusk (Yamizakura) by Ichiyo Higuchi, 1892. Ryonosuke is 22 years old and Chiyo is 16 years old. They grew up together as childhood friends. At dusk on the Day of the Martial Guardian in February, they go out to enjoy browsing at community events. Chiyo clings to Ryonosuke's arm as they stroll along. And then her girlfriends see them and tease, "You two certainly look friendly! What are you up to?" Since this happened, Chiyo has become aware of yearning for him. However, Ryonosuke hasn't noticed her love. Chiyo gets sick. She s...
Read more

Writing English

Image
It has been four months since I began this blog. In the beginning, I often wondered whether my English was correct. Although I’ve managed to write every post in English, I can’t say my English has improved much. For many Japanese learners, articles and prepositions are particularly challenging, largely because they don’t exist in the same way in Japanese.    My younger daughter took this photo in Shanghai. The Japanese on the sign is a little odd, but perhaps it’s still better than my English. Writing in English can be frustrating. Yet at the same time, I sometimes feel an indescribable sense of freedom—as if, by writing in English, I’m momentarily released from the Japanese language and culture that shaped me for so many years.  
Read more

The Shadow of the Wind

Image
The Shadow of the Wind is a novel by the Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón, originally published in Spanish in 2001. It has since been translated into more than forty languages, published in over fifty countries, and, according to the author’s website, has sold more than twelve million copies worldwide. I read the English edition. In 1945, in post–Civil War Barcelona under Franco’s regime, ten‑year‑old Daniel Sempere is taken by his father to the secret Cemetery of Forgotten Books. There, Daniel is drawn to a novel titled The Shadow of the Wind and becomes fascinated by its mysterious author, Julián Carax. He reads the book quickly and is deeply moved. Daniel soon meets Clara, a beautiful twenty‑one‑year‑old blind woman who knows Carax’s works well, and he develops a romantic interest in her. One night, he encounters a faceless figure in the dark—Lain Coubert, the devil in Carax’s novel. The stranger offers Daniel a large sum of money for his copy of The Shadow of the Wind , intendin...
Read more