Saturday morning was spent walking down Portabello Road, an antiquer's paradise. Then we caught the tube down to Westminster for a guided tour of Parliament and the accompaning buildings. We ended the day walking down Oxford Street back to our flat.
Let's have a little music to go along with strolling down Portabello Road
IMG_3917x.jpg: A house at the top of Portobello Road where George Orwell lived.
IMG_3918.JPG: A street entertainer along the road
IMG_3919.JPG: Throngs of people makes progress slow, but interesting
IMG_3921.JPG: A mechanized watch maker outside an antique clock shop
IMG_3922.JPG: Just holding my camera up in the air and clicking to see the scenes
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IMG_3925.JPG: The Antique Gallery is making an appeal to all the colonies
IMG_3926.JPG: Holding my camera up again
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IMG_3931.JPG: Ann, Jennifer Millspaugh, and Andrew on the corner. Jennifer M. had a bag of bing cherries that were very good!
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IMG_3937.JPG: Iteresting glass pots exhibited on drift wood logs
IMG_3938.JPG: A pretty good street musician.
IMG_3939.JPG: A well decorated pub with hanging baskets along the street
IMG_3940.JPG: This old man and his dog were walking in the crowds
IMG_3943.JPG: Two new hats for pretty ladies
IMG_3944.JPG: We stopped for lunch at Santos, a Mexican food restaurant. Some of us needed a jalapino fix.
IMG_3945.JPG: Santos is one of Jennifer M. favorite London restaurants. Jennifer M., Ashley, Andrew, Jennifer F. Luis, and Ann
IMG_3946x.JPG: A much better photo of Jennifer Millspaugh
IMG_3947.JPG: From Portobello we tubed to Westminster for a guided tour of Parliament and the accompanying buildings. Unfortunately, no inside photos!
IMG_3948.JPG: The top of the Victoria Tower where government papers are saved. When it was built in 1858 it was the tallest secular building in the world. The monarchs enter the House of Parliament through an entrance at the base of this tower.
IMG_3950.JPG: One of the many ornate figures at the corners of Westminster Hall.
IMG_3951.JPG: Metal wind vane on top of Westminster Abbey across the street from Westminster Hall
IMG_3952.JPG: A small tower on top on the roof at Westminster Hall
IMG_3953.JPG: Statue of Oliver Cromwell, the protector in the green next to Westminster Hall
IMG_3954.JPG: We could take pictures inside the oldest building in the complex, Westminster Hall but not the Houses of Parliament. This is the ceiling made of hammered and carved oak. Its design using large trusses made it possible to support the roof. The walls date from 1097 but the ceiling and roof were built in 1392 and has survived since, even through WWII when the House of Commons was destroyed by German bombs.
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IMG_3957x.JPG: A new window addition at the end of the Hall. The Queen's emblem is in the middle 3 windows.
IMG_3958.JPG: Marker where Nelson Mandela stood in an address to Parliament. President Obama has also addressed Parliament in this same building but there is no marker showing that took place.
IMG_3959.JPG: Marker showing where Winston Churchill laid in state.
IMG_3960.JPG: Thomas More argued against letting Henry VIII dissolve his marriage to Katherine of Aragon and as a result ended up losing his head. He argued his case in this hall back in 1535.
IMG_3961.JPG: Jennifer has been struggling with an inflamed tendon in her foot which makes walking (and we have done a lot of that) painful. She takes periodic stops to rub some analgesic into the tissue. It helps.
IMG_3962.JPG: Outside Parliament
IMG_3963.JPG: Across the street from Parliament a protest was taking place in Parliament Square. The people were protesting a plan by the government to reduce some social support programs.
IMG_3964.JPG: Statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square
IMG_3965.JPG: Young protestors --- the revolution is coming
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IMG_3967.JPG: Abraham Lincoln, one of two US president statues on London
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IMG_3969.JPG: The protest flowed out into the streets which the police blocked off from traffic
IMG_3970.JPG: We are now at Oxford Circus, the head of one of the busiest shopping areas in London. Selfridges is further down the street.
IMG_3971.JPG: Oxford Circus
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IMG_3974.JPG: The entrance to the Oxford Circus tube station
IMG_3975.JPG: More crowds, these on the Oxford Street sidewalks
IMG_3976.JPG: we are now inside Selfridges, the huge and very fancy department store
IMG_3977.JPG: We are on an escalator going from the ground to the first floor.
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IMG_3984.JPG: Ashley and Miss Lego, both ready for a little sun.
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IMG_3986.JPG: Interesting spiraling display for purses
IMG_3987.JPG: Front side of that statue shown earlier
IMG_3988.JPG: If you haven't watched the PBS show "Mr. Selfridge" then you should download and catch up. Great program.
IMG_3989.JPG: Marble Arch, a large 19th century triumphal arch, stands at the north east corner of Hyde Park. Luis and I rented bikes and peddled back to the south end of Hyde Park were we turned them in and then walked back to our flat.
