Merrie Old London

"London is the least-known part of all England. . . Londoners don't know London. With comparatively few exceptions, they know only the narrow orbit in which their own daily lives are run," Some Forgotten Corners of London: Many Places of Beauty, and Historic Interest Repay the Search of the Inquiring Visitor" by Harold Donaldson Ebodein, National Geographic Magazine, February, 1932, p. 163.  The author begins with these shocking statements then proceeds to explain that there is so much history in this incredibly large, incredibly old metropolis that much is already forgotten.  He invites us to "Scratch the crust of modern London and you invariably find some delightful ancient thing beneath, faintly concealed" (p. 163).

In 1932, a bath from Roman times was still being used to baptize Christian babies.  On the street of Ely Place, a watchman cried out the time every hour, "just as his predecessors have done for more than 600 years" (p. 172).  There were still thatched-roof cottages in the villages.  The guards with their red coats and tall furry black hats were ever stone-faced in their duties, as they are today.

This is from a trip to England in 2008.  It shows the guards with the tall hats.

FYI: Churches of all ages are to be found aplenty in all areas of London, as are taverns.  When daughter #7, Marie, and I visited London in 2008, one of our best friends requested that we "steal a bar towel" the way he did when he spent a year of college there.  Too timid to even go inside the bars by ourselves plus not wanting to know first-hand the British legal system, we declined the theft.

The author is correct: "The river (Thames) seems to entice you down to search the mysteries of its banks" (p. 177). You must stroll over London Bridge several times.  Stop in the middle to look at all the river traffic - quite a sight.  The London Eye is in close proximity.  Every step you take reveals history on the river.  There's a dock where pirates were executed; "Captain Kidd was hanged here in 1701" (photo caption, p. 192).

Here I am at the entrance to the Tower of London, November, 2008.  It is not just a tower, it is a fortress.  Go there to see the fabulous crown jewels.

Tower Bridge, a drawbridge.

The London Eye, a giant 'ferris wheel', taken from the London Bridge, over the Thames River.  What a memorable ride!  It feels like you're flying!

If you ever go to London, the first time, be sure and start out touring the city in a double-decker bus!

Mr. Ebodein concludes, "To print out all the little-heeded corners of London that deserve to be well known and cherished would be a well-high endless undertaking. . . an inexhaustable wealth of associations and interest awaits the traveler blessed with initiative and a taste for independent exploration" (p. 199).  Does this describe YOU?

My favorite place in London: the Big Ben Clock which sits in front of their Parliament, on the Thames River, on the other side of the London Bridge from the London Eye.