Jul 22, 2017

The Punch Tavern on Fleet Street in London

For the first time ever, we decided not to stay in a hotel, but a rental apartment while in London. We chose a good location on Fleet Street to make it walking distance to LSE for our travel purpose.

The frame above the door features the character Punch. Too bad I had just seen one like it, but with a white mask! There he was in broad daylight in a car near Fleet Street… He reminded me of one of the murder cases in the detective show Elementary which we like to watch.

Punch Tavern ceiling

The Punch Tavern features 70 different types of Gin. I tried the London Dry, Beefeater, and Bombay Sapphire. I’ve done my share. It took me two nights to down three of them.

London Dry

This was their vegetarian version of the Caesar Salad. My husband enjoyed his Shepherd’s Pie.

I opted for the Punch Baby breakfast, which was enough. At least, I got the beans and sausage with it.

Punch Baby Breakfast

The rental place above the Punch Tavern is in a good location. It was clean and comfortable. There are four windows in the apartment, but they only point to grey walls of more holes in the wall. But we weren’t there for the view anyway. I would stay there again.

While there, we also realized why we had to leave a GBP 500 safety deposit. Now we know, but this will be our secret. 🙂 The deposit was returned to us in full right away. We had been good.

Jul 21, 2017

London and LSE Graduation Ceremony 2017

Yes, the time had come for us to see our son graduate from London School of Economics (LSE) with a MSc double degree in Global Media and Communications.

This was taken on our first walk since arriving in London. We had two mostly sunny days ahead of us.

London Eye

We passed a little demo, rooting for baby Charlie, near this place.

 

LSE Old Building

The moment we had been waiting for. My husband and I did a High Five.

LSE Graduation Ceremony

We joined a very nice reception on the roof top.

The Media and Communications group posting for a photo.

Relaxed atmosphere.

The LSE is a good school, and will continue to serve its students very well.

Our next graduation ceremony will take us to Exeter University.

May 11, 2016

London in March

We stopped by Southwark Cathedral (formerly St. Saviour’s parish), where Shakespeare’s younger brother, Edmond, is buried. His burial place is marked by a ledger stone in the choir area.

Church

From the Thames River looking at the Gherkin.

London and the Gherkin

 

IMG_3195

Tower Bridge, London

Around Camden

Chalk Farm Road in Camden

Dressed for cool days in London, we came in winter clothing. We had sunny days, and after the first afternoon, we left our warm clothing in the suitcase. The young man in the photo was the reason for our visit.

On the London Bridge

Apr 26, 2016

London in March

These are some of my favorite photos I took in London late March. Blue skies and sunshine galore! London is said to have more sunny days than Miami, FL.

End of Regents Park

Being German and not overly prolific in history, I had never heard of this British war hero, Guy Gibson before.

Guy Gibson was one of Bomber Command’s most famous officers during World War Two, and was awarded the Victoria Cross for leading the legendary Dambuster Raid of 1943 (Ruhr area).

Guy Gibson birthplace

Guy Gibson birthplace

The full English breakfast is a must-do-once on each visit to the U.K. We had this at a little corner store near out hotel. After some chatting with the Turkish owner, I asked him if he could make Menemen for us the next morning. Unfortunately, he was closed the following day. He also mentioned his forthcoming visit to Stuttgart to see one of his cousins. Wherever I go, there is always someone who has family in Stuttgart. 🙂 This must be a popular town.

Full English Breakfast

Full English Breakfast

We stopped at Borough Market, where my husband enjoyed four huge oysters for  GBP 7. Not my kind of snack right after breakfast, but I guess we only get the opportunity to do this while traveling.

Oyster guy

The Tube and its stations is not an easy place to work. Some of the underground walk ways are so drafty, it almost takes your breath away. On the other hand, I did not see a single hair salon in the three days of walking the streets.

Around the underground, people are always running. I did not see anyone in a wheelchair, nor with a cane, or with any kind of walking impediment. They’d get run over.

In 2015, 2091 accidents happened from running on the escalator. Riding the tube itself is pleasant, but getting there is like a race.

Message from the Mayor of London - March 2016

Message from the Mayor of London – March 2016

 

Apr 9, 2016

Three Days in London

In late March, we flew to London for a few days to visit our son who’s attending London School of Economics (LSE) this year. We wanted to see how he lived, and also visited LSE to see where our money goes.

This is just an eclectic selection of impressions from our visit. The first one is the view we had from our 4th floor room in  The Bridge Hotel on Borough Road in London. It is in a very good location, and a short walk from Borough Station. As with many hotels in London, at least the ones I’ve been in, the rooms are rather small, but suitable for a three-day stay.

View from Bridge Hotel on Borough Street

We did a lot of walking and I actually ruined an old pair of shoes from all the stop-and-go foot traffic. We had terrific weather (had read somewhere that London has more sunny days per year than Miami), and  so it was easy to spot all the shiny coins lying on the sidewalks. Yes, while on holiday, I find coins several times a day.

We stopped in the pub The Duke of York on our last night there. Oh, the noise. And it wasn’t even crowded. We just drank our beer and avoided any kind of vocal communication. My husband and I just nodded to each other when it was time to leave.

Street in London

We had read about The George Inn, an important stop if you are interested in London’s historical pubs. It was once a coffeehouse, also visited by Dickens, and is London’s last remaining galleried inn. It is also the only pub in London to be owned by the National Trust.

The George Inn

After a good meal and some beer at the George Inn, we continued onto the London Bridge for a little stroll. I really stuck out wearing a read coat. This could prove useful if we were to get separated. Unfortunately for my husband, this did not happen. 🙂

On the London Bridge

I love London.

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