Late out of the starting blocks today, time to start packing, do washing, throw out rubbish blah blah. Too nice a day to waste doing that all day though, so off on the bus into the city again.
Sooooo many people in there, it really does become unpleasant walking the streets after a while, I was starting to use 'elbows'. I did go into a lot of department stores and other shops along Regent St and Oxford St, but came away empty-handed. Not paying $60 for a plain t-shirt, I guess I can't afford to live in London! I did 'play' in the baking departments here and there but either items were too big/heavy or too expensive to lug home.
The next-door neighbour told me about Bird St, off Oxford St, as it had appeared on TV in Australia. You walk on the black tiles and it generates enough electricity to play bird sounds.
Has a wall of plants at the entry to the street.
This was the story in UK papers.
http://www.standard.co.uk/video/bird-street-the-new-ecofriendly-smart-street-in-london-a3577691.html
The article did make me laugh in retrospect with "bringing in better practises to reduce air pollution" because every spare bench/seat had a smoker on it and I couldn't sit and enjoy the space because of the fumes.
On the bucket list was to do a high tea at one of the ritzy hotels. In the end I just couldn't face paying what they were asking and my wardrobe probably wasn't up to it anyway. I did find a nice substitute at afternoon tea (well, effectively my lunch and dinner too, I saved myself for it) in the restaurant of the National Portrait Gallery. Fabulous serving staff (appropriate fawning), I got the best seat in the place, and the sustenance was great, I couldn't finish it all. It was so pleasant I lingered for a couple of strawberry Bellinis afterwards.
After that I went downstairs to the gallery where the BP Portrait Award contenders were now on display (like our Archibald Prize). Some fabulous contenders, my favourites were ...
Bizarrely you were allowed to take photos of the paintings but I got reprimanded for taking a long shot along a wall which had lots of people in it. Go figure.
Then a re-visit of Trafalgar Square and it was open again. Heeeeaaaaps of people there though, sitting on every flat surface, not worth photographs of most of it, though I was able to squeeze between some people to take a photo from the edge of the fountain.
Since our last visit, when my men climbed and had their photos taken on the lions, they've been roped off, and this is as close as you can get
AND you aren't allowed to feed the pigeons any more either. Nanny state. Still, I did get smacked in the head by a flying pigeon today so probably a good thing.
It's not very good quality, taken out of the window of the moving bus on the way home, but you've got to take your phone booth photos where you can get them ...
It appears as though my thoughts this morning that I would get away with one suitcase were incorrect now that I have done some further packing. Must have been all the chocolate I bought.
Sooooo many people in there, it really does become unpleasant walking the streets after a while, I was starting to use 'elbows'. I did go into a lot of department stores and other shops along Regent St and Oxford St, but came away empty-handed. Not paying $60 for a plain t-shirt, I guess I can't afford to live in London! I did 'play' in the baking departments here and there but either items were too big/heavy or too expensive to lug home.
The next-door neighbour told me about Bird St, off Oxford St, as it had appeared on TV in Australia. You walk on the black tiles and it generates enough electricity to play bird sounds.
Has a wall of plants at the entry to the street.
This was the story in UK papers.
http://www.standard.co.uk/video/bird-street-the-new-ecofriendly-smart-street-in-london-a3577691.html
The article did make me laugh in retrospect with "bringing in better practises to reduce air pollution" because every spare bench/seat had a smoker on it and I couldn't sit and enjoy the space because of the fumes.
On the bucket list was to do a high tea at one of the ritzy hotels. In the end I just couldn't face paying what they were asking and my wardrobe probably wasn't up to it anyway. I did find a nice substitute at afternoon tea (well, effectively my lunch and dinner too, I saved myself for it) in the restaurant of the National Portrait Gallery. Fabulous serving staff (appropriate fawning), I got the best seat in the place, and the sustenance was great, I couldn't finish it all. It was so pleasant I lingered for a couple of strawberry Bellinis afterwards.
Bizarrely you were allowed to take photos of the paintings but I got reprimanded for taking a long shot along a wall which had lots of people in it. Go figure.
Then a re-visit of Trafalgar Square and it was open again. Heeeeaaaaps of people there though, sitting on every flat surface, not worth photographs of most of it, though I was able to squeeze between some people to take a photo from the edge of the fountain.
Since our last visit, when my men climbed and had their photos taken on the lions, they've been roped off, and this is as close as you can get
AND you aren't allowed to feed the pigeons any more either. Nanny state. Still, I did get smacked in the head by a flying pigeon today so probably a good thing.
It's not very good quality, taken out of the window of the moving bus on the way home, but you've got to take your phone booth photos where you can get them ...
It appears as though my thoughts this morning that I would get away with one suitcase were incorrect now that I have done some further packing. Must have been all the chocolate I bought.
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