Last London Scenes

The packing squared away, the arrangements made, everything seen that we wanted to see, we spent our last time in London just walking around a bit. Much of our time is on foot, either getting somewhere, shopping, getting our exercise steps, or, much of the time, just wandering around to see whatever we might happen onto. In an old place like London, rich in history, art, and architecture, you can never wander very far without seeing something of interest. Sometimes, things of surpassing interest.

Liverpool station and environs: contrasts!

At another entrance to the station, Richard Serro's
Fulcrum; 53 feet tall, the steel plates 2+ inches thick;
we loved his work--a whole special wing--at the
Guggenheim in Bilbao

Apparently rustoleum red was the color that year

A block or two away, a lonely menhir, obviously lost, 
attempts to hide

At an ancient brewery, Whitbread's, that we walked past; what
did the receiving department think when the king and queen
showed up?

Now walking past Smithfield Market, London's meat
market since the 10th century, and only ancient 
market still in operation in the same place; obviously
the building is much younger, although not so young
the developers are not eyeing it greedily; we think
the paint job may not be Medieval

Peering in; it's the afternoon and, in the meat market business,
you'd better have your job done by 7AM or so; I doubt we'll
ever seen this historic market in operation

Main Hall

Moving right along, we are now in Trafalgar Square;
all my previous pix of the Nelson column have been
of the back-side, so I wanted to get one, respectfully,
of the proper side

Tourists waiting for horse to kick or bite

The horse does not like his job; I wonder if they have considered
an animatronic horse; Disney Paris could probably loan them one 
to try out

So I knew of the Banqueting House, a part of the
Whitehall complex that was designed by Inigo
Jones in the early 1600s, but for whatever reason
it did not figure on our desirables list after the
Houses of Parliament; our final wanderings took us
by it

Apart from the art and architecture, the Banqueting
House was where King Charles I was executed; right
there by the plaque; beheaded; I wonder how many 
Americans know about this, or that there was a Civil
War somewhere other than the US

Moving right along, we are now in or near
Parliament Square looking at what we think was
the ground-zero designation for the Jubilee
Walks that cover much of historic London

Cross the street and you're in St. James Park; can't believe how
close it all is together

Looking in the vicinity of 10 Downing St.

Iconic view, showing how close it all to the Eye

As close as we got to Her Majesty that day; we got way closer 
at the Braemar Gathering, in September, 2009

Just outside the Admiralty Arch, Captain Cook

We ended our last day's little excursion, as several
others, at Covent Garden