ANOTHER LITTLE OUTING

Post by **Grandad** » Thu Jun 16, 2011 5:36 pm

LONDON FROM DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS
Most visits to London involve walking the streets or taking a bus, tube or taxi; and seeing London from street level. We took the train from home on Tuesday and went to view some of London from two different angles.

FIRST THE LONDON EYE, that unmistakable landmark on the south bank, 135 metres high with 32 capsules each carrying up to 25 passengers. We first rode The Eye in 2001 soon after it started operating. Since then over 40 million passengers have taken the ride which lasts around 30 minutes, or nearer 45 for us because there seemed to be some technical problem that meant the wheel stopped and even went in reverse at one point. No complaints though because it was a beautiful day and the view was spectacular.

There was a lot of heat haze and also reflections inside the capsule. However, I took some pictures as usual and will post just a few here. I have put a lot in a web album that you can access via this link (you may need to copy and paste in your browser). There is rather a lot but just flick through them because many are similar.
https://picasaweb.google.com/Raddang/Lo ... eLondonEye

Here is a pano of just over 180 degrees that I took from near the top. There is a lot of distortion but as I had to move around the capsule, I think PSE7 did a great job of stitching together a dozen frames. (There is a higher quality copy via the link that you might like to download and see what you can find in the picture)

This is The Eye and Westminster before we took the ride.

A capsule lifting off.

One of many views from The Eye. A little challenge for BigKen, can you spot that West London Temple of The Beautiful Game????

Inside a capsule. There were 25 of us and certainly not crowded.

THE SECOND EXPERIENCE WAS ON THE RIVER on a 40 minute sightseeing trip. The boat carried just over 200 people all seated on the open upper deck. Again, the nice sunny day made this trip particularly enjoyable, with a very detailed commentary from a lady guide during the trip so nobody missed any of the sights.

Just one picture here but there are many in the web album so please have a look. This is HMS Belfast, a WWII cruiser now permanently moored just upstream of Tower Bridge and open to visitors.

When I first drafted these notes I included a lot about the EYE and the boat trip, both of which are now operated by Merlin Entertainments and sponsored by EDF Energy. A bit boring so I deleted it. However, the average fare on the Eye is about £15 and the boat about £10.....you can do the sums but they sound like 'nice little earners'.

We took the slower train because it goes to Charing Cross, just across the river over Hungerford Bridge from The Eye. Next time we will take the high speed link, less than an hour to St Pancras, and visit The British Museum……..

Post by **LovelyLadyLux** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 12:46 am

Wonderful Grandad! Looks like you had a pretty fab day! GREAT! Wish I was there however I keep adding all the places you are going to to my 'wish list' of places I want to see!

:):):)

Post by **Kiya** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 10:35 am

Great pano & pictures Grandad

sounds very much like a good day out. I didn't realise the capsules are so big holding 25 people, thats a lot of people in any go if all the capsules are full

Post by **Horus** » Fri Jun 17, 2011 12:11 pm

I was out most of yesterday, so missed your post until this morning.

As usual Grandad you have given us an excellent potted tour of London, somewhere I have not visited for a few years now as its a long drive for a day out and the cheap 'away-day' type rail tickets don't seem to exist anymore.

Great views from the London Eye and on the river and as you say if the weather is nice, what a great day out. I like to visit the Tower of London very close to where HMS Belfast is moored up and best of all is the Natural History Museum which is only a short tube trip away, I could spend all day in there and frequently did.

So thanks for posting and look forward to seeing some more of your pictures.

Post by **Bearded Brian** » Sat Jun 18, 2011 7:21 am

Thanks Grandad - it's a pity the UK doesn't have better weather - if it did I think more of us would go and see all the wonderful sights there are in the UK.

Post by **jewel** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 12:38 am

Lovely pics Grandad ....reminded me of our trip to the capital last summer....and a memorable pimms tour on the London eye, it was a very hot day and the chilled pimms went down a treat, wanted to stay on for another round!!

Took loads of pics, some at interesting angles,

Post by **jewel** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 1:09 am

BB ........ I don't think it a "pity" about the good old UK weather at all ....in fact a friend and I were just talking today at how fortunate we are to have such a varied and temperate climate, sure we all moan about the weather as its a national obsession but secretly I LOVE it! The wild wind, the sunny spring days the cooling summer showers the sharp clear frosty days in winter, grey skies, love it all. I also love the fact that we can have all 4 seasons in one day

and you can never plan for anything...wonderful

Today we watched the kite surfers ride the waves, and also people taking a dip (they are hardy up north!) and a fortnight ago we were roasted at the annual garden festival at Holker, sitting eating ice cream listening to the jazz band. Tomorrow.....who knows? may be on the fell tops in horizontal rain......bring it on! :co:

Variety is the spice of life?

Post by **Horus** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 9:07 am

Nice pictures Jewel

I agree about the weather, yesterday we had a full blown hail storm arrive out of the blue, our consevatory roof had ice sliding off it!

Post by **Kiya** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 10:45 am

Lovely pics Jewels'...........& H your turn for sudden hail storms eh! sun here yest & today

Post by **Grandad** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 10:53 am

Glad you liked the pics folks and that the link worked. I use the web album route because some of the family say 'let's see some pics' and it is easier than email.

And Brian

it's a pity the UK doesn't have better weather

Jewel is obviously a very hardy outdoor type

but I have to agree with you both. If we didn't have our weather, the UK would not be the green and pleasant land that it is, with SO much beauty and history. So sometimes we have to just take the weather as it comes. Being retired we can plan our excursions depending on the forecast.

We have been members of National Trust for some years which encourages days out to visit some of our heritage. But once you have done all the local sites a few times one looks further afield. Some of you have mentioned 'the unavailability' of cheap day rail tickets. They are still available and if you buy a railcard for your network (ours is £28 for the year) up to 4 people can travel at any time with a third reduction. It soon pays for itself. We go to London for £13 each from Canterbury.

Already booked to see Les Mis again next month........

Your pics are well up to standard Jewel and my fav of the bunch is the statue, the angle does it.

Post by **Grandad** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 11:04 am

BTW, have any of you looked in on this months photo comp on L4U, 'Water'.

Some very interesting entries. If you haven't already done so why not put in an entry

Post by **LovelyLadyLux** » Sun Jun 19, 2011 5:13 pm

Lovely photos Jewel - wonderful! I get the same kind of weather here. Sun can be out one minute and then a full blown snow storm or hail the next. Kinda resigned to it being "the spice of life"

and lends creedence to the motto of 'be prepared.' Love my umbrella with the hook handle. Wear it on my arm all the time.

Grandad - enjoy "Les Mes" - LOVE IT! And have seen it twice. Those rail rates are pretty good too.

Post by **bigken** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 7:53 pm

Thought i jump on this posting rather than kick a new one off, had a little run out today to Hebden Bridge then onto Howarth, here is a few snaps (will sort a few out )

Hebden Bridge

These are all of a stone balancing contest they had today, we missed all the action

Howarth

Post by **Horus** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 8:15 pm

Thanks for those Ken,

stone balancing? now that sounds really exciting

make you wonder what they get up to when they are drunk

I have actually seen pictures of some guy doing it before, but he could make great big boulders balance in ways that you would think impossible to do. Can you imagine our friend JoJo participating? St John's ambulance brigade and broken toes spring to mind.

Can you give us a bit of background to the place for our non local readers?

Post by **Grandad** » Sat Jul 02, 2011 10:25 pm

Just love that area Ken

And that stone balancing, you don't have to be drunk to do it.......but it helps

When I was working centuries ago

we had a supplier in Keighley and I would overnight at The Old White Lion at the top of the road in Haworth. Mrs G and I have been back to Hebden Bridge etc since and it was on a trip around there that I took the picture of Aysgarth Falls that I enterred in the Blue side photo comp.

When our children were small a great favourite was 'The Railway Children' and how amazing when I went to Oakworth and found the station just as it was in the film.........magic

Post by **LovelyLadyLux** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 5:40 am

Terrific photos BK, can't imagine trying to do stone balancing (unless it is flat stones one top of one another).

I really appreciate seeing all the different places you folks travel to. NICE!

:):):):)

Post by **Kiya** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 12:49 pm

Great photos BK

I've only seen stone balancing on telly....amazing to watch.

Post by **bigken** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 1:06 pm

Cheers

,it's still there Grandad the old White lion, probable changed a bit since you stayed in it - running water, electric, beer on draught and not in jugs

, lovely place Howarth, home to the Bronte sister for their short lives, their old house is now a museum, does give you a feeling of going back in time, that is till some p###k decides they want to drive down the old street

.( there was a couple of steam trains sat at Howarth station doing trips Grandad )

Hebden Bridge another lovely little West Yorkshire village, sitting on the Rochdale to Leeds canal, that you can easily spent 30 mins trying to park, but it's well worth it, a few years ago we came across a small factory that made clogs their, so I treated her to a pair

don't think they have seen day light yet

But if you ever in that area they are well worth visiting and only 9 miles apart

Post by **Grandad** » Sun Jul 03, 2011 3:41 pm

Ken said

probable changed a bit since you stayed in it - running water, electric, beer on draught and not in jugs

At least you don't say that they have removed the 'chamber pots' from the rooms.

I used to look forward to emptying mine out of the window.

Post by **Grandad** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 8:02 pm

Just found a few pictures to add to Bigkens Yorkshire post. They are rather old and from scanned negs:

This is The Parsonage and cemetery at Haworth in the early morning sun. The school house is to the left. The Reverend Patrick Bronte, lived here for most of his life, dying at the age of 84. A sad life because none of his 6 children or his wife reached the age of 40. Consumption (tuberculosis) seems to have been a major killer in those early Victorian days and his wife and all children succumbed between the ages of 10 (Elizabeth) and 38 (Charlotte and his wife Maria).

As Ken has said, The Parsonage is now The Bronte Museum. The Brontes must be big in Japan because whenever I was there, there were always parties of Japanese.

A plaque on the school wall records the fact that Charlotte taught there until her death in 1855.

Patrick is reputed to have taken opium at the Black Bull just across from The White Lion. His only son, Branwell, also indulged.

Moving away from Haworth, this is a poor view overlooking Hebden Bridge. I had been told, wrongly, that this was where the comedy series Last of the Summer Wine was filmed. The terrace in the middle of the picture looked like Norah Battys but proved not to be when we went down to the village. The series was made of course at Holmfirth. I should have known because one of my staff at the time came from Holmfirth.

All are lovely villages in't Dales......if you can find somewhere to park.