Piccadilly Circus, London
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Showing posts with label Palace of Westminster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Palace of Westminster. Show all posts
Friday, July 4, 2014
Friday, June 7, 2013
Palace of Westminster - Reflections - Anglophile Friday
London Reflections
I was 7years younger and 7 pounds lighter (and my hair was 7 shades darker and 7 cm. shorter) when this photo was taken. I have posted only a very few photos of myself on my blog, but I'm finally posting this one just because I love how it bends my mind when I look at it! Here's what was going on:
So, Kevin and I were sitting in a little hole-in-the-wall coffee shop across the street from the Palace of Westminster. He pulled out the camera to take a picture of that amazing building through the window of the coffee shop. What we got was the photo above.
Pretty crazy, huh! The photo was taken from inside the coffee shop, remember.
Not sure what the red wrapper was from, but undoubtedly some form of chocolate - which explains one of the 7's.
St. Stephen's Tower
Palace of Westminster, London
Taken from the east bank of the Thames
on a Westminster by Gaslight tour from Walks.com
Taken from the east bank of the Thames
on a Westminster by Gaslight tour from Walks.com
Have a great weekend, everyone!
I'm off to check Travelocity.com
'Southern Magnolia'
Natural, Vegan, Handcrafted Soap
This post may be linked to one or more of the following: Mop it Up Monday and Get in My Tummy and Cure for the Common Monday and Clever Chicks Blog Hop and Barn Charm and The Marketplace and Amaze Me Monday and Le Chateau des Fleurs and Mix it up Monday and Make it Pretty Monday and Crafty Texas Girls and Making the World Cuter Mondays and Make the Scene Monday and Something I Whipped Up Monday and Motivate Me Monday and Making Monday Marvelous and Get Your Craft On and You're Gonna Love it Tuesday and Creative Showcase and Memories by the Mile and Tweak it Tuesday and Coastal Charm Tuesday and Take a Look Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday and Love Bakes Good Cakes and Overflowing With Creativity and Mom on TimeOut and Adorned from Above and Wildcrafting Wednesday and Cast Party Wednesday and We Did it Wednesday and All Things With Purpose and Home & Garden Thursday and It's a Party at Creative Princess and Artsy Corner Thursday and Creative Things Thursday and Be Inspired and Time Travel Thursday and Thrifty Things Friday and Friday Fences and Thursday's Inspiration and The Self-sufficient Home Acre and I'm Lovin' it Thursday and Creative Things Thursday and Mandatory Mooch and Foodie Friends Friday and Freedom Fridays and Anything Blue Friday and Junkin' Joe and Serenity Saturday and Get Schooled Saturday and Inspiration Friday(ThursNite) and Weekend Reflections and Vintage Inspiration Friday and Photo Friday and A Favorite Thing Saturday and Sunny Simple Sunday and Sunlit Sunday and Market Yourself Monday and Saturday Nite Special
Friday, July 6, 2012
Anglophile Friday - Favorite Photos of England
St. Margarets Church with Westminster Abbey in the background
In the near center of the photo is the rose window above the north door of WMA. The two towers at the right of the photo flank the west door of the abbey. Those are the doors that Prince William and Catherine (and their guests) walked through as they entered the abbey to get married.
This photo was taken at the end of the 'Westminster by Gaslight' tour from London Walks. Starting at the Westminster Tube Station and walking across Westminster Bridge, we then walked south along the river to Lambeth Bridge, turned west, went through the neighborhood of many MPs and ended up here, at the south end of the Palace of Westminster. And just across the street is this church - St. Margaret's Church where Winston Churchill was married. I'd never put this photo on my Cranberry Morning blog before because I didn't like that green wall. But since then, it's grown on me and I'm okay with it being in the photo.
From westminster-abbey.org:
'It may seem surprising to find another large church standing so close
to the might and magnificence of Westminster Abbey. Why was an
additional church needed in such a position? To answer that question we
have to recall that Westminster Abbey was originally a Benedictine
Abbey. In 1065 Edward the Confessor gave orders for the consecration of
the abbey church of the Benedictine monastery. That great church was to
be the centre of life for the monks of Westminster. Following the Rule
of St Benedict, they would assemble at fixed times throughout each day
to worship God by singing what is known as 'the Divine Office'. That was
their duty - 'office' comes from the Latin word for 'duty'. This was
their main task in life, so they called it Opus Dei - 'God's work'.
Nothing was allowed to disturb them in carrying out this basic duty.
However, the monks of the newly-founded monastery of St Peter in
Westminster were disturbed by the people of Westminster who came to hear
Mass. So the monks set about building a smaller church next to the
Abbey where the local people could receive all the sacraments and
ministrations of the Church, thus leaving the monks in the Abbey
undisturbed. The church was dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch about
whom little is known, though her cult was extremely popular in the
middle ages.
It seems that St Margaret’s was built in the latter part of the 11th
century, although we do not have a precise date. From then until the
dissolution of the monastery by Henry VIII in 1540, ministry to the
ever-growing population of Westminster was undertaken by the monks of
the Abbey. This arrangement was the basis for the close relationship
between St Margaret's and Westminster Abbey which has existed ever
since.' Read more of this interesting article.
***
When my daughter took me to England, we were able to get into the gallery of the House of Commons. In the late evening, we stood in line in front of St. Stephen's entrance, then walked up some steps and were greeted by security, who took our bags and made sure we weren't carrying anything threatening. Watching the proceedings was a fun and fascinating experience. I don't watch C-Span because I don't have cable, but I did see it a few times while my dad was still alive. (He could've watched C-Span all day.) Anyway, nothing I saw on C-Span was nearly as interesting as the raucous debate that took place in the House of Commons. They make a lot of noise, yank on coattails, and generally give a good show for onlookers in the gallery. It was definitely worth attending.
I realize that this is serious business, but still, I can't help it that it was entertaining as well as interesting. :-)
'Apple Peel'
Friday, June 29, 2012
Anglophile Friday - Eyes - Past, Present, Future
The Machinery
London Eye
Now there is talk of New York City building their own 'Eye.'
From Bloomberg.com:
"The north shore of New York City’s Staten Island near its ferry connection with Lower Manhattan may become the home of a Ferris wheel bigger than the London Eye, according to a person familiar with the potential deal...
"The New York City Economic Development Corp. last year asked developers for ideas on developing two parcels on Staten Island’s St. George waterfront, which has missed out on the “huge opportunity” of New York City’s 8 million residents, according to the agency. The ferry connecting the island to Manhattan, 25 minutes across the bay, is the city’s third-most- popular tourist attraction and 70,000 daily commuters pass through the terminal.
“It’s the greatest thing that has been proposed for Staten Island, especially on the waterfront,” James Molinaro, the borough president, said in a telephone interview. “This could landmark us. We have 2 million tourists a year on the ferry, so we have a built-in audience to use it, and it’s a different audience every day. Once you can attract them off that boat, you got them here.”
The Pod, London Eye
Each pod seems huge, and can hold 25 people. There are 32 pods.
Contrast that with the first Ferris Wheel, assembled in Chicago for the Columbian Exposition of 1893:
From HydeParkHistory.org:
"The Columbian Exposition opened on May 1,1893, while the steelworkers barely paused to watch, high on the growing Wheel. By June 9, the Wheel, as yet without cars, was ready for a trial run. At six o'clock in the evening with trusted men stationed at various points, Rice ordered the steam turned on. Slowly, without a creak or groan and only the soft clink of the chain, the great wheel began to turn... in twenty minutes, it had completed one revolution. When he got the word, Ferris, who was in Pittsburgh at the time, immediately ordered the 36 cars hung.
Visitors and participants at the Exposition had viewed the Wheel as an enigma, but the sight of it moving slowly on that summer evening galvanized them into action... from all sides crowds formed, shouting , gesturing... On June 10, one car was hung; by June 13, twenty more had been added and the offices and loading platforms practically completed.
The cars were 24 feet long, 13 feet wide, and 10 feet high, and weighed 26,000 pounds. Each car carried fancy twisted wire chairs for 38 of the 60 passengers. The five large plate glass windows on each side were fitted with heavy screens and the doors at each end were provided with secure locks.. firefighting equipment was carried as a safeguard.. Six platforms were arranged to speed loading and unloading, with a guard at each t9 signal the operator when his car was filled and locked. Conductors rode in each car to answer patrons' questions or, if necessary, to calm their fears.
On June 11, with six cars hung, Daniel Burnham arrived to take a trial trip and Margaret Ferris, who had often given words of encouragement to workers on the Wheel, also went along~the Wheel's first woman passenger. At six o'clock on June 13, Rice held a trial trip for the local press who were very enthusiastic in their praise... correspondents, particularly those from foreign countries, began making repeated requests for drawings and data, but Ferris appears to have been very reticent about releasing details. As a consequence, no copies of the original plans or calculations have survived."
London Eye, overlooking Westminster Bridge (over the Thames) and Palace of Westminster
London Eye - at Night
County Hall Building
***
Raspberry Swirl
Friday, August 26, 2011
Big Ben, London
There is no time...
I am hoping to get back on the blogging bandwagon soon. This is such a busy time of year with summer visitors, gardening, day-trips here and there, etc.
Just wanted to take a minute to greet my blogging friends. Those of you along the eastern seaboard, we're thinking of you and praying for your safety. I hope to catch up on your blogs SOON.
The bigger picture.
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