London And Toy Soldiers (1 Viewer)

[VIRIATO]

Greetings Virato: Thank you for the nice pictures and report from London. I enjoyed seeing the sights you took and it must have been at a special time to get pictures of all the political leaders.

I enjoyed the War Museum and Guards pictures. The picture of the little sub impressed me. My son keeps saying he would take me there but it has been a long time since I traveled aboard and feel I am not up to it. Your pictures are so clear and I am glad you put in a picture of yourself. Thanks for posting this trip to London. Regards Leadmen

Hi,
You're more than welcome. It's always a pleasure to share things with other members of the forum. Prince Charles' photo was taken at Hyde Park simply by coincidence: we went there and this ceremony for the participants in both World Wars was going on. Very impressive and once again, History very much alive.
On travelling to London, I myself don't travel that often, be wise and listen to your son, I mean it


Best regards,
Paulo

 

[VIRIATO]

Thanks for the pics Viriato.

Re your points 1 & 2: I agree that there has a been a decline in social values in that people are more reluctant to help others especially in the larger cities where people are more competitive and hardened.

3) You don't see many children in central London because families rarely need to travel to the Central Business District's of cities and large towns as most shopping needs can be found in suburban shopping centres (malls) that have been built in recent decades.

When I was a child back in the 1960's/70's a trip to inner Sydney was exciting as many people were doing their Saturday shopping. Since then many main street business have closed down because they couldn't compete with the ever increasing shopping malls. And of course online shopping has also caused a reduced need for a trip into the city.

4) Addictions, be it alcohol or drugs are often the cause for lost souls and social problems such as violence. I used to do rescue work but I gave it up when more and more 'victims' were people that abused various substances.

And in most western cities PC (political correctness) policies has also made it more difficult for heath and policing authorities to keep people with mental problems out of harms way.

5) I envy people in cities that have a good public transport system. I live in a suburban area with over 150,000 people and we have no trains because the main railway system is further inland where it was built for the transport of rural goods rather than urban (coastal) passengers. That said I have never been a fan of underground train travel.

You're welcome.
Interesting points. On children, in Lisbon it's a little different, because many shopping malls are in central Lisbon. But not even at Kensington, which is also a residential area, did I spot any children not on trips. Maybe they just were at school.

Regards,
Paulo

 

[VIRIATO]

Looks like you had a great time Thanks for the pics. I especially like the one of the guards

That isn't the Tower of London though, it's the Houses of Parliament

You're welcome. Yes, guys, those are the Houses of Parliament, just do not let my little guv'nor joke confuse you...

Regards,
Paulo

 

[OzDigger]

You're welcome.
Interesting points. On children, in Lisbon it's a little different, because many shopping malls are in central Lisbon. But not even at Kensington, which is also a residential area, did I spot any children not on trips. Maybe they just were at school.

Regards,
Paulo

Sorry, I guess I assumed it was the weekend when you mentioned the lack of children in central London. I know my wife and I were never keen on taking our two children to the CBD as they can be handful. And now that they are teenagers they are to embarrassed to shop with their parents, especially their father who insists on visiting every toy shop

 

[VIRIATO]

Sorry, I guess I assumed it was the weekend when you mentioned the lack of children in central London. I know my wife and I were never keen on taking our two children to the CBD as they can be handful. And now that they are teenagers they are to embarrassed to shop with their parents, especially their father who insists on visiting every toy shop

Yes, I was at Kensigton on a Friday afternoon. Well, I believe I'll go through the same embarrassment when my son gets there, he is now 6. And yes, this time he stayed at home with gran'ma...: talk about handful...

 

[Saber]

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing. How was the visit to the Imperial War Museum? Of all the times I've been to London I've never been there. Just too many other darn things to see! I'm taking my nine year old daughter over with me this summer, her first trip abroad, and I'm afraid I'll be showing her Big Ben, Tower of London, and the other traditional staple tourist sites. Can't quite convince my wife that a war museum is a must see for her.

 

[nmrocks]

Thanks V,
Always enjoy everyone's travel logs, great Pic's!!

 

[VIRIATO]

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing. How was the visit to the Imperial War Museum? Of all the times I've been to London I've never been there. Just too many other darn things to see! I'm taking my nine year old daughter over with me this summer, her first trip abroad, and I'm afraid I'll be showing her Big Ben, Tower of London, and the other traditional staple tourist sites. Can't quite convince my wife that a war museum is a must see for her.

Hi,You're welcome.
I know what you mean. I also had already been to London but this was my first visit to the IWM. Here is a link for the Imperial War Museum: http://london.iwm.org.uk/
About the visit, it was excellent. The photos I show are just from the entrance hall. There are several floors. There are great WWI and WWII exhibitions, including a WWI trench experience with life size figures, sounds, you can go through it. And also a Blitz experience of London during the blitz, you get into an air raid shelter. There are also many other interactive experiences and exhibitions on other well known conflicts. There is a great wealth of uniforms, equipment, documentation, dioramas, be prepared to spend some hours there even if you don't see all. Another excellent exhibition is the Holocaust one, very impressive and heavy really, but it is quite worth it. It really moved me at moments. I would also recommend the Museum's coffee shop, where you can eat well, rest in pleasant surroundings, all without breaking the bank. My wife just had to accept that the Museum is really something, in fact she took all the photos there, since she is a better photographer than me. When she saw the naval gun at the entrance of the Museum and the entrance hall, she just knew it was something special. It has to do with History, Culture, and definitely with London's History and indeed with the whole world's History. I would say that this is a part of London people need to know and feel if they really want to know the city. It is not just a war museum, it's much more than that, it is remembrance, lively and at its best. War is unfortunately part of our History and Culture, and the Museum surely has a people's point of view rather than a militaristic one. Ah, and there were also children in there and there is a pleasant park outside. I hope this helps convincing your wife

Have a nice trip,
Paulo

 

[VIRIATO]

Thanks V,
Always enjoy everyone's travel logs, great Pic's!!

My pleasure.
Paulo

 

[Saber]

Thank you for the information and link. The spousal unit was impressed with the site so a side trip might be in the offing.

Thanks again. Saber