Showing posts with label South Bank. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Bank. Show all posts
SOUTH BANK, BANKSIDE & MONUMENT CHALLENGE - PART 2
Labels:
Bankside,
Daily Express,
Fire of London,
Fleet Street,
London Eye,
Monument,
South Bank,
Stroll,
Tate,
Thames,
Tourist,
Tower Bridge
Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, LondonAll Rights Reserved
The sequel if you please! Another gap too long for my liking but read on, you'll understand why.
Tate Modern, Bankside, LondonAll Rights Reserved
One London stroll, if one can call it that, which lasted 6 hours. Yes 6 hours.?!My eyes were weak, my spine creaked, feet were swelled, back it ached... It was glorious!! One of the sights that I took in was (i)The Monument to The Great Fire of London, all 311 stairs worth of climbing recently refurbished and opened a month or so ago. Now I must say vertigo gets the better of me and I did think twice about spiralling up the flights but I was a Londoner being a proud tourist in my own city for the day.
Union Jack, View from The Fire of London Monument,Monument, London
All Rights ReservedNow when I move about London from A to E, sometimes diverting via C and D, the sights are secondary to me. The backdrop of the city is just that, it serves a purpose to house the public, move the public and entertain the public. I also think it's the case of when you want to get somewhere there is no time to look and stare therefore it's head down and full steam ahead. This, I wager, is the case for most city folk - workers and Londoners alike.
I never 'tourist it up'.
Underpass, South Bank, LondonAll Rights Reserved
So I did.Last week.
From South Bank to Bankside to Borough and back to South Bank. Across the water to Embankment then down to (ii)Monument ending up east side at The Tower of London and St Katharine's Docks. Burr-you-tee-full.
London Eye Capsule, South Bank, LondonAll Rights Reserved
It put a whole new perspective on London for me, being a tourist that is. My camera was out all day, I mingled with the foreign crowds, took in the sights and waited for Tower Bridge to open. I must add that last week was the first time I saw it open in all my 36 years of visting and living in London...!? Bloody marvellous it was to see the road lift, even though it would have been more exciting if I were six or thereabouts.
Tower Bridge Fully Drawn, Tower Hill, LondonAll Rights Reserved
So, here's my thought of the day.
I recommend that if you live or work in London become a tourist for one day in the month, every month. It makes you appreciate what amazing tourist spots we have and also puts you around lovely people throughout the day. Even if the tourists do swear, shout down the phone or slag people off you don't understand what they are saying and it sounds so much nicer in Japanese, Thai or French...n'est pas??
(i) I must thank the cashier in The Monument who gave student passes to the two girls in front of me. As I was a tourist I thought i'd be cheeky to these London folk and asked for a student concession too (£2 instead of £3). She shook her head, smiled and gave me a tut then asked for £2!! Fantastic! It was only a pound saving but the view up top seemed even sweeter somehow. Thank you! You also get a certificate when you come back down pronouncing 'You have climb the 311 stairs to the top"
(ii) I did pass by - on the way to Monument - one of my favourite buildings in London. The old Daily Express offices on Fleet Street. I wanted to take pictures but the streets were busy with activity. A Sunday should prove more fruitful and images will appear on a future post.
SOUTH BANK MODERNIST AND BRUTALIST BEAUTY - PART 1
Labels:
Brutalist,
London,
London Eye,
Modernist,
Purcell Room,
Royal Festival Hall,
Shell Building,
South Bank,
The Hayward,
Waterloo
Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, LondonAll Rights Reserved
I have a thing for the South Bank and only found it out the other day. Not that I am getting bored with London but when I go out and about it doesn't feel new or exciting any more. When I were a nipper Oxford St and Regent St encouraged a 'WOW!' from my mouth, sometimes a "COR!" Even when I went clubbing in my teens and 20's I always had the anticipation in my stomach when travelling down from Reigate in Surrey. But today, although I still love the place, it has lost its chutzpah you know? I would love to visit London from a non-Londoner perspective though, I wager I would get that wow factor back...
Shell Centre, South Bank, LondonAll Rights Reserved
But come in South Bank, this is my Waterloo! The place rocks and I love it!
Shell Centre, South Bank, LondonAll Rights Reserved
London Eye, South Bank, LondonAll Rights Reserved
The structures are fantastic from the Royal Festival Hall, The Hayward, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room and Shell Centre right up to the present day London Eye. Although all fall into the modernism/modern 'bracket' (I'm thinking London Eye is just modern) they are the only group of structures that look different to each other yet complement and respect the space they are in, together with the space their neighbours are in. Foresight by the architects and planning departments or a unique turn of events that just work? The latter bodes well in my mind.
The Hayward, South Bank, London
All Rights Reserved
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The atmosphere down there is always vibrant and the place spacious enough to make sure you don't feel squashed, unlike Borough Market these days. Get to market by midday and my God you will have problems getting around the stalls. But if you do go there then head for the hot cider place. Cockles will get warmed quick sharpish like.
Royal Festival Hall, South Bank, LondonAll Rights Reserved
Just outside the Royal Festival Hall every 2 months (last one was on the 15th Feb 2009), there is a 'Slow Food London Market'. The visiting stalls set up with food, drink and bits to take home or eat on the fly (spit roast pig, pies, stout, oysters, wine, cakes). Of course there are plenty more places to go when the market isn't there; I suggest a day or two to seek them out.
London Eye, South Bank, LondonAll Rights Reserved
I have concentrated this page to the Waterloo end but the South Bank stretches further round the Thames to the east. Hope you enjoyed some of my pictures, more will follow as I start spending my weekends and evenings down there.
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