London 2014 Day 2 – London City Mission Summer School

On this day migraine hit me again, but I was determined to attend the one day of the five day summer school at London City Mission we had booked. Thank God, it eased a little later in the day.

In the morning we were told a lot about mission in a diverse megacity like London and I was able to meet some of the people I previously knew only via Twitter, Facebook or LCM publications.

In the afternoon the group travelled to the Isle of Dogs where LCM runs Café Forever and where we were shown around the neighbourhood and the special diversity in this place was explained to us. Among other places we were taken to the Mudchute Park where on a farm the city’s children are introduced to country life and real farm animals. It was a lot of information to take in on one day – though not too much – and a lot for us to think and talk about among ourselves later.

In the late afternoon Hermann and I left the Isle of Dogs with the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) where we were able to sit in front (it doesn’t have a driver for this part of the way). We changed to the Underground at Canary Wharf but stayed there a little while to take photos as we didn’t feel like returning to the flat yet. After all, that is one of the great things in London – you don’t have to catch a particular train or bus as there is usually one every few minutes.

Our London Trip 2013 Day 4 – the Jewish Museum, Stitch London and the Thames again

On that day my migraine was gone except for the usual “hangover” which I often have afterwards, so I felt a little wobbly in my legs but otherwise okay.

As it was raining the choice for the morning was a museum. I had read about the Jewish Museum on the About London website and thought that it would be interesting for us. I was right :) The museum shows many aspects of Jewish life mainly in Britain, but also in Europe. Only a small part is dedicated to the Holocaust which was quite an unusual “feeling” for us as Germans. In our country “Jewishness” is so closely connected with the Holocaust that it is hard to think of one without thinking of the other – which is not always good, of course. Therefore this almost “Holocaust-free” Jewish Museum was an entirely new experience for us – and not a bad one!

One big “plus” of the museum is its friendly and helpful staff. These are two of the volunteers who we had the pleasure to meet:

In the late afternoon we went to the Royal Festival Hall and while I took part in the Stitch London meeting …

… Hermann took photos of the area.

To this polite sign there is just one reply … 

“You’re welcome!” ;)

Our London Trip 2013 Day 3 Part 2 – Tower, Tower Bridge and St. Katharine Docks

In the afternoon we went to visit the Tower area. These were two Tube “impressions” we came across during the journey:

From Tower Hill Station we walked past the Tower, but didn’t go in. It probably wouldn’t have been possible anyway, because it was late in the afternoon and also I still had my migraine to carry with me, so fresh air was the better option. There were still lots of people in the area, but of course the Tower and Tower Bridge are two of the most famous sights in London.

Much to our surprise we found this ship in St. Katharine Docks:

Do you recognize her? If not, watch this video:

 

On our way back we enjoyed the views on and from Tower Bridge.