Our London Visit Day 5 Part 1 – Another Bus Tour

The following day was even darker weatherwise, so we decided to make another bus tour. We took a Victoria Line train to the final station in the north east, Walthamstow Central. There we decided to take a bus to London Bridge Station. Again we went upstairs and managed to get seats directly behind the front screen. The other two seats were taken by an Italian couple who obviously had the same idea of making a sightseeing tour with an ordinary bus ;)

During the first part of the journey we were “entertained” by a German woman in her fifties. She was travelling together with a boy in his early teens who seemed to be her nephew or grandson. From what we overheard during the conversation – or rather the woman’s monologue, as the boy didn’t talk very much – she was living in London and the boy was visiting her over the holidays. Besides boasting to him that she was a “real Londoner”, during the entire time she was nagging the poor chap – and this in a rather loud voice, so that everyone on the bus who understood German in the end knew all his faults.

First it was his treatment of his sister which she didn’t like and she told him that his older brother had treated him much nicer. Then she pitied his mother for having the “thankless task” to bring him up. Thirdly all the passengers on the bus with some knowledge of German received the information that the boy urgently needed dental braces, as otherwise his teeth would look terribly for the rest of his life. Thus she went on and on and on from Walthamstow Central to Liverpool Street Station where they left the bus. The only thing which distracted her momentarily was that the bus had to take an alternative route and suddenly she was uncertain whether she was on the right one. I hope for the poor boy that no-one except us understood what his aunt / grandma was telling him!

So here are the photos Hermann took during the journey:

Our London Visit Day 4 Part 3 – Giro Memorial, Trafalgar Square, Abbey Road

After the bus tour we went to look for a special memorial. The policeman we asked at Waterloo Place didn’t seem to know it, but at least he showed us the direction to Carlton House Terrace where we easily found it. Actually, it is nothing more than a gravestone under a tree which says: “Giro – Ein treuer Begleiter! – London im Februar 1934 – Hoesch” (Giro – a faithful companion! – London in February 1934 – Hoesch). This marks the place where Giro, the dog of German Ambassador Dr. Leopold von Hoesch, was buried with full Nazi honours. More information about the monument and the former German (Nazi) Embassy building can be found on the About.com London Travel website.

Leaving the memorial we went down to The Mall and from there to Trafalgar Square. There we found the famous Olympic Games Countdown Clock. The clock on one side counts down to the Olpymics and the other side to the Paralympics. What I find interesting is that the symbol for the Paralympics looks much nicer than the one for the Olympics as it is more colourful. I wonder whether this is just a coincidence.

Often overlooked by tourists is the George Washington Statue in front of the National Gallery.

Our last destination for this day was the famous Abbey Road Crossing where the Beatles had crossed the street for a record cover. We took a Jubilee Line train to St. John’s Wood and then at first had a little trouble finding the right direction. However, it turned out that we just had to take the direction most people went, as we were not the only ones who wanted to visit the place ;)

The car drivers on Abbey Road had to be very patient, as so many people wanted to cross the street like the Beatles, even entire families and “boy bands” :)

Our London Visit Day 4 Part 2 – A Bus Tour

The weather had not cleared up when we left Geffrye Museum, so we decided to just take the next bus to the centre and thus do a little sightseeing. This is a good way to see something of the town without getting wet when it rains :) In the bus we went upstairs and were lucky to get two seats right behind the front window – ideal for taking photographs. So here are the ones Hermann took on our way from the Geffrye to Tottenham Court Road Station: