Showing posts with label London England. Show all posts
Showing posts with label London England. Show all posts

12 June 2023

Grosvenor Square London England


 Grosvenor Square is a garden park in Mayfair, which is a district in Westminster, London. The park is named after the Duke of Westminster.


A statue honours president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. People all over the UK contributed to the memorial, which was unveiled by Mrs. Roosevelt  with King George VI on 12 April 1948.



In 2023, Grosvenor hosted Mayfair's Coronation Garden Party.


More history

John Adams was the first to establish an American presence nearby in 1785. The house is still there on the corner of Brook and Duke Streets.

A memorial honours Eagle Squadron--244 Americans served in the Royal Air Force before the US entered WW II.

Eagle Squadron/ Grosvenor Square
From Bing Free to Share

Later, General Dwight D. Eisenhower established his quarters at 20 Grosvenor Square. The building was used by the US Navy until 2009.

For years, the US Embassy was nearby until they moved to their new location.

There's a commemorative stone placed on the 50th anniversary of the D-Day landings.

And there's a memorial garden to the 67 British victims of 11 September 2001.

Google Map of Grosvenor Square London




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09 June 2023

Museum of London-Docklands

 


The Museum of London Docklands is housed in No.1 Warehouse of the West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs. The Warehouse exhibit contains objects, storyboards, and videos to illustrate the activities of the dockworkers at the Port of London. These workers, known as dockers, unloaded the ships and stored goods like sugar, rum, and tobacco in the warehouse.

Barrels and large scales are examples of the objects.


The West India Docks were the largest group of docks in the world in the early 1800s.

Recreated scenes  illustrate aspects of life in the docklands with objects like tools, lanterns, ropes, and furniture.







London's docks were bombed during World War II. Small steel Consul shelters were provided for those who needed to work on the docks.




Consul Shelter

WW II Bomb

The museum includes educational information on the slave trade. Some of the goods stored in the warehouse were came from the Caribbean where African slaves worked the plantations. Those who traded in goods such as sugar became rich in part because of slave labour.

 Slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1833. The African slavery system lasted about 300 years but the effects of the slavery system continue. 


Sponsor

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Google Map showing the location of the Museum of London Docklands

 


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07 June 2023

Victoria Tower Gardens Royal Park London England



 


Victoria Tower Gardens is a pleasant place to rest near the Houses of Parliament in the City of Westminster, London.

There's a children's play area and a memorial to the abolition of slavery (Buxton Memorial).

Victoria Tower Gardens, London

Victoria Tower Gardens is one of London's Royal Parks. It is located along the River Thames between the Houses of Parliament and Lambeth Bridge.

See Google Map





Mind the Gap - A Fun and Informative Look at British Culture

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Royal Park- Brompton Cemetery London England


 

Brompton Cemetery is not a typical Royal Park. During the time of Queen Victoria, Brompton was a village near the pulsing city of London where people thronged to work as the Industrial Revolution gained steam.

The churchyard were filled; thus the need for more cemeteries. Brompton Cemetery holds over 200,000 Londoners who have rested here since 1840.

One famous woman has a special spot, Emmeline Pankhurst.


Emmeline Pankhurst/ Geoff Sutton 2023

See the map below for the location of the cemetery, including the Pankhurst grave marker.
The nearest underground in West Brompton.

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Google Map
 

Temple London England

Geoff Sutton 2017

 The Temple is located within that part of London known as the City of London and is named for the medieval Knights Templar.


Temple courtyard/ Geoff Sutton 2017

The building around the courtyard are associated with the legal profession. 

The Temple Church, built by the Knights Templar, dates to 10 February 1185 when it was consecrated by Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem.

Temple Church/ Bing Free images

Effigy tombs inside Temple Church

Effigies of Templar Knights - Temple Church - London | Flickr



The Knights Templar were suppressed in the 1300s. 

Early in the 1600s, King James I granted the area to the legal societies.

The location of the church and related buildings can be seen on the Google Map of the area.



The closest underground station is Temple

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You might be interested in a book about the Knights Templar.




Find more places in VISIT LONDON ENGLAND

20 May 2023

Kensington Gardens, London, England

Princess Diana Fountain, Kensington 2011/ 
Geoffrey Sutton suttong.com

I have enjoyed sitting on one of the benches surrounding The Italian Gardens. Nearby, you can hear children asking for an ice cream from a vintage van.




The Peter Pan statue is a favourite monument for selfies. It's located west of the Long Water.



The Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens

Albert Memorial by Michael Coppins
Wikimedia file

Perhaps the most visited spot is the Princess Diana Fountain.



About Kensington Gardens

Kensington Gardens is one of London’s eight Royal Parks and covers an area of 265 acres¹. Once part of Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens offers a mix of old and new park pastimes and green space. You can get your fix of contemporary art and architecture at the Serpentine Galleries, marvel at the history and heritage of Kensington Palace or admire the Victorian splendour of the Albert Memorial¹.

The gardens are shared by the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and sit immediately to the west of Hyde Park, in western central London². The Gardens are fenced and more formal than Hyde Park. Kensington Gardens are open only during the hours of daylight, whereas Hyde Park is open from 5 am until midnight all year round².


Visit Places Nearby

Hyde Park



Sources: Geoffrey W. Sutton in conversation with Bing, 20 May, 2023

(1) Kensington Gardens | London | The Royal Parks. https://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington-gardens.

(2) Kensington Gardens - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington_Gardens.

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Google Map of Kensington Gardens




26 September 2022

Little Venice London England





Little Venice is a canal in west-central London close to Paddington station and in the City of Westminster.


Little Venice was built between 1810 and 1870.

There are plenty of places to eat along the canal.








 












Little Venice is a district around the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal and the Regent's Canal by Paddington Basin.

Most of the white stucco buildings in the district are from the Regency period.

Royal connection
Nearby at St Mary's Paddington, Princes William Harry, George, and Louis were born as well as Princess Charlotte.





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03 June 2022

Phone plans and Phones for Travel





Photo of Tower Bridge taken with Pixel 4. 

PHONE TRAVEL PLANS

I check the major plans and decided Google Fi is best for us. Verizon and ATT seem fine but when I checked, I thought the  Google Fi Unlimited Plus   plan was the best. For a flat fee, I get Unlimited data and texts

I travel to visit family in England so I need a good international travel plan. My  Google Fi plan   worked seamlessly from the time I turned it on when arriving at Heathrow for the 4 weeks in many English towns and villages and on return to Chicago and home in 2021.

Before leaving, I switched from the low cost   Flexible plan  to the  Unlimited Plus plan. On my return, I switched back to the Flexible Plan.

In England, I called or texted my cousins or message them over unlimited WIFI. I was able to buy rail tickets, museum tickets, and uber rides easily.

On previous trips, Google Fi service popped up on cruises when we were near an Island in the Caribbean.

I had no problem uploading photos to the   Google Photo site.   Uploading videos takes more space so if you shoot a lot of 4K videos you may need to add   inexpensive storage.

PHONES

My current phone is a Pixel 6.

I decided against the Pro version because of the cost. And no phone can get the zoom length of a camera.

Note, lower cost options are available for reconditioned phones.


Of course, you can use other phones like the impressive    iPhone 13    and  Samsung models. One of my English cousins has a Samsung note, which is interesting-- my wife and I both owned Samsung notes in the past and were happy with them. The new Galaxy 22 series is worth a look.

WHY I STILL USE A CAMERA

I admit that the three phones mentioned above take awesome photos but the long optical zooms on cameras and easy pop in spare batteries allow me to get better photos and videos without running down my phone battery.

I use a moderately priced point-and-shoot camera and carry a spare memory card and batteries.

I have been happy with a Panasonic Lumix Camera with 4K video. Mine is a little old but still works fine. 

Newer versions like the  LUMIX FZ2500 offer a 20x optical zoom. 

Memory cards are inexpensive compared to buying more memory on a phone.

It's a matter of choice of course. Phones can do a lot and reduce what you have to carry.


Note. Just because I have had a good experience I cannot guarantee anyone else will.


 Phone Accessory Gift Ideas for Travelers

Memory: Buy the largest phone memory you can afford unless you are using a separate camera with inexpensive memory cards.

Zoom: Consider. Better phone models are larger and have better cameras. They cost more and may not be as good as a camera.

Battery: Consider battery life. Location with directions apps and taking videos consume phone battery life. You can buy small phone recharger units called  power banks   --some attach to phones.

Storage: Consider extra cloud storage for large video and photo files

Protection: People drop phones so a case and screen protector are important

Drop Prevention: I use a 24 inch tether  (example)   to my phone case, which has a wrist strap

Adaptor: Consider a cord adaptor depending on your phone charging cord for example C to USB for charging options in some locations.  Examples of USB to C.

Portable Charger: This can be vital when traveling all day. A variety of inexpensive chargers are available.    Examples on AMAZON

Waterproof: Depending on where you go, protection from rain and other water can be critical. I carry a waterproof case.    Examples on AMAZON

Electric Adaptor and Converter Set. I bought a small power bar adaptor and converter set. Some hotels and homes have only one outlet. There are various brands. Example.


Photo of the London skyline close to Tower Bridge taken with Pixel 4




Contents

Google Fi Phone Plan

Google One and Storage

Lumix cameras


Google Pixel Phones on  AMAZON


Apple iPhone 13   Price on AMAZON


Samsung Galaxy 22   Price on AMAZON


Phone cases with  loops example  straps and lanyards

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If you are traveling to the UK, you might find Mind the Gap 2 an interesting, fun, and informative read.



VISIT the UK