text and images britt-arnhild
I was 16 the first time I came to London. I was attending a summer school in Hastings, and during my weeks there, we visited London twice. Then, three years later I came back with a good friend and stayed in an old Miss Marple-like hotel in Bayswater for two weeks, then again three years after that for my honeymoon.
I have been back many, many times since then. To my favorite metropolitan city in the world. This is actually my third time this year, though last time, two weeks ago, the only London air I breathed was running from Heathrow Express to the Tube at Paddington Station.
I don´t have much time now either, but on my way to Turvey Abbey I had to stay over night in London, and then the same on my way back to Norway.
Which has given me some wonderful hours of walking, walking, walking.......the very best way to explore.
I have spent most of my walking time in the parks, but Foyles, the amazing bookstore on Charing Cross Road is always on my list when I am here. And while walking from Green Park and St.James´s Park, I passed Trafalger Square, and there, together with the Nelson Column, I came upon this charming biy, riding his rocking horse.
The statue is made by two artists, Elmgreen&Dragset. The latter one from Trondheim, so I had already read about this statue in our local newspaper, but never imagined it to be so big, so beautiful.
I found other "new things" on my walk as well, like this Isis statue, near The Serpentine, in Hyde Park.
Or old stuff like this boy and his fish in the Rose Garden in Hyde Park.
A group of preschool children passed by when I sat on a bench enjoying the roses. One of the boys looked up at the fish, made a face and cried:" Argh! disgusting!!!"
:-)
London is bursting with activities these days, in preparations for The Olympic.
Near Whirehall hundreds of Queen´s Guards were practicing.
London is never boring.........you find at all here.
"When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life" Samuel Johnson