I got the chance to enter true tourist territory when a good friend washed up in London from the distant shores of Staten Island and desired my company for a day out in London. Thanks to the over scrupulousness of Stansted airport’s passport control and the unreliability of its rail service, it wasn’t until about 1pm that we headed out with high hopes of all we could achieve in the 4 hour window left open to us in which to ‘do’ London. Despite my assertion in an earlier post that Big Ben is a major if not the emblem of London, my dear New Yoiker, despite being a very intelligent lass, had not heard of this fabled Big Ben. Apparently she had heard tell of a certain “Ben grande” thanks to a Spanish acquaintance, but not having heard of it before she was not entirely sure if her direct translation (of Big Ben) were correct. Now that is taking tourist in London to a whole new extreme!
So some serious London educating was needed. And if only I were better equipped to offer it, being little more than a tourist myself. I endeavoured to do my best however and we began the tour in Covent Garden which delivered as usual. There were still the remnants of Christmas decorations floating around, which helped to brighten up the grey old January day, and despite the miserable weather a few hardy living statues were lining the street as well as a performer wielding what looked to be a chainsaw...? One mulled wine later (mulled wine seems to be making numerous appearances, but only because it’s short-lived season must be made the most of) and after a moment enjoying the soothing tones of a string quartet, we headed towards the river on foot. With the help of an improvised map, cunningly created by taking a photograph of one of those handy pillar things that are dotted all over London, we managed to navigate our way riverwards, smoothly incorporating Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square and many other very important looking buildings that I failed to enlighten my companion about regarding their function, history, or relevance.
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament were domineering as ever and inspired the usual awe and happy snapping. Sometimes I need to be reminded of the beauty of my city, and the panorama along the Thames never fails to hit it home.
With time a ticking, we could only fit one more stop into our afternoon of explorations, and we chose to visit Abbey Road, which, being a terrible Londoner as already mentioned, I have not only not visited, but also had no idea where this famous cultural landmark is situated. (St john’s Wood for those of you who don’t know ). By the time we got there darkness had descended which somewhat hindered our attempts to get the perfect photo of us crossing “that crossing” in a suitable Beatles-esque style. Just to complicate matters, Abbey Road is a surprisingly busy thoroughfare; so many a speeding van was halted by our various endeavours to strike the pose slap bang in the middle of the road.
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This was about the best shot we got...not very traditional, but hey. |
Judging by the amount of tourists that must flock there every day, I am surprised that London savvy drivers don’t try to avoid Abbey Road.
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| Quite a fitting post |
Although on second thoughts I suppose if I had to drive a van all day every day I would quite enjoy the spectacle of foolhardy tourists making the dash to get their photo before they are run over by a motorbike, and be quite amused by the various ridiculous poses deployed on the crossing. In fact, Abbey road Studios clearly appreciate the entertainment factor involved in such ludicrous re-enactments of the crossing’s 5 minutes of fame because they have set up a webcam allowing you to watch the goings on at this newly declared heritage site live, at any time, day or night. See http://www.abbeyroad.com/visit/ Hallelujah, I need never be bored at work again!
Like the true tourists that we were, a visit to Abbey Road would not have been complete without turning graffiti artist and signing the white wall outside the studios; a blank canvas just waiting to be written on by Beatles fans. Apparently the studios repaint the wall every month and the process begins all over again. I like that the Studios are down to earth enough to allow such defacement of their property month after month, and it certainly adds to the touristic experience. Quite frankly:
