Streets of London

 

 

London: Shakespeare's Globe

Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in London, on the south bank of the River Thames that was originally built in 1599, destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt in 1614, and then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction is an academic approximation based on available evidence of the 1599 and 1614 buildings. It was founded by the actor and director Sam Wanamaker and built about 750 ft from the site of the original theatre and opened to the public in 1997, with a production of Henry V.

 

 

London - World Cultural Capital

I’ve been to London twice, twenty years apart. The first time I went to London I liked it, but I wasn’t in love with the city. My trip to London was right after my trip to Vienna. And I fell in love with Vienna. So after twenty years, I was very excited to be going back to London as I felt I didn’t give London a fair chance.

I’m sorry to say, but I was very disappointed by the city and have to say I didn’t like it. The uncleanliness of the city was repugnant. After walking the streets of London for a few hours, I wanted to rest by the Thames River in the evening instead of sitting at the hotel. But this was another disappointment. The smell on the promenade was unacceptable.

Yes, I know there is a lot of history there. However, there is a lot of history in other European capitals and yet they remain clean.

There are so many companies doing the Red Bus tours that if you hop off at one stop and try to hop on at a different stop, it may take you some time to find the right stop. Even with a map of the bus route, I wasted some time looking for the right stop. I told a fellow traveler about my experience and she had the same problem. She said she would never do this again.

Good thing about London or England in general is that they have free museums. You don’t pay any fee to enter it and that’s the way it should be. That was the original idea of the first museums, to show art to those who could not afford it themselves.  When I took a class of art history, my professor told us to give a clerk a penny for the suggested price museums and if he/she gives you a look, then to give them the same look back.  Do not feel bad for not paying the whole price.

On the other hand, in order to see some churches in London, for example Westminster Abbey, you have to pay a fee, which is wrong. You shouldn’t be paying any money to see the inside of a church, where people pray. You can still go inside and have a glance of the inside without paying a fee.

A brief history: London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its founding by the Romans, who named it Londinium. The city was named a world cultural capital as it is the world’s most-visited city as measured by international arrivals.

London contains four World Heritage Sites: the Tower of London; Kew Gardens; the site comprising the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey, and St Margaret’s Church; and the historic settlement of Greenwich (in which the Royal Observatory marks the Prime Meridian, 0° longitude, and GMT).

Other famous landmarks include Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, St Paul’s Cathedral, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square and The Shard.

London is home to numerous museums, galleries, libraries, sporting events and other cultural institutions, including the British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, British Library and 40 West End theatres.

                                                  Trafalgar Square

                                      National Gallery

Palace of Westminster 

 

 

Westminster Abbey 

 

 

                                                 St Paul's Cathedral

 

                                               Tower of London

 

 

 

                                                  Tower Bridge

                                             Buckingham Palace

                                                Piccadilly Circus

London Eye

Colors of the Greek Flag: Blue and White

The colors of the Greek flag, Blue and White, represent its country in its true essence. It can be seen all over Greece, on the white-washed walls of the stone buildings with blue finishes, decorative displays or even on the roof over a guard protecting him from a scorching summer sun.
                                           
                                            Mykonos (pictures below)

 

Santorini (pictures below)

 

 

Hydra

 

                                        Changing Guard at Parliament, Athens