The View

One of my favourite sights in London is standing on the portico of the National Gallery overlooking Trafalgar Square and looking down Whitehall to Big Ben. When a beautiful red Roadmaster bus comes into view - it is my postcard view of London. Yesterday Jeff and I stood on that portico trying to take a picture of that view for the new SJWWC website. It was bright and somewhat warm (global warming?) February day. We took a few pictures with the digital camera, crossed the square and walked down Whitehall to Parliament Square stopping for coffee along the way. Of course I stopped in yet another souvenir shop looking for Donald's 7" bobby! I wanted to walk over Westminster Bridge to view Parliament from that vantage point (another favourite London view!).

On the way down Whitehall we stopped by a statute of Field Marshall Viscount Alanbrooke (1883-1963). Alanbrooke was Winston Churchill's chief military advisor during WWII. I found it quite funny that the base of the statue referred to him as a Master of Strategy. I made Jeff pose with (and without!) his mobile phone near the statue and took a picture. We then wandered down Scotland Yard to the gates of the Civil Service Club. I think these are the gates often used in old movies to represent the entrance to Scotland Yard. As we passed Downing Street we wondered if Tony and Gordon were at home?

Parliament Square was teeming with people ( I think mostly drunk kids!). It was New Zealand Day and at 4pm the Haka was going to be performed in the square. We headed over Westminster bridge to avoid that commotion. If you have never heard the Haka before, it is quite something. It is a traditional Maori dance shouted out in a ferocious way. I know it mostly from Rugby matches. Kiwi players always start matches with this ritual and it is suppose to be really intimidating! But I digress........... No view from Westminster Bridge today because it is boarded up along the sides for some reason? We walked along the river (London Calling playin in my mind!) past the London Eye to the Millenium Bridge. We crossed the bridge enjoying the view back to the Eye and the Houses of Parliament. I had never really taken note of the Hungerford railway bridge until Jeff pointed it out to me. It is sandwiched between the two Millenium bridges. We walked to the Charing Cross tube station and took the Bakerloo line home to Baker Street. It was a nice Saturday afternoon!