Statues of Famous People in the UK, USA, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, HK, Australia, S Africa and more

Statues of favourite, famous people as well as religious figures and heroes and heroines of mythology are all around.  Let's start with where I am now, writing this in London, England.

London, England

You can sit next to comedian Spike Milligan in a pleasant park in Finchley, NW London, or pose beside author Oscar Wilde right in the city centre near Trafalgar Square.

For inspiration see the bust of Einstein in the sculpture section of the Victoria & Albert Museum. On a fine day, see the outdoor statues. On a dull day see Sherlock Holmes outside Baker Street station and the waxworks in Madame Tussaud's.

Statues In London

Nelson's column is a landmark in Trafalgar Square. You need to set your camera to multiply times three to get more detail. 

The world has many statues of Queen Victoria, royals, world famous figures, and local heroes. 

In London we have statues of Oscar Wilde in the centre, and  Amy Winehouse in Camden. I have a book just on statues of London.

Sigmund Freud sits in Hampstead near the Freud Museum, London, England.

Photo by Mike Peel and another in Wikipedia.

A temporary Freddy Mercury memorial picture is on the Spanish steps at Wembley, London, England, in the autumn of 2026. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4z8mzx7gwo

Shakespeare's bust is outside the free Guildhall Art Gallery in Guildhall Yard in London. 

Engineer Brunel sits on Paddington station. the other side of the station is a small statue of Paddington Bear.

A statue of Abraham Lincoln is in Parliament Square, London, England.

You can also see a bust of Mandela in London, outside the Festival Hall on the South Bank (of the river Thames).

 The Three Graces by Canova in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England, UK

National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh (jointly owned, moving between these two museums), UK

Statues in England

Up north in Manchester, England, is a statue of Chopin at a piano, commemorating his visit to the city in the last year of his life.

A statue of Queen Elizabeth II with her corgi dogs is in Rutland, England.

Another is in Newcastle-under-Lyme in Queens Gardens, England.

Another is on York Minster, in York, England.

Manchester England, has a statue of Abraham Lincoln on Lincoln Square. Recalling the support Manchester gave Lincoln in the American Civil war.

The Beatles statue is in Liverpool.

And politician Margaret Thatcher's statue is in Grantham Lincolnshire, by the Grantham Museum, England.

The statue of playwright J B Priestley, who wrote An Inspector Calls, is on Princes Street outside the Museum of Science & Media in Bradford, England, UK. He was born in Bradford.

Scotland Statues

Statues of Robbie Burns who wrote Auld Lang Syne, sung by people all over the world on New Year's eve, are in Ayr, Edinburgh, Glasgow.

Wales Statues

A statue of Gandhi is in Cardiff, Wales, UK.

A statue of seated Dylan Thomas, poet who wrote Under Milk Wood and poem Do not go gentle into that goodnight, is by the Dylan Thomas theatre in Swansea, Wales, UK.

David Lloyd George, statue standing by Caernarfon Castle, Wales. Prime Minister, credited with introducing the National Health Service.

Statue of Aneurin Bevan in Cardiff, Wales, jointly credited with founding the National Health Service.

Australia's Statues

Questacon (Canberra, Australia): A prominent Albert Einstein statue marks the entrance to Australia's National Science and Technology Centre.

Statues In Canada

A statue of Queen Elizabeth II is in Toronto, Canada.

A statue of Queen Victoria is on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Statues of several Canadian Prime Ministers are on Parliament Path. 

Some statues may have been moved or removed. Check before taking a trip to see them.

Denmark Statues

The Little Mermaid, immortalised by Hans Christian Andersen.

A statue of the author Hans Christian Andersen is in Roseborg Gardens in Copenhagen.

Statues in France

The statue of the thinker is in the Rodin Gallery in Paris, France.

Dreyfus statue, Paris, France.

Burghers of Calais, group statues, in Calais France, by sculptor Rodin.

Statues In Greenland

Erik the Red and Leif Eriksson, explorers.

Australian Statues

Captain Cook statues are in Sydney and Melbourne.

Belarus

Statue of Marc Chagall, famous for his paintings, stained glass windows and sculptures. A statue of him is in

Bosnia Statues

Bruce Lee (Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina): A notable bronze statue of Bruce Lee stands in Zrinjevac Park, erected as a universal symbol of youth, solidarity, and pop culture neutrality across ethnic divides. [1]

Canada - Statues

See a statue of jazz pianist Oscar Peterson seated at his piano in Ottawa, Canada.

A-maze-ing Laughter statue is a popular photo spot in Vancouver.

China - Hong Kong

Bruce Lee Hong Kong: A famous life-sized statue honouring the martial artist stands in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong,

Czech Republic statues

See the statue of author Kafka in Prague. There are several statues associated with Kafka.

Germany's statues

Goethe Monument, Liepsig, Germany.

Walhalla Temple (Donaustauf, Germany): A bust sculpted by Ulrich Uhlig is displayed inside this hall of fame honoring distinguished Germans.

Israel

A replica of the Washington DC monument to Einstein is in the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Jerusalem, Israel. 

Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Jerusalem, Israel): A bronze sculpture of Einstein created by Georgy Frangulyan stands at the Edmond J. Safra Campus, honoring Einstein's role as one of the founders of the university.

Italy & The Vatican Statues

Outdoor statue of biblical David in Florence, Italy.

The Muses from Classical Antiquity (Roman) in The Vatican Museums, Rome, Italy.

Lithuanian Statues & Busts

The Three Muses statue, Vilnius, Lithuana. Situated above the main entrance to the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre on Gediminias Avenue.

Monument to John Lennon.

Monument to Frank Zappa.

Monument to Leonard Cohen.

Monument to the Vilna Gaon. (Child prodigy and later leader of Jewish community thinkers, who had memorised the entire bible at the age of 9.)

Mexico's Statues

Monument to Christopher Columbus in Mexico City.

Parque México (Mexico City, Mexico): A bronze bust of Einstein sculpted by Tosia Malamud stands in the Condesa neighborhood.

New Zealand Statues

A statue of Queen Victoria is in Auckland, on the North Island of New Zealand.

A statue of Captain James Cook is in Christchurch on the south island of New Zealand. I nearly got run over by a tram, as I was trying to photograph the statue, backing across the road to get it all in.

A statue of Burt Monroe, world motorcycle speed record holder, is shown on his motorbike in Invercargill, the southernmost city on the South Island of New Zealand.

Norway's Statues

Henrik Ibsen, playwright, has a statue in Oslo, outside the theatre.

Statues In Poland

A giant statue of composer Chopin in Warsaw is a landmark which you pass, or stop at, in guided tours of the city.

A statue of pianist Arthur Rubinstein at his piano, 

Portugal

Monument to the Discoveries, has Prince Henry the navigator and a series of statues of other famous explorers including Vasco da Gama. 

Christ the King.

Russia's Statues

Statue of Lenin in St Petersburg, Russia.

The Three Graces by Canova, neoclassical sculptor (1757-1822) in The Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, Russia,

Singapore Statues

Singapore has a statue of Sir Stamford Raffles. 

Many more outdoors statues include a bird, a horse.

I love the children jumping into the water. 

The giant statue of the mythical Merlion spouts water. 

A plaque honours writer Joseph Conrad.

In Madame Tussauds on Sentosa Island you can see Lee Kuan Yew.

South African Statues

Statues of Mandela are everywhere, for example, in Cape Town, 

Nelson Mandela in Pretoria, 

Nelson Mandela in Durban.

Nelson Mandela, in Nelson Mandela Square, Johannesburg 

and more. 

Statues in Spain

A statue of seated Maimonides is in Maimonides Square in Cordoba, Spain.

The Three Muses are in The Prado, Madrid, Spain.

Statue of Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, in Madrid, Spain.

Statue of painter Velazquez in Madrid, Spain.

Monument to Columbus, Salamanca.

Monument to human towers, Tarragona, Spain.

Sweden's Statues

In Malmo, Sweden, you might want to see the jolly multi-person parade of statues in the Optimist Orchestra.

Switzerland's Statues

Freddie Mercury (Montreux, Switzerland): A famous 3-meter bronze sculpture by sculptor Irena Sedlecká stands overlooking Lake Geneva. It depicts Mercury in his iconic 1986 Wembley Stadium live pose. 

Rosengarten (Bern, Switzerland): A statue located in Bern's Rose Garden park commemorates the city where Einstein developed his Special Theory of Relativity while working at the Swiss Patent Office.

William Tell statue, Altdorf, Switzerland.

USA Statues

Visitors to New York are greeted by the giant Statue of Liberty. 

A statue of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point, was placed in Times Square, New York, on September 10th 2026, the first anniversary of his death.

A statue of Scottish poet Robbie Burns is in New York, USA.

Another popular place, memorable and recognizable is the Lincoln Memorial, a giant statue of Abraham Lincoln seated outdoors in Washington DC in the USA. 

Albert Einstein Memorial (Washington, D.C., USA): Created by sculptor Robert Berks and located at the National Academy of Sciences, this massive, 12-foot bronze statue depicts Einstein seated on a three-step granite bench with a paper displaying his equations ($E = mc^2$, the photoelectric effect, and general relativity).

University of South Alabama (Mobile, Alabama, USA): Features the "Einstein Bench," a bronze sculpture depicting Einstein sitting on an outdoor campus bench.

Mount Rushmore in South Dakota is well known. A more recent mountain carving is Crazy Horse.

In the USA another statue of Einstein which you can sit next to is in Los Angeles at the Griffith Observatory.

Bruce Lee in Los Angeles: Famous life-sized statue honouring the martial artist is along the Avenue of Stars.

More Statues Worldwide

Useful Websites About Famous People and Statues

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Hall_of_Fame

https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2017/05/wheres-statue.html

https://www.reutersconnect.com/item/artist-sergio-furnari-reveals-his-statue-of-turning-point-founder-charlie-kirk-in-times-square-in-new-york/

https://www.stephenshouseandgardens.com/visit/spike-milligan-statue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Statues_in_Spain

https://www.un.org/ungifts/pianist (About Arthur Rubinstein)

https://www.mayflowercruisesandtours.com/iceland-greenland-erik-and-leif/

See Tripadvisor for top ten monuments or sites in each country, and Wikipedia for statues in each country.

America has many statues, as well as carvings of presidents, not only Mount Rushmore.

-ends-

Welsh Wafers, Wine & Chocolates

Flag of Wales

I associate Wales with the poems of Dylan Thomas, the Welsh male voice choirs, Castles, carved love spoons, and whisky and warm Welsh cakes, like little thick pancakes. But there's more.

Global warming has increased wine production in Southern England and Wales. I went to a wine tasting in Welwyn, where the speaker was Janet Wynne Evans. Evans is a popular Welsh name, along with Jones and Lloyd.

She was emplyed most of her working life by the Wine Society. She came to talk about 'A Life'In Wine'.

 . We got to taste eight wines from various countries, red, white, and orange.

Enter The Dragon

The first wine served was Welsh, Enter the Dragon (2022) a non vintage NV) wine from Pembrokeshire. 11% alcohol. 

The retail price was 36 pounds, so not exactly cheap. UK wines tend to be on the pricey side. When it comes to cheap, sweet wine with a hint of sparkle, it's hard to beat the popularity and price of Italian Prosecco in Tesco supermarkets. However, the Welsh wine has won awards.

Also you can visit their vineyard and book a wine tour and tasting. Go online to check them out.

If you wonder where you've heard the name Enter The Dragon before, it's the name of a Bruce Lee film, which has been around since 1973. 

The dragon, the red, dragon, features on the Welsh flag.

To go with Welsh wine we were served Welsh cracker.

The cheap wine which I preferred on first taste was A Cod Start (1984), only £8.95 from The Wine Society. My husband is a member and gets wines delivered free. That wine did not taste as good at the end of the evening. Why? Maybe it was a wine which went flat in the glass and did not last, or the other wines and food I ate. Anyway, it was good when I first tried it and the lady on my right liked it.

Useful Websites

https://www.velfreyvineyard.com/

thewinesociety.com

Please share links to your favourite posts.

Martial arts to learn, defense and easy exercise: Aikido, Kung Fu, Kra Maga, Tai Chi

I met a tall, bearded man who told me: 'I practise and learn aikido every weekend in Singapore.'

I asked him: 'What is aikido?'

Aikido defense against a sword. Picture from Wikipedia.

Aikido
He told me: 'Aikido means harmonious way. People over the age of fifty take it up because it doesn't require the strength and agility used by younger people in other martial arts.

'It is a form of defense used against a stronger assailant turning their strength against them. Imagine evading an opponent rushing towards you by stepping aside at the last minute and so they fall forward, using their strength against them!'

'Like tripping someone up? A bit like a rugby tackle.'

'It is non-violent. Aiki is Japanese for harmony and do means way.'

Bruce Lee

I asked:
'Which was the martial art started by Bruce Lee?'

Kung Fu is associated with Bruce Lee. I thought he invented it but apparently not. He just made it more popular.

Krav Maga

A third well-known martial arts defense system is Krav Maga. It was started by a Jewish man in Europe who needed self-defense and his system was taken to Israel where it was taught to the army. They have national service, like Singapore.

In London a member of my Toastmasters club was learning it with his fiancee. One meeting he turned up with a bandaged nose. 

He still married her.

My friend in Singapore said:
'I am learning at a community club. You can learn almost anything in community clubs. Dancing, ballroom dancing - my friend is doing salsa.'

They also have first aid classes. That could be handy - especially for any young man whose girlfriend gets too enthusiastic.

Tai Chi
A really slow oriental exercise is tai chi. You often see this being done by groups in public places, in factory compounds at the start of the day's work, or in the open air courtyards of the Singapore community clubs.

The moves are given animal names. Looks like a film in slow motion. No contact. Each person does their own thing.

Useful Websites
SINGAPORE
visitsingapore.com
Singapore Airlines
singaporeair.com

Find a Community Club or course
https://www.pa.gov.sg/our-network/community-clubs/locate-cc

Aikido Info
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Hong Kong Language Warning - when ordering cups of coffee

Flag of China.

Problem
It is a treat to visit Hong Kong. I think of it as the land of Bruce Lee and films in which he starred.

However, Cantonese is not the easiest language for those of us who speak English. What can go wrong, I asked a Brit who lived in Hong Kong.

Answer
Cantonese, like Mandarin, has several tones. The Mandarin language has five, or more, depending on whether you count a base or blank tone. Mandarin is used in China and Singapore. When you get to Hong Kong, you need Cantonese. Mandarin is not enough.

Cantonese speakers claim yet more tones are needed. Despite this my brave friend did his best.

He came unstuck when he visited a Chinese restaurant. He asked for what he thought was a cup of coffee. Instead, he got two empty cups.

This has happened to me before in restaurants, and I have not understood the reason. We debated the reason. We speculated. We assumed that the helpful and willing staff were not being difficult. Maybe the restaurant staff generously employed slow-witted staff. Perhaps the staff were rushed and brought the cups and another member of staff is supposed to fill the cups.

Now we know that if you are not too careful about word order and intonation, you have asked for coffee cups instead of cups of coffee.

Why would anybody want an empty cup? Sometimes you want to share out your drinks, try it with sugar and without, need a cup or glass for a glass of water to take a pill, want to drink milk separately.

If I want an empty cup and I am speaking English, I specify an empty cup.

Rapport
Another friend of mine who specialises in psychology and rapport, said that autism is a spectrum of abilities to relate to other people and see things from their point of view. Some people can be mild, and learn to read signals.

Others more rigid. When told to do something, they don't interact or ask questions. They just follow rules and orders exactly. They think, If I am asked for two coffee cups, that's what I fetch.

So we have various factors to take into consideration, language, personality. If you don't have the ability to develop rapport, chat away, mime and smile and read signals, and neither does the other person. you have to rely on precise language for perfect communication.

I have many more posts on language. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Useful Websites

Author
Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Bruce Lee Statues and Stories in Hong Kong, USA and worldwide

Bruce Lee (Nov 27 1940-July 20 1973) is one of my favourite film stars. Isn't he everybody's? I was just reading about him and wondering whether any statue of him existed, and where.

Wikipedia came up with the answer. The statue is in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong
Hong Kong - I just came back from Hong Kong - how come I didn't see it! It was in Tsim chat sui which I passed through on the road and railway (MTR) many times.

The statue is in Hong Kong's Hollywood style walk of fame, with stars on the ground. Now I know why I didn't see it - the area is closed for renovation until 2018.

However, you can see a picture of the statue in Wikipedia. Another photo shows you the star in The Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong.
Photo by Ahleong.

A further picture shows the star in the USA.

USA
If you are in the USA you can see something else, not just a likeness, but his grave with a picture of him in Seattle. Next to his grave is the gravestone of his son, Brandon. I am sorry that there is no picture of Brandon on his gravestone.

Both men were film stars. Both died shockingly young. It appears that Bruce lee died of an allergic reaction to an ingredient in a painkiller.

Bruce's son, Brandon, on a film set for The Crow, died from a gun which was supposed to be unloaded, having a live bullet. How could such a thing happen!

But let's end on a happy note. Bruce Lee is immortalised in yet another film about his life.

Films
On a cruise ship I watched, in one sitting, videos of a film starring Bruce Lee and a documentary about his life. I was reading about the latest film which seems to have invented a character and some fans think this makes Bruce Lee into an accessory rather than the star of the film.

His daughter, Shannon, is promoting another film, yet to be released, to give what she thinks is a truer account of his life.

His former home in Kowloon will be turned into a museum by a philanthropist.

If you go to LA, look for the statue of Bruce Lee in Chinatown. Whilst in Chinatown you might also photograph the statue of Sun Yat-Sen.

Martial Arts History Museum
2319 W. Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, CA 91506 USA
www.mamuseum.org

Places to see:
* Statue in Hong Kong
* Star in Hong Kong
* Gravestone, Lot 276,in Lakeview Cemetery, Seattle, USA
* Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles, California, USA
* Bruce Lee statue, Central Plaza, Chinatown, Los Angeles, California, USA
* Martial Arts History Museum, California, USA
* Statue of Bruce Lee in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina

BBC article on Bruce Lee with video
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-23387865
More in TripAdvisor and YouTube.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.