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-

Swiss & Italian Lakeside Memorials to Rock Stars: Songs by Freddie Mercury, Boy George, Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Armchair travel to a Swiss Lake in Switzerland, Lake Geneva, and travel back in time to the heyday of Queen, Boy George and Emerson Lake and Palmer.

Cover of Queen's last album showing Freddie Mercury statue in Montreux, Switzerland, and the Duck House where he often stayed.

In my earlier post I wrote about the Duck House which you can rent to stay in (before and after Coronavirus lockdowns which are in place now in April 2020) near the Montreux statue of Freddie Mercury in  Switzerland.

Emerson Lake and Palmer also stayed there. So did Boy George. Let's do a quick recap of their music from the nineteen seventies onwards.

I started wondering what were the hit songs of three famous musical acts which stayed there, Freddie Mercury, Boy George, and Emerson Lake & Palmer.

Freddie Mercury
Songs by Freddie Mercury and Queen include Bohemian Rhapsody and We Are The Champions.

Boy George
His songs include Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, and the grammatically correct, If I were you.



Emerson Lake and Palmer
The names were the surnames of the band members. On youtube you can watch them playing one of their greatest hits, Fanfare For the Common Man. Sounds familiar?  You will also find that under American Aaron Copland. When I typed it I could not remember whether the song was for or of. I checked back and it is alliterative (same initial letters), Fanfare For.

The band's rendition starts with heavy drumming and a close up of the drummer Carl Palmer.

The singer, songwriter was Lake.
Wiki sums it up:
Gregory Stuart Lake (10 November 1947 – 7 December 2016) was an English singer, songwriter, bassist, guitarist and record producer. He gained prominence as a founding member of the progressive rock bands King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP).

Their other songs include I Believe In Father Christmas, C'est La Vie and Show Me The Way To Go Home. From The Beginning was a big hit in the USA.

Lake performing in Landudno, Wales

The Best of Emerson, Lake and Palmer, issued in 1994, included In the Beginning, Jerusalem, Fanfare for the Common Man, Lucky Man, and I believe in Father Christmas.
Lake died in 2016, from pancreatic Cancer.

Marble Plaque engraved for Greg Lake next to Castello Canevaro in Zoagli, Genoa, Italy.
Date	18 June 2018
Source	by my phone
Author	Demetrio99

I know some people used to prefer non wiki websites. But other websites I looked at say in front of the link 'not secure'. I have given the wiki links because they are prefixed by the padlock sign.

Finally, listen to the Swiss national anthem.

Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Psalm

Bohemian Rhapsody
Biographical drama about Freddie Mercury and his band, Queen. Film made in 2018.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson,_Lake_%26_Palmer_discography
See previous posts on Freddie Mercury

Intrumental of Fanfare For the common Man on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2zurZig4L8

Song Lucky Man by Emerson Lake and Palmer on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3t-xorsgd8w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szFrHKoD1GE

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_of_Emerson,_Lake_%26_Palmer

BBC readable roudup and obituary of Lake entitled 'Greg Lake Crimson and ELP Star dies aged 69
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-38251936

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

Swiss National Anthem
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-bxVdkLo-Y

Author, Author! About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. (Not related to the actress.) See books and profiles on Lulu.com and Amazon, such as Wedding Speeches & Toasts, Quick Quotations, Who Said What When. Also watch videos on YouTube.

Freddie Mercury's Duck House Where Visitors Can Stay

Freddie Mercury, like people in previous years moved from the polluted city to the lakes and mountains which provided mental and physical relief from stress. He lived on an off in Switzerland where he and his group recorded their music in a recording studio they owned nearby.

The place where he lived, Duck House, with was photographed and placed adjacent to the ivew of his statue on the waterfront on the covers of two versions of his music issued to the public, his last album.


Album showing the Duck house and Freddie Mercury statue.

Others who stayed here were boy George and Emerson Lake and Palmer.

Freddie Mercury
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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

USA
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame

SWITZERLAND
Montreux
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreux

Châtelard Castle - also in the Montreux region.

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Switzerland
https://www.region-du-leman.ch/en/P32803/duck-house-freddie-mercury-vacation-home
wiki emerson lake and palmer music
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerson,_Lake_%26_Palmer_discography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Emerson,_Lake_%26_Palmer_songs

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. (Not related to the actress.) See books and profiles on Lulu.com and  Amazon, such as Wedding Speeches & Toasts, Quick Quotations, Who Said What When. Also watch videos on YouTube.

Travel online: visit hospitals, record stories, show travel pix; do telemedicine

Who Is Complaining About Video Calls Instead Of Hospital Visits?
I have heard people complaining that they could not be at the bedside of their dying parents and grandparents in the UK, USA and Singapore, but could only speak on the video phone. I think how lucky they are.

First, I shall tell you my family experiences - when we did not have the advantage of iPads in hospitals. Then I shall tell you how much you can do nowadays:
a) Visit your family online, at home and hospital
b) Interview them on family history and
c) Send them uplifting photos of home and holidays,
d) Organize online doctors chats and prescriptions.


My mother, Netta, on her wedding day to my father, Albert, in WWII.

The Year 2000
I wish I had had iPads in hospital in the year 2000. My mother died alone in hospital in 2000. At that time we were not allowed to use mobile phones in Watford General Hospital, London, England.

Paul

The 1900s
I had often heard from my mother, Netta, how Netta's father, my maternal grandfather, Paul, died alone in the 1900s in London. He, too, was without the benefit of phone and video contact to his family, who were elsewhere in the hospital.

People on the internet, and in news stories, have complained that they could not visit or touch granny.

My mother recalled the death of her father, Paul, in a London hospital, just after they had visited him. She said that he told them, 'I called all night - but nobody came.'

Nursing homes try to ban family setting up secret surveillance. They should welcome it. Instead of needing nurses on call, family could be entertaining bored grandads with music and conversation and only alerting hospital in a case of emergency such as grandad falling over.

My mother said, "A nurse said we should all go off for tea. So we did. When we came back, he was dead"

After my mother died, for days I worried about whether somebody had given her an injection to bump her off. When my father died, I was there, so I knew nothing like that had happened. With videos, you can be checking what is going on. You can watch at the time. And/or play back, later.

The Years 2002-2005
After my mother died, her younger brother, my uncle Ronnie, went into Barnet hospital. I was able to visit Ronnie with my father (who drove me there in his car).

Angela's Uncle Ronnie in Barnet Hospital, visited by Angela and Angela's father Albert.

I spent a long couple of afternoons or with Ronnie.  Then he had the operation.

Physical Touch?
After my uncle got MRSA and declined, he was too sensitive to be touched.




In Barnet hospital. I could only observe my uncle through a side ward window in the London hospital, Barnet Hospital, without donning clothes and gloves. My uncle had MRSA after an operation which was supposed to give im another three years of life. MRSA is an, infections you pick up in hospital or take in with you.

He died in Barnet hospital.

Similarly, my mother-in-law, Pearl, for days before dying, was too sensitive to be touched. If you tried to touch her hand, or arm, she recoiled and moaned.

When my father was in hospital, he was too frail to get up and go to the phone. When I called the hospital and asked them to tell them I had phoned, I could not be sure they would remember to tell him. So I devised questions which needed an answer. It could be as simple as, "Tell him my son is visiting tonight and ask him if there's anything Tony should bring."

When the nurse called me back and said, "He was asleep earlier. When he woke up I told him your son was visiting. I asked if he wanted anything, and he said, 'Nothing, thank you, just the visit.' "

That way I was sure my message was delivered. How much better nowadays to have a proper video call!

The Blessings Of Internet In The Year 2020
In this era, 2020, we are lucky to have internet contact. If the complainers' granny could not speak, at least the family could observe the room and know that nobody had deliberately snuffed out granny or grandfather.

If the family wanted a record, the family could video the hospital or nursing home scene, for use in family history or for a court case for neglect against the hospital. Or to identify and thank and maybe reward a kind nurse who had comforted their beloved relative.

Bedside Vigil Rotas
Recently I read that Freddie Mercury's ex-wife and friends when they knew he was dying held a vigil rota by his bed. They made sure that he was never left alone. On Facebook I read the same about other families.

Even if you cannot travel, because of lack of flights, you can hold an internet rota. Twenty four hours. Or staying awake at night, taking an afternoon nap while the nurses are awake and watching. 

You could even have the video on like a baby-sitting device, so you can hear any change of breathing. While you are sleeping, the patient can call you and wake you if they have something to say, or request.

You can set up the video so that the patient has the illusion of travelling home and being at home. Either just as a fond memory, or, if they have dementia, they might really think it is true.

You can bring out happy pictures or your travels, your family when you were younger and everybody was alive and healthy and happy.

You can show old photos to trigger memories and conversation. Or to bring comfort to them and yourself.

Using video conferencing with your family members when they are well enough at home still be a help if they need telemedicine or to speak to you from hospital.

Online pharmacy organizing prescriptions

Useful Websites
THE BAD NEWS
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/29/health/coronavirus-hospital-visit-ban.html

THE GOOD NEWS
UK - hospitals providing iPads
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/30/uk-hospitals-tightening-restrictions-on-visits-even-to-dying-patients-coronavirus
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/senior-elder-dementia-memory-reminiscence-therapy-holiday-family-12199668
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8226375/Dancing-gran-lockdown-good-health-deepens-family-ties.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Grandparents_Day

Useful Medical Websites
India
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medlife
Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong
https://platomedical.com/
USA
https://platomedical.com/

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
See other posts on Freddie Mercury, telemedicine, Singapore, UK and more. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Quiz: Stay where Freddie Mercury and Boy George Stayed in Switzerland - Maybe Next Year?

Freddie Mercury statue in Montreux, Lake Lucerne, Switzerland. Fans leave flowers.

I was just check on some facts about my earlier posts on Freddie Mercury. I had a comment that the Freddy Mercury statue in Montreux Switzerland is on Lake Geneva, not Lake Leman. I looked it up and found that Lake Leman is the French name for Lake Geneva. I clarified that in the original post.

As I hunted through verious websites which mentioned the statue, I found a 5 bedroom property you can rent which Freddie Mercuty stayed in several times, and so did other well known musicians such as Boy George.

Boy George in a colourful hat

Boy George Colourful Costume

The place where Freddie Mercury and Boy George stayed is called The Duck House. I see no ducks. But it imagine at one time either wild or domesticated ducks were there. If you find out let me know.

Many more musicians and famous people have stayed in Montreux. Composer Tchaikovsky, singer Joan Sutherland, David Bowie, the Shah of Persia, to name only a few. (More on the Wiki article on Montreux.)

Also in the area: see photogenic Chateau de Chillon on the waterfront. And another chateau.

Châtelard Castle, Montreux, Switzerland.

As I write this on 'unlucky' April 13 2020, nobody in the world is travelling or planning far ahead. At least one can make a mental note to see and photograph Freddie Mercury's statue if we ever get to Montreux.

Freddie Mercury's Montreux Memorial Day is the first weekend in September.


Freddie Mercury statue at sunset in Montreux, Switzerland.

Quiz
1 Which country has a Freddie Mercury Memorial day?
England. Switzerland. USA.
2 What is the name of the place where Freddie Mercury stayed?
Duck House. Duck Castle. Goose House. Pigeon House. Boathouse. Goose Bumps.
3 What was Freddie Mercury's band called?
Queen. King. Prince. Princess. Pea.
4 What is Boy George's Band called?
Culture Club. No Culture Club. The Georgies. Georgie Girls. George's Boy Band.
5 Name one of two castles or chateaux in Montreux
Chillon. Windsor. Mercury.
6 Where is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Switzerland. UK. USA.
7 Which month is Freddie Mercury Memorial Day?
January. July. August. September.
8 Where are Freddie Mercury statues? (See other posts.)
Switzerland UK USA
9 What is the name of the film about Freddy Mercury
Bohemian Rhapsody. The Queen. Freddie in Montreux.
10 Where can I see a plaque to Freddie? (See previous post about Freddie.)
Feltham, London, England. Feltham, London, Canada. Montreux, Switzerland.


Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland. Ohio, USA. On the Lake Erie waterfront and beside the Science Center.

Useful Websites
Freddie Mercury
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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

USA
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame

SWITZERLAND
Montreux
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montreux

Châtelard Castle

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Switzerland
https://www.region-du-leman.ch/en/P32803/duck-house-freddie-mercury-vacation-home

General
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Rhapsody_(film)

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See previous posts on Freddie Mercury. See later post on The Duck House. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Funerals: who should attend? what should you wear?What more can you do?

The Taj Mahal, India. © Yann Forget in Wikipedia

Do you visit graves and mausoleums of people you don't know? Millions visit the Taj Mahal, every year. Do you like attending funerals? Many people flew across the world to attend the funeral of Princess Diana, even though they had never met her, nor any of her family.

However, others won't or can't attend the funerals of family and friends. Some people just don't like funerals. Why?

Distress
The upset at losing somebody.
The reminder that we are all mortal.
Seeing the family looking tearful.

Confusion
The confusion of not knowing relatives from friends.
Not knowing what to say.
Not knowing what to wear.

Black Catholic Dress Code
A year or two ago, never forgotten, I turned up in a black and white patterned jacket at an all-black Catholic funeral in the UK. I had to drop to my knees behind the pew in front and reverse my jacket. Luckily it had a black lining.

Timing of Funerals and Flights
This year, 2019, some of my family just changed their flights specially to attend a funeral in London. We had weeks of pre-funeral uncertainty over this. My flights were redemption flights which cannot be changed without paying a premium. So we kept postponing the booking of my flights. Finally, after a couple of months of waiting, we booked my flight. Then we were told the date of the funeral.

Jewish And Muslim Fast Funerals
By contrast, Jewish and Muslim funerals happen fast, so fast you sometimes risk missing them. Traditionally funerals would happen fast because bodies go off in the heat.

I recall a Muslim friend of mine who was angry with her religious authorities who wanted the funeral of her grandparent to take place so quickly that she would not be able to get there. She needed to take a round the world flight from Singapore, allowing a few hours to spare in case of any flight delays.

She had lots of things to arrange. Not just the flight for three people when planes were full in high season. Packing for the children. She was pregnant and needed a doctor's letter for the airline saying she was safe to fly and would not give birth in mid-air.

Jewish Orthodox Tradition
I attended one Jewish funeral, years ago, when somebody I knew pointed out that I was wearing black leather trousers. Both leather and trousers were considered unsuitable. However, the mourners made no comment on my clothes and said they were very glad I attended.

More recently I attended an Orthodox funeral. To me any synagogue which is not Liberal or Reform sounds Orthodox. Best to ask the dress code. I was surprised that peole were wearing mixed black and colours and colours. Only the immediate family wore all black. That way you could identify the immediate family.

My wearing all black caused confusion. Three people assumed I was one of the daughters. They told me, "So sorry to hear about your father". Since my own father had died recently, that caused even more confusion.

Christian Delayed Funeral
Contrasting with Jewish and Muslim funeral which take place fast, Christian funerals can be delayed endlessly. Recently we kept waiting weeks for news. 'Will it be a quick family service only, with a public memorial service six months or a year later?'

After weeks of uncertainty, my family not booking return fights, the date was been announced. it turned out that the widow, who also lost their son earlier the same year, had taken events badly, and had been yo-yoing in and out of hospital and nursing homes.

Time Off Work
I heard that my family were disappointed that only about thirty people turned up. None were noticeable from the deceased man's workplace, which was a bank.

I can see that an important institution cannot have double figures of people taking the day off, whether as paid leave or as holiday allowance. However, I think one person as representative of the company should go.

Back To Work
I have been to events where people who are working attended the service, then disappeared.

I asked, "Why did they leave so early? Why didn't they stay for the reception? Everybody was invited!"

"They could not take the whole day off work." So they attended only the late morning service, not the family get together over lunch food afterwards.

Others might miss the religious service, but come to the house after work to console the family by ensuring they are not alone and lonely.

There is the last minute hunt for the black clothes, the shoes, the socks, cuff links, change jewellery. When my mother in law was in her nineties, I had a black dress and matching hat hanging on the far right of the wardrobe, ready for her funeral or anybody of her generation. I was prepared.

Sometimes the deceased person themselves asks for no fuss. Freddie Mercury was one. You cannot see a grave for him. Only a plaque.

Plaque to Freddie Mercury in Feltham, London, England.

And statues of Freddie.

Statue of Freddie Mercury in Montreux, Switzerland.

To allow the ground to settle over a grave, only several weeks after the funeral, a heavy headstone is set up.

In Singapore I learned that there the Indians have no idea what a gravestone means. I gave a talk, ending with a picture of Spike Milligan's humorous headstone message, in Gaelic to thwart restrictions. The English translation is: I told you I was ill.

Indian Cremations
The Indians had cremation, but no headstone. So don't assume that all family, friends and colleagues will understand what is required.

Distant Relatives
At one funeral in London, an ipad was set up so that family in Australia could watch the event and join and and speak to those attending.

Records
For anybody who misses the event, you can keep a copy of the funeral oration, or the obituary in the local newspaper, to post on to wellwishers.

Traditionally, funeral directors and tombstone suppliers have cars which they sell, announcing a funeral, or thanking those who attended.

Another record is to list your deceased family member's gravestone or obituary on find-a-grave, ancestry, or one of the memorial websites.

Useful Websites
find a grave
visitbritain.com

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See other posts and next post on cemetery visits. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Prepare for Meeting People with Magic Memory Aids - alliteration of place and people names, repeated letter

Prepare for meeting people by creating an alliteration for their names. This will help you remember their name. Dazzling Dan. You can create a memory aid for the whole name, easier if it is a short name.

PEOPLE NAMES AND ALLITERATION

BEN
Brilliant
Efficient
Nice

My friend Lynda, spelled with a Y.
Yes - Lynda is spelled with a Y.

Carole, spelled with an E.
Carole, yEs, CarolE, spEllEd with an E.

Carol, nO e.

Jon without an H - simple, straightforward, time-saving Jon.

John with an H. He is my Happy JoHn.

These alliterations help you remember both the name and its spelling. Say it three times, look at it, type it out three times.

Send them a message on Facebook, Twitter, email, messenger, each time noting the name and its spelling.  re-read three messages from them, noting the spelling. Tell your family, friends and co-workers how the name is spelled. By this time you should have imprinted it on your memory. Next time they write to you, notice the spelling and reinforce the memory.

When visiting places connected with famous people you also need correct spellings. For example Freddie Mercury. Freddie - I know his first (fIrst, Ist, name ends with IE; but mercurY ends with Y - I wonder why.

CITY NAMES AND MAGIC LETTER MEMORY AIDS
I have just named this system Magic Letter Memory Aids. If you use this title please quote Angela Lansbury's Magic Letter Memory Aids. If I find that it is popular I shall add more city memory aids.
You can do the same trick with people names and place names letters to help remember place names of cities you are visiting or plan to visit.

Hanoi - Magic Memory aid
For example
HaNoi in the North of VietNam.

HA ha - HA-Noi in the North. NOrth.
Where? Oi - HanOI is in the nOrth. Last letter Is I.

Saigon / Ho Chi Minh city - Memory Aid
Saigon in the South (of Vietnam) was renamed Ho Chi Minh city. (The c in city resembles the sound of the s in Saigon and the South.   How do you remember Ho Chi Minh - ho ho ho, I'll check in a MINute, Ho ho ho. HO, ho, ho, not CHInese but VietnaMese in the south of Vietnam. Ho Chi Min - MINd you treat Him with respect - remember the H; He is the national Hero.

See Ho Chi Minh sites in the north, in Hanoi, and in the South, in Ho Chi Minh city.
Ho Chi Minh was the northern revolutionary leader. The family name is Ho, a common name in the country. Chi means will, Chi - remember chI - in English is will wI - ll. Minh is translated into English as light, which also has a silent h. A minute of light or in a minute we will have light.

https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Vietnam
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh_City

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.https://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2019/02/where-are-zoroastrians.htmlosts on Vietnam. See my  Please share links to your favourite posts.

Where are the Zoroastrians? (Freddie Mercury was one.)

Where were the Zoroastrians - and where are they now?

The Zoroastrians are 'hiding in plain sight'. Freddie Mercury was one.

They left Persia (now called Iran) after being persecuted under the regime of their time and seeking better living conditions and economy for India where they were known as Parsi, meaning Persian.

Freddie was from a Zoroastrian family. Their religion's only known burial place is an area of Brookwood cemetery in the UK. Freddie could be buried there or in the garden of his home which he left to his ex-wife.

Statue in Montreux, Lake Geneva, Switzerland

BACK GARDEN BURIALS
You can do back garden burials in the UK. I researched this when my parents died. The burial place has to be at least about 80 feet from the back of your house - and any nearby houses, and avoiding water supplies.  So no good if you have a short garden. Also no good if you have a long enough garden but the houses backing onto yours are near your back boundary. If you are interested, check up on the latest regulations in your country.

What can you see?
1 Plaque in London, England
2 Statue in London, England, above the Dominion Theatre
3 Statue in Montreux, Lake Geneva, Switzerland

Useful Websites
https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/who-are-zoroastrians
visitengland.
visitbritain
visitlondon
wikivoyage
wikipedia
wikitravel
tripadvisor
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/iran
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Iran.html

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Freddie Mercury, Statue, Burial Place? Brookwood Cemetery, Kensal Green and Zoroastrian Sites to Visit

I first came across the Zoraoastrian sites when I was in Bombay (now called Mumbai) in India. A guided tour took me past the Towers of Silence where Parsees are not buried but suspended on trees to feed the birds and return to nature.

My interest was revived recently when  I saw a film about Freddie Mercury on Singapore Airlines on a flight to Heathrow in London. Freddie was a baggage handler at Heathrow, before he became famous as the singer frontman  of the band Queen.

I read that he was buried by his ex-wife in a secret place, known only to her. When I started researching Freddie's religion, Zoroastrianism, I learned that it was monotheistic.

Curious to know where to go to see and learn more, I tried a google search of Wikivoyage combined with Zoroaster. Up pops the Towers of Silence site in Mumbai. Persia has several notable sites.

Finally, the UK provides a burial section for the Zoroastrians, and several other minority religions, in the vast Brookwood Cemetery, relatively unknown nowadays, although in Victorian times it was the largest cemetery in the world with a regular train service carrying coffins and mourners. I had read about this cemetery when researching for my blog on visiting cemeteries in England, Scotland and worldwide.

When I first read about Freddie being cremated and his ashes scattered, I thought, maybe the sea, or Switzerland which has his statue by Lake Leman in Montreux.

However, now that I have read that the Zorastrians have one cemetery in the UK, that seems to be the logical place.

He is said to be commemorated under an assumed name. So even if I and the rumour are right, there's nothing to see, no stone, and the ashes either buried or cast to the winds (generally forbidden in cities in case your ashes blow over somebody else's white t-shirt or just cause dust.)

However, you might wish to see the place where Zoroastrians are buried. Maybe some of his family and friends are buried here. Apparently his grandmother is buried here.

However, he was cremated at Kensal Green cemetery.

You might wish to include in a Freddie Mercury Sites tour:
His plaque in London.
Kensal Green Cemetery.
Brookwood Cemetery.
Montreux in Switzerland.

https://musicfeeds.com.au/news/freddie-mercurys-final-resting-place-discovered/
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/iran

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. See my previous posts on cemeteries, and Freddie Mercury. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Freddie Mercury Sites and Films on Queen, Johnny English and You'll Never Walk Alone

I enjoyed music, humour and drama on a Singapore Airlines Flight. The first film I watched was the history of You'll Never Walk Alone.

You'll Never Walk Alone
The song was written by Rogers and Hammerstein for the musical Carousel.

Gerry and the Pacemakers arriving in the USA.

Gerry and the Pacemakers, a Liverpool band, recorded it and it was a hit in the UK and USA in 1963. They sang it at a football match in Liverpool. The song was so popular that it became a regular song at Liverpool's matches, home and away. From there the song spread to other football matches worldwide.

The film includes interesting material on the Hillsborough (football stadium) disaster, in which fans tragically died.

According to the film, the Sun newspaper, instead of joining in the local and nationwide mourning about the Hillsborough  tragedy, blamed football fans for stealing from the dead. The Liverpudlians were so angry that for years afterwards many refused to buy the Sun newspaper.

In addition to other musical tours of Liverpool (including the Cavern and the statue of the Beatles), you can see statues at the football stadium.

You'll Never Walk Alone summed up the need of the bereaved, feeling alone, without their nearest and dearest, needing to feel the comfort of the crowd.

After all that tragedy, I felt in need of some light relief.

Rowan Atkinson, who I remember most as the hapless Mr Bean, appeared in his new persona as a detective or spy defending the Prime Minister. Lots of absurd slapstick, culminating in a scene at a Scottish castle where Rowan Atkinson's character stumbles about in a suit of armour causing predictable disasters, all the funnier because you smile in anticipation.

Statue of Freddie Mercury in Montreux, Switzerland. Photo by Bernd Bragelmann in Wikipedia.

The statue is in the Market Place facing Lac (Lake) Leman.

After that I went back to music, the highlight of my flight (what a pun!) was the film about Queen and Freddie Mercury.

The promotion for the film points out that he started his career as a baggage handler at Heathrow in London!

The mystery of his having an ex-wife despite being so gay and getting aids, was explained. Simple really. He marries his sweetheart Mary Austin. He goes off on tour. Gets lonely. Is propositioned by a male. Gets into drugs, orgies. Anything goes. Everything goes. He gets aids and dies. Meanwhile she has married a nice stable guy - who has the girl 24/7 but cannot compete with the memory of famous Freddie Mercury who can still summon his ex-wife when he learns he is dying.

What more can Wikipedia add? Usefully, the places where you can see mementoes of Freddie Mercury.

Sites To Visit
Statue of Freddie Mercury at Montreux, Switzerland.
Statue in Madame Tussauds, the Netherlands.
English Heritage Blue Plaque to Freddie Mercury in 22 Gladstone Avenue, Feltham, London, England.




Plaque to Freddie Mercury, 22 Gladstone Avenue, Feltham London. His first home in London.

Copy of statue of Freddie Mercury in Montreux, on sale at shop in Switzerland also online:
https://www.queenonlinestore.com/Mercury-Phoenix-Trust/Accessories/Freddie-Mercury-Montreux-The-Statue/2JAA0JLV0W5
https://www.queenonlinestore.com/The-Studio-Experience-Montreux/

Useful Websites
Gerry & The Pacemakers singing You'll Never Walk Alone on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV5_LQArLa0

Freddie Mercury
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(band)
http://www.queenonline.com/
https://switzerlandtravelcentre.co.uk/

Making the Freddie Mercury Plaque for London, England, with Queen footage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjWEA6rlAPI

Mary Austin talking about her first husband, Freddie Mercury
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvVC_U11S6U

Travel
https://www.montreuxriviera.com/en/P976/freddie-mercury-statue

Singapore Airlines
singaporeair.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Music Museums & Statues by Country A-Z

An A-Z of Musicians' statues, monuments and museums, by country, so you can see what's in the country you are staying in or visiting.

AUSTRALIA
Giant guitar statue outside museum of Australia's country music singer.

Kylie Minogue statue

AUSTRIA
Vienna
You can buy Mozart chocolates with his picture.
Statue/monument of Mozart on grave in cemetery. (I went there a while back and wrote an article on Vienna based on the theme of music.)

CUBA
John Lennon statue in Havana


EUROPE
Stradivarius statue

GERMANY
Musicians of Bremen
Mendelssohn's Grave

Bach

Beethoven

POLAND
Chopin Museum, Warsaw
Chopin statue, Warsaw
Statue of musician and piano Lodz





SWITZERLAND

UK

UK
London
Handel's Organ in St Lawrence's Church, Whitchurch Lane, Edgware

V and A

http://www.classicfm.com/discover/music/inspiring-composer-quotes/joseph-haydn/

Amy Winehouse statue, Camden

Freddie Mercury, Dominion theatre, London

www.musicalmuseum.co.uk/

Greater London 020 8560 8108

Musical Museum | Home

www.musicalmuseum.co.uk/

Coventry Museum

Liverpool
Monument to John Lennon




USA

Elvis Presley

Home of singer of He'll have to go

Opryland, Nashville, TN

Willie Nelson, Country Music singer, statue, Austin, Texas

John Lennon statue






MORE INFORMATION

http://www.pinterest.com/genoxa/famous-musicians-in-bronze-and-stone/

http://listosaur.com/entertainment/10-great-statues-honoring-legendary-rock-musicians/

 Post under c o n s t r u c t i o n .  When I typed the word correctly, the spell checker turned it into contraption. Post under contraction.Oops. I uploaded it when I meant merely to save it. Come back for more tomorrow.