Statues of HM Queen Elizabeth, Boadicea and PM Thatcher in England, Canada and the USA

Bust of Queen Elizabeth II in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, commemorating her visit.

 

White statue of Margaret Thatcher in the Guildhall, London, England.

Another statue of Margaret Thatcher is in the lobby of the House of Commons, in London.

A statue of Margaret Thatcher is in the USA in Hillsdale College, Michigan. She visited the college and spoke there.

Pictures in Wikipedia under Boadiccea.

 Margaret Thatcher, British PM, in Grantham, England. 

The driver in our family, my husband, says Grantham is on the A1, the Roman road north from London.  A means one of the major roads. A1 to A6 radiate out of London clockwise. A7-9 are in Scotland. 

The A1 goes north. The A2 goes South East to Dover. The A3 goes to Southampton in the South. The A4 is SW to Bristol. The A5 was Watling Street NW.  

What about A6? He says, Type in A6 UK on Google maps to see the routes.

Boadicea, Celtic Queen, and her daughters.

You can photograph the Boadicea statue group silhouetted against the sky, or against Big Ben, or with the London Eye, which is a Ferris wheel.

Useful Websites

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

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=margaret+thatcher+statue&title=Special:MediaSearch&go=Go&type=image

Tube Maps and What to see on or near the tube stations of London

I just wrote a post on what I saw near Embankment station, the London Eye, when I thought I should add which lines go to Embankment station? The answer is four lines: Bakerloo, Circle, District and Northern.

Problem
What can you show visitors which is nearby or costs nothing - especially if you live in a city, but on the outskirts, and your visitors want your unique advice?

Answer
For the benefit of my foreign visitors, I'm planning, well in advance of my next visitors, to list on a train map the place you can see on each line from the train, at a station, or when you get off at the station and walk around.

Here are the lines and stations and my findings so far:

Lines:
Bakerloo
Central
Circle
District
Hammersmith and City
Jubilee
Metropolitan
Piccadilly
Victoria
Waterloo and City
Docklands Light Railway

Eleven lines!

Highlights in the central area which most tourists visit, on the zone one travel card:
Bakerloo Line: (Baker Street to Waterloo)
Baker Street station: Sherlock Holmes statue; Madame Tussauds; Sherlock Holmes museum shop.
Charing Cross station: Trafalgar Square; Nelson's Column; National Portrait Gallery; National Gallery.
Embankment station: View London Eye from a distance, lit at night.

Central:
Ealing to Bank. Highlight St Paul's Cathedral.

Circle
District
Hammersmith and City
Jubilee
Metropolitan
Piccadilly
Victoria
Waterloo and City
Docklands Light Railway

This will take me hours. I'll come back to it.

Personal Story
I am now sorry I didn't number my posts to make it easier for me and my readers to refer back to a previous post by number. I could go back and number each post. But that would take a while. Note to self, when starting a new blog, number each post.

Tips
If you like the tube, go to the London Transport Museum.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Author and speaker.
See more about and by me on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube. Please like my pages, and share.

London By Night - The London Eye, Bus Tours, Singapore

Problem
How do you get around London at night, see the important sights, meet people?

Answers
1 You can take an open top bus tour. (Most big cities of the world.)
2 Bus tours by night.
3 Combine a bus tour with a boat trip. (London, Singapore, New York, many other cities.)
4 See the world from London Eye. (In Singapore, the Singapore Flyer. They say, "A moving experience at every turn." I've done it. I can vouch for that. You get a commentary, and spectacular views. Book on line and look for the discounts. You also need to book in advance because you get timed tours due to high demand. The queue to collect tickets will usually be shorter and quicker than the one for buying tickets which is held up by discussions and card payments.)
5 Walk from a main line station along the Thames river bank and admire the floodlit sights, such as the London Eye near Embankment station. You could cross one of the bridges and take pictures.
(In Singapore walk along the riverbank linking at least one major museum with other landmarks. See my previous posts on the river and Clarke Quay and bridges.)
Get a free map of London from an airport, hotel, or a large station. Circle sights you want to see. Or print off a map of an area of London and mark on it places you have seen and photographed.

Story
What I had not realised until this December in London, England, in 2016, is that the open top bus is itself a night time attraction. The light along the top of the bus changes colour.

This week the London Eye was in red when I saw it.

Tips
1 Look at Meet-up for events in your area.
2 Always carry an umbrella in London or Singapore. Find the smallest umbrella and the jacket with the largest pockets to carry the umbrella.

Websites
http://www.londonnighttour.com
http://www.singaporeflyer.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
Follow my blogs, like them and share my posts. Also on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.
Books on Amazon and Lulu.com

Westminster: the Abbey, London Eye and More

London underground stations which are great destination hearts include:
Baker Street: Madame Tussauds; Planetarium; Sherlock Holmes Museum; Sherlock Holmes Statue.
Trafalgar Square: Trafalgar Square; National Gallery; National Portrait Gallery; Nelson's Column.
Westminster: Westminster Abbey; Houses of Parliament and Big Ben; Statues of Churchill and others.

Baker Street is one of my favourite stations because of the wonderful tiles and murals which show the history of the area, Sherlock Holmes. Colourful, historic, artistic, lots to look at.

Westminster station is the opposite, grey, dim and futuristic with enormous escalators and wire netting, which I understand i to prevent birds nesting. It's depressing. A bit like Dhoby Ghaut in Singapore, although Dhoby Ghaut has some lighter, jollier parts. At Westminster you feel like a cog in the wheel of the universe. Westminster station has several exits, clearly marked. However, the moment you are outside at ground level the contrast is truly amazing. Wonderful historic buildings. The grey of ages brightened by cleaning into white. Not as white as the Taj Mahal. But by London standards, a lovely clean.

The exit we chose led us straight upstairs to a view of the Houses of Parliament. The street was an instant entertainment, chic full of colourful red buses, open top tour buses, taxis of all colours. I even saw a set of toilets riding by on a truck.

Westminster Abbey

Within sight is the London Eye, a wheel you can ride but you must book timed tickets because it is so popular.

Westminster Abbey had long queues but the outside alone is an entertainment and a marvel and a thousand photo opportunities. In the evening in winter the lights inside enable you to see the stained glass windows from the outside. I'm sure the shop is full of amusements and souvenirs.

The statue of Churchill is impressive. What a huge bulldog of a man he appears to be. 

An orientation board near the Westminster Abbey shop shows you the landmarks to you can identify them.

Photos by Angela Lansbury. Copyright Angela Lansbury.

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

Halloween, Bellaween with spooky horse and carriage rides, and Dracula

Be Prepared To Be Scared!

If at heart you're still a tormented teen

Who'll dress up goth for a Dracula scene

And you live to die of laughter and scream

Then be prepared for a great Halloween

Paint your face red and white and be prepared

So you're not the only one shocked or scared

By the white costumes and black cupcakes shared

By King of Spades or Queen of Halloween.

Poem written by Angela Lansbury

-ends-

Copyright Angela Lansbury

Oct 19 2015

Please share this post.

Pumpkins in Waitrose supermarket, Harrow and Wealdstone for Halloween at home, Meetups and pot luck suppers. You can also buy coffee mugs and glasses on eBay with Halloween themes.

If you want classic Halloween horror, try the movies. In Singapore there's Halloween Horror Nights at the Universal Studios tour.
http://www.halloween.sg

Boo at the Zoo
24 Oct - Nov 5th 2015.
Whipsnade zoo. I love the way the lights flicker like candle light inside lanterns cut out with animal shapes on their website.
http://www.zsl.org/zsl-whipsnade-zoo/whats-on/boo-at-the-zoo?gclid=Cj0KEQjwqZKxBRDBkNmLt9DejNgBEiQAq8XWPoQbr3wVrES1EzjmbG1yWD1wFcsBs6kZ7620xuVVTM8aAuKJ8P8HAQ

The Bronx Zoo, New York, USA.
Expect to see illuminations of Jack O Lanterns, pumpkin smashing by big animals playing with their food, and giant 3D sculptures.
http://bronxzoo.com/boo-at-the-zoo?gclid=Cj0KEQjwqZKxBRDBkNmLt9DejNgBEiQAq8XWPst113Y8FX7r8yXIAyEBYqxxN92gTFxRFnMnmez1SogaAlOr8P8HAQ

Horse & Carriage Rides in Hatch End, London.
Pumpkin competition and horse and carriage rides at £3.50 per person. Hatch End.
Gruesome cupcakes. Prizes for the best halloween costume. 4-8 pm on Saturday 31st Oct 2015.
More details from
http://www.bellasblooms.co.uk/bellaween/

That's if you are in or can get to North West London, especially if with children.

If you are in the centre in the evening with adults?

Pumpkins in La Fromagerie, Moxon Street, London.

La Fromagerie had posters for its forthcoming evening events including Halloween.

Your Costumes

You can buy halloween costumes for children in many of the UK supermarkets, as well as face paints, plastic fingernails, masks and more. You can find a large selection in Poundshops and discount stores as well as party shops and costume hire shops.
http://www.skiddle.com/news/all/The-perfect-costume-with-Circus-Scott-Lewis/23619/

Top ten London events
The Coca Cola London Eye has events. So does London Dungeon which calls itself the Home of Halloween.
http://www.visitlondon.com/search?keywords=halloween

Events Around the UK
Events From Brighton to Liverpool including Manchester
http://www.skiddle.com/halloween

Dracula In Whitby, England
Dracula's home town of Whitby has events including the annual October Goth weekend. Friday, Saturday and Sunday you are likely to get musical events at the Whitby Pavilion and a Bizarre Bazaar. To be confirmed. But the site says they do this twice every year, in April and Halloween.
http://www.whitbyevents.co.uk/index.php?com=location

Dracula In Romania
If you have a birthday, or simply want to plan a surprise travel trip, 7 days, 6 nights in Dracula land of Romania including a trip to the haunted castle for Halloween :
Dracula and halloween at a castle in Romania:
http://www.goromaniatours.com/historic-tours/dracula-halloween-tour.html

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, speaker. I have several more posts on Romania. Please share links to my posts.