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Maria Taferl, Austria - 10th September 2008
By: Blurchen
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Posted Oct 18, 2008, 8:24 am Last edited Oct 18, 2008, 8:26 am by Blurchen
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Petzenkirchen, Austria - 12th September 2008
By: Blurchen
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Posted Oct 18, 2008, 10:38 am Last edited Oct 18, 2008, 10:40 am by Blurchen
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Piccadilly Circus, London, England - 20th September 2008
By: tea_rose
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Posted Sep 23, 2008, 9:41 pm Last edited Sep 23, 2008, 9:43 pm by tea_rose
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Central London, England - 20th September 2008
By: tea_rose
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Posted Sep 25, 2008, 12:06 pm Last edited Sep 25, 2008, 12:17 pm by tea_rose
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Covent Garden, London, England - 20th September 2008
By: tea_rose
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Posted Sep 25, 2008, 12:14 pm Last edited Sep 25, 2008, 12:15 pm by tea_rose
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Trafalgar Square, London, England - 20th September 2008
By: tea_rose
After we stopped in Covent Garden and had coffee, we took a double decker bus to Trafalgar Square. We decided not to get out of the bus as we were so tired after walking around all afternoon. But we could see plenty from the bus. (Tea Rose says sorry the pictures are a little out of focus).
This is me approaching Trafalgar Square and looking for the famous 4 bronze lion statues that guard Nelson's Column. You can just see one of the fountains in the background and if you look carefully, one of the lions on the right!
Oh, there's one of the lions! Again, it was quite busy. Tea Rose explained that a couple of years ago, the square was famously full of pigeons. But now that it is illegal to feed them, they have largely disappeared.
Another bus had stopped to look, next to ours. You can just see the base of Nelson's Column on the left.
Tired and happy, we started to make our way home. But just then, we drove past Parliament Square and I got to see Big Ben!
Did you know the Clock Tower is the world's biggest four-faced, chiming clock? The structure is situated at the north-eastern end of the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London. It is often colloquially referred to as Big Ben, which is actually the nickname of the 13 ton bell housed within the tower.
As it was a Saturday evening when we were there, Parliament was not in session. We knew this because the clock face wasn't illuminated.
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Posted Sep 26, 2008, 4:35 pm
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British Museum, London, England - 27th September 2008
By: tea_rose
Today we went to the British Museum!
First we travelled by train...
...and then we went on the Tube
At long last we arrived. We began our visit in the Great Court, looking at the spectacular architecture and marvelling at all the people!
The Great Court, reopened after extensive refurbishment by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000, stands at the heart of the British Museum. It was once an open courtyard, but at 2 acres is now the largest covered public square in Europe, enclosed under a glass and steel roof. Surrounding the well known Reading Room, the court contains several sculptures from different countries and eras.
I spotted two very tall totem poles. Below it you can see lots of people eating their lunch. But there was no time for us to eat - we had too much to see!
I could just see an interesting looking lion in the distance, and we decided to go and have a closer look.
This fearsome creature is the Lion of Knidos. The inscription said: 'Weighing more than 7 tons, this colossal lion comes from a tomb in the ancient cemetary of Knidos, a coastal city in South West Turkey. The tomb stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking the approach to Knidos harbour. The building itself rose some 18 metres, and its pyramid roof was topped by the lion. It is carved of marble brought across the Aegean sea from Mount Pentelikon near the city of Athens. The lower jaw and front paws are missing, and the eye sockets are now empty. These were once filled, probably with metal or glass, to catch the light. The reflection of light may have been an aid to sailors navigating the notoriously difficult coast.'
Next we had a look at some Egyptian sculptures. These four granite figures are of the goddess Sakhmet, from about 1360 BC, from Thebes, Temple of Mut. Her name means 'She who is powerful'. Many similar figures remain in the temple today. The sign told us 'Sakhmet was a leonine (lion-like) goddess who was regarded by the Egyptians as a bringer of destruction to the enemies of the sun-god Re. She appears to have been an object of special veneration to King Amenophis III, who caused an enormous number of statues of her to be erected in his mortuary temple in Western Thebes and in the Temple of Mut at Kamak."
Then I said hello to this lovely lady...
but I was a little afraid to go too close to these imposing figures!
Before we left, I tried to read hieroglyphics!
The sign said 'Limestone stela of Sobkhopte, about 1400 BC. The scribe of the wine-seller Sobkhopte and his wife worship Osiris and Anubis in the upper register. They receive offerings from their children in the lower registers.'
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Posted Oct 3, 2008, 9:23 pm Last edited Oct 4, 2008, 10:55 am by tea_rose
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The 02 Arena, London, England - 4th October 2008
By: tea_rose
Today I visited the 02. It is a huge dome-shaped building on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London. It was originally built to house an exhibition called the Millenium Experience, which I'm sadly too late to see, but Tea Rose told me she visited. The building was then called the Millenium Dome. The interior of the building was demolished after the exhibition closed at the end of 2000, and there was a long debate as to what the building should become. Can you guess what it is?
It's a pretty strange looking building, isn't it? It had rained and rained all morning, so we went inside to investigate.
The best way I can describe it was that it was a little like being outside, inside, or in a huge shopping mall. Various buildings are housed within the dome structure including the O2 Arena (opened by Bon Jovi last year) and an Entertainment Avenue consisting of restaurants, cafes, shops and bars. There is also a huge, very high tech cinema.
Today we were there to support runners in a half marathon which started and finished outside the 02. Luckily we spectators could shelter from the rain inside!
After the race, we had a look around outside.
These tents outside are to do with the race. Can you see the umbrellas?
It was still raining. Luckily there was a covered walkway back to the station!
Later that day we went to Frankie and Benny's for dinner.
We caught the bus home afterwards. Here I am with my ticket. It had been a very long day!
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Posted Oct 14, 2008, 3:05 pm
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Bushy Park, South West London, England - 5th October 2008
By: tea_rose
Today I went on a long walk in Bushy Park.
The park is 1,099 acres and the second largest of London's Royal Parks. It became a royal park in 1529 when Cardinal Wolsey gave it to King Henry Vlll as part of a gift that also included Hampton Court. Until then, the park had been agricultural land.
Here I am in the landscaped area called the Woodland Gardens. It's really beautiful there and I saw rabbits very close by - they did not seem to be afraid of us.
Later we left the Woodland Gardens and walked through the main area of the park. We saw some very old trees. Can you see me in this picture?
Here I am
We discovered some toadstools growing wild in the park.
I thought this one was quite beautiful.
We wandered on
and wondered who might live in this house. Tea Rose said she'd rather like to live in the middle of the park surrounded by all the trees and wildlife.
We were a little apprehensive walking through this bracken, as there were warning signs at the entrance of the park telling us not to. I wonder why?
There are many ponds and streams in the park. The website says:
King Charles I had the idea of creating an artificial waterway in the Park because Hampton Court Palace (which is nearby) was always short of water. There was nowhere locally with a sufficient fall of water and so the Longford River was built exceeding 19 kilometres in length. It was designed by Nicholas Lane in 1638-39. It was built by hand, took 9 months to complete and cost £4000! Apparently the 12 mile long Longford River runs from north of Heathrow Airport to the Palace.
I thought about going for a quick swim, but wasn't sure.
We continued on our way
Just then we spotted some indigenous animals! Can you see them in the distance?
Or here, under a tree, just right of the centre of the picture?
How about now?
They're deer! We couldn't get much closer to take a photo. When we did get closer, they were very skittish and quickly moved away from us. The Park's website tells us:
Red and Fallow Deer still roam freely throughout the Park, just as they did when Henry VIII used to hunt here. There are currently about 325 deer and their grazing is essential to maintain the high wildlife value of the Park's grasslands. Unlike cutting, grazing creates more variation in structure and plant diversity and does not damage the anthills, which add further diversity and character to the grassland. The herds are kept out of the Woodland Gardens and other protected plantations in order to protect the trees and shrubs there. The Red Deer are the largest mammal native to the British Isles and in the summer their coats are glossy red. Fallow deer, introduced by the Romans, are smaller and their summer coats, usually spotted, vary from a cream to darkish brown colour.
Tea Rose explained that the deer are usually far less skittish and it is easier to approach them, although they are not tame. But today was rutting season. It was actually frightening to hear the biggest stags roar. We took care to keep our distance, and not disturb them. This was why we weren't supposed to walk through the bracken.
We walked home past this lovely willow tree
Again I thought about having a quick swim, but decided the water looked far too cold for that!
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Posted Oct 27, 2008, 7:43 pm
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London, England - 22nd October 2008
By: tea_rose
Today I spent some time in the City of London. Here I am enjoying a coffee break. You can just see the Guildhall outside the window in front of me. Parts of the current building date from 1411 and it is the only stone building not belonging to the Church to have survived the Great Fire of London in 1666.
I liked the star shape in chocolate on Tea Rose's cappuccino.
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Posted Oct 26, 2008, 12:13 pm
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