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Published: August 1st 2015
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London
The busyness of Canary Wharf. Tuesday 28 July 2015
The sun is shining and we have a chance to visit London. But we have a couple of tasks to complete first. One daughter in NZ has arranged a skype call, the other daughter in London has a pavlova to make for a dinner party later in the evening. When all tasks are completed we head for the local railway station. Our destination is Canary Wharf. To get there we need to change trains from the Metropolitan Line to the Jubilee Line. Our daughter has timed it perfectly. We arrive at Finchley Road just in time to cross the platform and take a seat on our connecting train.
It doesn't take long to arrive at Canary Wharf. We have never been there before. What a sight when we emerged from the bowels of the Earth. Large paved areas, skyscrapers, views across the Thames, and busy people scurrying from place to place like ants on a mission. Our first stop was a coffee shop. To get there we had to merge with all these business people walking in our direction. What must be going on in their minds. Cell phones "glued" to their ear carrying out
London
Looking across the Thames at London. incredible financial deals on the run. We hoped they accidentally shifted money into our travel account or changed the exchange rate in our favour. Coffee over it was time to merge once again into this mass of people walking at a frenetic pace from one building to the next.
We head for the driverless DLR to Greenwich. How does the train know when to start, when to stop, and where to go? Fortunately the train knows where we want to get off. This time we have travel led by elevated rails then dived deep under the Thames. When we emerged from the station there in front of us was the Cutty Sark, the pride of the clipper ships. We wander through what was the Naval College, and now Trinity College, to the Painted Hall and Chapel. Sir Christopher Wren designed the buildings. In the chapel is a memorial to the crew of H.M.S. Orpheus that foundered on the Manukau Bar, Auckland, NZ, with the loss of many lives. Even today it is one of New Zealand's worst shipping disasters. The wandering is over for now and we are hungry so time to retrace our steps.
The frenetic pace
London
The Cutty Sark. of the financial whizz kids seemed to have eased in our absence so finding a lunch stop was easy. Now we need to head for our second destination, Horse Guards Parade. We couldn't make the 11:00 am parade but we will be in time for the Dismount Parade at 4:00 pm. This parade was instigated by Queen Victoria in 1894 as punishment for the guards caught gambling and being drunk. The punishment was to last 100 years. Queen Elizabeth thought it was a great tourist attraction so it continues today. We believe our grandfather was a horse guard, was he responsible for the punishment being handed out? We wonder.
The crowds gather in anticipation, attending police are armed with machine guns, Big Ben chimes 4:00 pm and the guards are inspected. We are not sure what the captain of the guard says to each soldier but all seem to pass muster. Guards dismount from their horses which are then led to their stables. A very British show of precision. Time to return to Northwood and the dinner party.
Our daughter's neighbours have been invited. The pavlova has been requested and all eagerly await desert. What a success! Nothing
London
Inside the Painted Room at the Naval College. is left. It was a great way to complete a great day. Fun, food, great company, and some fine wine. It was a great way to finish our visit to London and Wales. Tomorrow we will say our farewells and start the final chapter of our adventure.
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