New & Old: City Life

Last Tuesday (18/9) to Thursday (20/9), D. and I visited London. The above picture shows a view taken from a train carriage on the DLR line. We were on our way to Stratford in the East End of the City to look at the site of the recent Olympic Games.

This was our first sight, from the train of the Olympic Stadium.

After arriving at Stratford, We walked past the giant Westfield Shopping Centre.


Westfield

and made our way on foot to the Olympic Park.
To our dismay, there was no public access to any part and it had the appearance of a building site.
According to a message board, the only public view-point was from the third storey of the nearby 'John Lewis ' store.

The above two photographs  were taken from that vantage point.

It seemed a shame to me that so quickly after the event, the park was closed. If they could have managed part access until the new year, it would have allowed the magic of the Games to linger a little longer and satisfied the many visitors from near and far.

And that, as my friend would say' is the raspberries. '

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After a refreshing cup of coffee at John Lewis, we made our way back on the train, eventually arriving at London Bridge station, where we made our way to Southwark Cathedral.

Although this has only been a cathedral since 1905; it has been a place of Christian worship for more than a thousand years and as such, is one of London's oldest buildings.

This is  the wonderful High Altar and Great Screen. The Screen was installed by Bishop Fox of Winchester in 1520, whilst the statues date from 1905.

Southwark is in the area where William Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is situated. It is therefore not surprising that " The Bard " had a close association with the Church. Indeed there is a monument and stained glass window, which depicts many of Shakespeare's plays.

My final Southwark picture, shows the tomb of John Gower,  the first English Poet, who died in 1408.

It was a memorable visit to a place, where  you felt the stamp of history with every footstep made.


We finished our visit in Southwark, with a trip to the nearby Golden Hinde; a  life-size working  replica of the  Warship in which Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the world in 1580.

Golden Hinde

We learn that the ship is planned to be re-floated into the Thames in four year's time.

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Today (22/9) was the 150th Anniversary of our local church St Mark, Cheltenham; so to end today, here are some church flowers, part of the celebration floral display.

A bright note to end this post!

I hope you all enjoy the week ahead. I hope it doesn't rain too much and become blustery, because I'm waiting for the trees to show their Autumn colours, which should (touch wood- sorry) be splendid.

Cheerio,

Ck.