Saturday September 8, 2012.
It was that time of the year again, when Len, myself and whoever else is free head off to London. Unfortunately, Steve B was at a wedding and Jason had no babysitter, so it was just Len and myself.
We took our normal train to London but alighted at Green Park, for a change. Our first port-of-call was the newly erected Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park. The Memorial recognises the 55,573, airmen from all corners of the Commonwealth, who gave their lives to free Europe from Nazi rule, between 1943-45. Although they are remembered at the memorial at Runnymede and also at St. Clement Dane's church, on Strand, they had never had a dedicated memorial... Until now. And what a memorial! Architect Liam O'Connor has created a masterpiece out of Portland Stone, befitting these heroic airmen. The memorial is open to the sky in a symbolic gesture, so that the sun can shine down on the statues of the seven nine-foot bronze airmen, crafted by Philip Jackson. Around the roof of the memorial are sections of aluminium, salvaged from a Handley Page Halifax bomber that crashed in Belgium. There is also an inscription, on the memorial, that says "also commemorates those of all nations who lost their lives in the bombing of 1939-1945." Both myself and Len were completely gobsmacked by the size and presence of the memorial, so much so that it was a subject that kept coming up in conversation throughout the day. I was so affected by the memorial that, as we walked around London, I began to write a poem about it in my head.
From here we headed down Constitution Hill towards Buckingham Palace, where the crowds were gathered for the changing of the guard. So, with many of the normal routes sealed off for the Paralympics marathon, we made a detour on to Pall Mall, then Waterloo Place and on to Horse Guards Road.
We walked by the Memorial to the Great War and the memorial to the 202 victims of the Bali bombing in 2002, before heading into Parliament Square. As we approached Westminster Abbey, we found all the tourists. The queue to get into Westminster Abbey were some of the longest lines of people that I have witnessed, for anything. Bypassing the crowds we crossed St. Margaret Street and headed into the Victoria Tower Gardens. We stopped in the shade of the trees overlooking the River Thames, before continuing our jaunt. We exited the gardens and crossed Lambeth Bridge and headed along the South Bank.
The temperature was still climbing into the high 20s, with barely a breeze in the air, so we slowed our pace slightly. As we reached the old County Hall, we decided to grab a bite to eat, which we ate outside before continuing Eastward. Dodging the milling masses, who were there for the Thames Festival as well as the Paralympics, we walked passed the Jubilee Gardens, where a 1000 strong group of children were playing steel drums. It was an awesome sight and the crowds were really enjoying it. We then passed the Royal Festival Hall before going under Waterloo Bridge. With the tide out on the River Thames, children and adults, were walking and playing on the Thames foreshore, as we approached Gabriel's Wharf.
With the sun beating down we both decided it might be an idea to get a cold drink and find some shade. And, wouldn't you know it, we were by Doggett's pub. The inside of the pub was cool and remarkably quiet, as many of the patrons were using the various terraces on the upper floors, or sitting outside in the sun. This gave us a chance to sit down and watch a bit of Paralympic wheelchair fencing. Sadly the British man lost to the Chinese guy, but it was still fascinating to watch. We sipped our drinks, to make them last, before heading back out onto the South Bank.
