Walking with family: London Zoo

Asim, a Sumatran Tiger, cuddles his mate.

Wednesday August 20, 2014.

We had been planning to take the girls to ZSL London Zoo for a few weeks and, finally, the day was here.

Erin knew that something was going on, as we had packed all the supplies and were heading towards the station to get the train. Keilyn, meanwhile, was just happy to be in the battlewagon, because she knows that we could be going anywhere.

We arrived at Baker Street station and made our way along Baker Street, and into The Regent's Park. Erin and Keilyn were soon out of the battlewagon and running along the pathway, looking at all of the ducks and geese. We passed the boating lake and followed the path towards Prince Albert Road and the entrance to ZSL London Zoo.

Fortunately, for us, Emma had booked fast-track tickets, so we were able to go straight in, rather than joining the long queue, which was stretching along the road.

On entering we were immediately taken to a green-screen booth, where I photograph was taken which, we were told, would be available at the exit, should we wish to purchase it.

We began our tour by heading through the tunnel and up into the Into Africa zone, where the first animals that the we saw were the Pygmy Hippos and Giraffes, followed by Zebra and Okapi. I had packed Erin's camera and she was quite happy snapping pictures, as we walked around. We decided to sit down and have a bite to eat, while the zoo was still quiet, before continuing on.

We followed the path and passed the African Hunting Dogs before crossing the Regent's Canal and heading into the Snowdon Aviary. We saw Sacred Ibises and Peacocks, before heading off to see the Owls.

From here we crossed back to the zoo proper and went to see the Otters, Reindeer and Meerkats.

This was followed by a trip in to Rainforest Life, where we saw Two-Toed Sloth, Golden Lion Tamarinds, Southern Tamandua and much more. We then headed downstairs, in to the darkness, where we discovered the Grey Slender Loris, the Naked Mole Rat and lots of Seba's Short-Tailed Bats.

After another bite to eat, we headed to the off to the Outback to see the Red Kangaroos, before seeing the Komodo Dragons and Dirk, the Galapagos Tortoise, and his family.

Then we headed into the Gorilla Kingdom, where we saw Diana Monkeys, Colobos Monkeys and the Western Lowland Gorillas, amongst others.

Then we went off to see the King Vultures, Caracaras and other birds of prey.

Then it was time to see the Humboldt Penguins at Penguin Beach.

Then it was on to the Macaws and Toucans, in the Blackburn Pavilion, before heading in to the Animal Adventure, where we saw Coatis, Meerkats (again) and Aadvarks.

Since the weather had turned quite hot, we bought the girls an ice cream each, before heading off to see the Llamas, Camels and Tapirs. This led us quite pleasantly to Tiger Territory, where the Sumatran Tigers were basking in the sun.

Cheetahs, Gibbons, Macaques, Servals, Flamingos were seen, but the Lions remained elusive to us, as we made our way towards the zoo shop.

We spent what seemed like an eternity looking around, before Erin and Keilyn chose a Peruvian drum each and, since Erin had been fascinated with the Giraffe, we purchased her a stuffed one, too.

Passing toward the exit we noticed the Magic Memories Photo Stall, so popped in to see how our photo had come out. The lady showed us all our photographs, with the green-screen replaced by Meerkats, Gorillas, Penguins and Tigers. These came in a glossy album, which also contained six smaller photos and a key ring and fridge magnet kit. All ours for just £20. So, we bought them.

Leaving ZSL London Zoo we headed through The Regent's Park, making our way through the Avenue Gardens and back to Baker Street station.

We managed to catch a semi-fast train home and arrived just after 6 o'clock. Surprisingly, considering how long we had been out, the girls were still wide awake, whereas Emma and I were both exhausted. Once the girls were in bed, though, they were soon snoring in unison, leaving Emma and myself to have some dinner, before having an early night.

It was a fantastic if long day, but well worth it. We will be visiting ZSL London Zoo again, next year, to see all the things that we missed out on this trip; The Aquarium, Reptile House, Butterfly Paradise, Bugs and Meet the Monkeys.

Walking with family: Green Park to Piccadilly... and beyond

Tuesday April 1, 2014.

With Emma getting in from a night-shift, at about 08:00, she headed straight to bed, while I looked after the kids. Emma then got up, just before lunch, when Lacey arrived to trim Erin's hair and cut Emma's. After a quick-lunch we headed to Watford Metropolitan station and looked forward to our trip around London.

Just as we passed Northwood Hills, Erin decided that she really needed to go to the toilet, so we alighted at Pinner, so that she could make use the conveniences on the platform. With Erin happy again, we boarded the next train and continued on to Finchley Road, where we took the Jubilee line to Green Park. We had never exited Green Park, with a battlewagon before, and found that we had to follow a myriad of tunnels, just to get to a lift that would take us up a level, before following more signs and tunnels that would take us to another lift that would bring us to the ticket hall. Luckily, this brought us out in Green Park itself, where the sun was now shining down on the grassy expanse.

We made our way south, towards Buckingham Palace, where we stopped in the shade for a coffee and a cold drink for the girls. Keeping to the shade, we made our way along The Mall, where Erin took a photo of a guard on Stable Yard Road, outside St. James's Palace.

We then continued along The Mall before turning up and on to Cockspur Street and then Pall Mall. From here we entered Waterloo Place and turned in to Charles II Street, around St. James's Square, up Duke of York Street and through Church Place and on to Piccadilly, where we stopped to look around the small market in the grounds of St. James's Church.

After a good look around we headed off up Sackville Street, turned on to Vigo Street and joined Regent Street. With both girls strapped securely into the battlewagon, they ate some sandwiches and crisps before we approached a toy shop, that I had already told Erin about.

Well, Erin didn't stay strapped in long after we entered Hamleys, as she suddenly realised where we were. She was out and holding my hand, dragging me left and right, before we managed to get to the lift and head up to Level 3, Girls, where everything was pink. I was sure that Erin was going to burst, when the doors opened, as her eyes took in the sheer number of dolls, toys, games, tiaras, dresses and so much more Meanwhile, all I could see was my bank balance nose-diving from black to red, as Erin, and Keilyn, eyed up everything.

Walking with mum: Westminster Cathedral to Battersea Park... and beyond

Saturday March 8, 2014.

My mum and I had decided today would be a good day to go to London, so off we set. Because the Jubilee line was closed from Finchley Road to Waterloo, we changed from the Metropolitan line to the Bakerloo line at Baker Street and travelled to Oxford Circus, where we changed to the Victoria line and continued on to Victoria Station.

After a quick coffee, we headed along Victoria Street until we reached our first destination. Westminster Cathedral. After some exterior photos were taken we headed inside. Now, I thought the building was impressive from the outside, but the inside was breath-taking! The lower half of the Cathedral walls are clad in marble, which come from twenty-four different countries, across five continents, of which there are over 125 different types. Above the marble the walls are bare brick, right up to and including the four domes, which make for a truly grand ceiling. In some ways this gives the effect of an unfinished building, but, on the other hand, the marble also draws the gaze of the parishioner to the altar. The low hung chandeliers also give the upper floors an almost melancholy look, where the shadows dance across the rough texture. The Cathedral is a building that could almost be said to be alive.

We arrived during Mass so we waited patiently for this to finish, and for the procession to file out, before we could take a look around. There are chapels to St. Patrick, St. David, St. Andrew, St. George and various others. There were also smaller chapels, as one might expect, for private prayer.

We then decided to head up the bell tower, which contains 300 steps! Fortunately, the steps are off-limits, so we took the elevator. Arriving on the seventh floor, which is 64 metres or 210 feet above street level, we stepped out and into the top of the tower, where four doors lead to four small balconies; North, East, South and West. Unfortunately, the West balcony was closed due to there being a problem with the padlock. Even so, the views were incredible and it was well worth the few quid we were charged to see them. We must have spent a good half-hour looking out into the distance, pointing out the landmarks that we could see through the light haze, that still hung over the city.

We then headed back down into the Cathedral proper, where we had another look around and took even more photographs, before heading up to see the 'Treasures of Westminster Cathedral' exhibition. The exhibition consists of chalices, sacred relics, vestments and other ecclesiastical objects that the Cathedral has acquired, since it opened in 1903.

Although the Cathedral opened in 1903, it wasn't consecrated until 1910 because Catholic buildings can not be consecrated until all debts have been cleared. The Cathedral's architect, John Francis Bentley, was also responsible for the Church of the Holy Rood, Watford, which is said to be his 'Gothic Masterpiece'.

We left Westminster Cathedral and headed south towards Warwick Way, where we stopped at The Queens Arms, Pimlico, for a spot of lunch and a drink.

We then continued down Denbigh Street and onto Claverton Street which brought us out on Grosvenor Road. From here we headed west towards Battersea. Soon, we could see the old Battersea Power Station which looked like the hulking upturned skeleton of some prehistoric animal.

William Huskisson

The World's first person to be killed by a railway locomotive.

Saturday March 8, 2014.

It was during a walk from Battersea to Westminster that I spotted this statue of a man dressed in a toga. The dates on the statue, however, didn't explain why this figure should be dressed in Roman garb, so I decided to do some research. I can still not work out why he is depicted in this way.

Gallery

Millbank Prison

From Here to Australia.

Saturday March 8, 2014.

It was during one of my wanders along the north bank, of the River Thames, from Battersea to Westminster, that I spotted this bollard. The inscription, read...

"Near this site stood Millbank Prison which was opened in 1816 and

 closed in 1890. This buttress stood at the head of the river steps

 from which, until 1867, prisoners sentenced to transportation

 embarked on their journey to Australia."

Intrigued, I was determined to find out more.