'East India Arms'

History in the Heart of the City.

The East India Arms is a wonderfully traditional pub, in the heart of the City of London. It still retains all the charm of its heritage, even with all of the new buildings, and offices. in the area.

Waterstones, Piccadilly

Well worth the wait. 

I love London, books and Iron Maiden, among other things. So it was only right that on a wet October evening I had no qualms about queuing outside Waterstones Piccadilly, to meet Bruce Dickinson, entrepreneur, pilot, Olympic-class fencer, businessman and lead singer of Iron Maiden, to get a copy of his autobiography signed.

What was peculiar was that of all the bookshops that I had visited, in London, this one had passed me by. What a mistake that was. It is massive and spreads across six floors. It has since become my favourite bookstore, especially with the views that are on offer on the fifth floor.

Royal Gun Salute

The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, in Green Park.

A Royal Gun Salute is fired on numerous occasions, throughout the year, and is a marvel of horsemanship, skill and military discipline.

The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery, waiting to enter Green Park.

All of the salutes, that I have witnessed, have taken place in Green Park, but I hope to see one at the one of the other locations, at some point in the future.

Tower of London: Medieval Palace

The bedchamber of King Edward I.

The first part of the Tower that I visited, on entering from the Byward Tower, was the Medieval Palace. It is remarkably well preserved and with actors wandering through the rooms, dressed in medieval garb, you get a real sense of life in the 1200s.

Some of the walls, and parts of the flooring, have been left in a bit of disrepair, to show how the palace was constructed.

By far one of the most intriguing parts of the entire visit.

Gallery

Hampstead Hill Garden and Pergola

The perfect escape from the Unfinished City.

The Hill Garden and Pergola, Hampstead, were one of those places that I had wished to visit for quite a while. So, on a trip to Golders Hill Park Zoo and Deer Enclosure I decided to take the opportunity to visit this much talked about space.

I was not disappointed. The Hill Garden is beautifully maintained, with manicured lawns, flowers, shrubs and trees from around the globe, a Georgian Arbour and, of course, the Pergola. Unfortunately, the Pergola was partially closed as someone had hired it for their wedding, so I was unable to witness the spectacular views over Hampstead Heath.

Although the Pergola is in need of some serious restoration, it is still a remarkable, and a somewhat eerie, place to visit.

'Tamesis Dock'

The Tamesis Dock floating pub.

It was during a late afternoon wander along the River Thames that I discovered the 'Tamesis Dock' floating pub. Intrigued I stepped aboard for a drink and found it to be cosy and welcoming. 

Never a truer word written.

Much like the TARDIS, from Doctor Who, the 'Tamesis Dock' is a lot larger on the inside than it looks from the outside. Of course, there is seating available on the decks, too, for those warm London days and nights.

Prince Charles Cinema

The canopy is not just for the advertising of films.

The Prince Charles Cinema is one of my favourite cinemas to visit. They show a minimum of ten films, per week, which mostly consist of cult, arthouse or independent movies, with the occasional new movie thrown in.

It shows sing-a-long and quotable versions of some films, like The Sound of Music and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. They also show movie marathons, like The Arnie All Nighter, where six Arnold Schwarzenegger movies were shown back-to-back. That was a particularly long night. 

They also do things like 'Beer & Pizza' nights, where a slice of pizza and a beer are included in the ticket price.