Back in London

The second leg of our journey saw us leave Singapore at 9.15 am which meant a very early morning start to be at the airport two hours before that! 

The thing about this leg was we flew in an A380, a fantastic plane. It is considerably quieter than other jets..unless of course there are nine babies on board.  Hmmm. The little one nearest to us was a little champ. Reminded us of our little grandson Jack.  Happy when he was awake, happy to go to sleep, crawling up and down the aisles winning over the cabin crew and other passengers!  Then there was another just along from him who was the opposite completely, couldn’t settle and was quite demanding of his parents.

We felt for the parents who were desperate to try and keep their little ones from disturbing the other passengers as much as possible. After a 14 hour flight they must have been shattered by the time we landed at Heathrow. And of course they then had to run the gauntlet through the lengthy queues at border control.

Arriving at our house in Kensington late in the day was excellent as we had dinner and crashed into bed. We were met at the door by a friend of a friend who made us very welcome leaving us all sorts of goodies to enjoy before departing.  Thank you Therese.

After 12.5 hours sleep we just had to go for a walk in that iconic park, St James’s Park.

One of the magnificent Pelicans resident near Duck Island in St James’s Park.

 Pelicans were first introduced into St James's Park in 1664 as a gift from the Russian Ambassador.

Seagulls walking on water, even having a stretch on the St James’s Park lake.

The classic view from the Blue Bridge across the lake to the Horse Guards and Whitehall.

In the opposite direction is Buckingham Palace.

To Greenwich Village

You can’t come to London without a trip down the mighty Thames River on a Thames Clipper fast ferry to Greenwich Village. We’d been before but we really enjoy re-visiting these places as there is always something new to learn and see. The trip gives a different perspective to the ‘look’ of London and is well worth doing just for that reason alone.

The HMS President.com a reception venue for weddings and other special occasions.

One of London’s newest ‘attractions’, The Shard. We plan to venture to the top on a good day while we’re here.

The stunning Tower Bridge - another fascinating place to visit.

The magnificent Cutty Sark at Greenwich.

This amazing tea clipper was launched in 1869 and carried tea between Asia and Britain. It was one of the fastest clippers. After the tea run it then carried wool from Australia to Britain and had the fastest time for about 10 years. The clipper has been magnificently restored. For more information about the Cutty Sark you could go to 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cutty_Sark

The beautiful building, part of the Royal Greenwich Observatory. 

For more information about the Greenwich Observatory go to: 

http://www.visitgreenwich.org.uk/en

The view from the observatory across Royal  Greenwich Park to the National Maritime Museum and part of the city in the distance.

Kenwood House

Several years ago we took up membership of English Heritage which is a bit like our National Trust. Our membership supports the work of the organisation which is massive and gives us free entry into many historic buildings and sites.

One of these is the recently refurbished Kenwood House, a former stately home on the edge of Hampstead Heath, London. It was originally remodelled and extended by the Scottish architect Robert Adam for William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, from 1764 to 1779. The interiors designed by Adam include some of his finest surviving schemes, particularly the ‘Great Room’ or library. After Kenwood’s original contents were sold in 1922 the house and grounds were bought by Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, who in 1927 bequeathed his outstanding collection of paintings to the nation.

The stunning front of Kenwood House was used in scenes from several movies 

one of which was Notting Hill.

The Library at Kenwood

The detail of one of the meticulously restored fireplace mantels.

If you’d like more detail about this superb stately home go to 

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/kenwood/

Next Lord’s Cricket Ground and Laurie’s connection with two very famous cricketers.

Singapore Botanical Gardens

It was such a lovely day we headed for the Botanical Gardens after our river cruise. The first gardens were established by Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore (and a keen naturalist) in 1822 on Government Hill at Fort Canning, mainly to introduce the cultivation of economic crops. These gardens were closed in 1829 and 30 years later, in 1859, at the present site, a new garden was developed by an Agri-Horticultural Society, and later handed over to the government in 1874. 

From an ornamental garden with roads, terraces, a band parade area and even a small zoo, it has come a long way in evolving into a leading equatorial botanic garden of 74 hectares, where major world crops, such as rubber and orchids were launched.

A Burmese Banyan tree or Ficus - an incredible root system

In June 2012, Singapore ratified the World Heritage Convention and in December 2012, submitted its World Heritage Tentative List to UNESCO to indicate interest in inscribing the Singapore Botanic Gardens as a World Heritage Site. 

A monitor lizard, a surprise for us to see in the botanical gardens

 

        

One of the beautiful sculptures in the gardens - Chopin

Louise, in her new hat, walking along Swan Lake

The Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage

On returning to the city we capped off a great day with afternoon tea at the Raffles Bakery. Just as nice as the real Raffles Hotel high tea without the hefty price tag!

Tomorrow it would be a very early start as we have to leave for the airport at 7.15 am.

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The first leg to Singapore

We’d planned a two night stop over in Singapore to break the journey which means we are not so shattered when we arrive at Heathrow Airport. The leg to Singapore was on a 777 300 ER which looked a bit ‘tired’ inside but flew perfectly well we are happy to say! As usual the cabin crew were amazing and the food surprisingly good for airline food.

Laurie and friend at the Merlion Park

Our Harbour View room at the Pan Pacific.

Singapore Harbour and Marina Bay Sands Hotel from our room

Esplanade Theatres on the Bay

The striking Marina Bay Sands Hotel which dominates the Singapore skyline

Coloured shutters on residential buildings in New Bridge Rd

One of the People of the River Sculptures - five little boys jumping into the river

Under the Esplanade Bridge across the Singapore River

Louise also found a friend on the harbour side

Shop houses on Boat Quay on the Singapore River

The symbol of Singapore - the Merlion

Chiswick House

Chiswick House, the 18th century home of the third Earl of Burlington is in the capable hands of English Heritage. The stunning property is surrounded by beautifully maintained gardens covering 65 acres. This is one place you definitely should visit if you are ever in London.