The Queen's Diamond Jubilee

I'm sure the whole world knows that Queen Elizabeth, the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, has just celebrated her 60th year on the throne.  Her longevity as British monarch is only surpassed by Queen Victoria, who reigned for 64 years, from 1837 to 1901.  The Jubilee was celebrated in a way only the British can do - with loads of pomp and circumstance!

A four-day holiday weekend was formed to celebrate the event, starting with a display of "big" ships moored on the River Thames.  

It seems to me that the British have a love-hate relationship with the Royals - they either love it or they hate it!  Many of those that hate it took the opportunity to leave the country and go on a holiday.   Aside from the areas where the Jubilee activities were taking place, the streets of London were relatively quiet.

The iconic Tower Bridge in the background.

The British love their bunting (string of British flags) and it could be seen strewn all over the city - on their boats

and pretty much everywhere it can be attached.  This is the Dickens Inn, located in St. Katherine's Wharf.

Flats in this modern apartment building located on the river were perfect for viewing the upcoming 

Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.  I'm guessing the owners of these places suddenly had more friends than they ever imagined!

The ones that love it were out in full force to take part in the festivities. We headed down to the River in the late morning in order to stake out our territory.  As you can see, the drizzly, cold day in June wasn't enough to keep the spectators from vying for a good spot.  There were also large screens set up in various venues around the city enabling even the height-challenged on-lookers a good view.

We were perched near the Albert Bridge in Chelsea, somewhat near where the flotilla began.  These fans even had their own "queen" in attendance.

 The flotilla consisted of up to 1,000 boats, assembled from across the UK, the Commonwealth and around the world.  It was the largest assemblage of boats to ever grace the Thames at one time.

The myriad of vessels ranged from steam boats to tall ships, from cruisers to kayaks and from Dunkirk little ships to Dragon boats.

The boats representing the Commonwealth countries.

A beautiful Royal Barge – The Spirit of Chartwell – decorated in red and gold and featuring The Queen’s cipher and a crown carried The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh, along with other members of the Royal Family.  

Kate looked stunning in bright red

and the Queen (age 86) and Prince Phillip (age 91) amazed the crowds by proudly standing at their perch on the Barge for FOUR hours waving at the crowds that lined the banks of the river in the Queen's honor.

More pomp and circumstance to come......

East London by Bicycle

The dicey September London weather held out for a group of us that went bicycling throughout East London.  Our nine miles began in the Banksy Tunnel,  a tunnel "authorized" for graffiti so those who have a mad desire to paint on street walls can do so here without being arrested.  Periodically, the walls are whitewashed so that a brand new canvas is available for budding artists. (Banksy is a well-known British graffiti artist.) 

Now, I don't suppose you were thinking that a group of us just went out on our own bicycling through East London!  No way for me - I'd be scared to death I'd get run over by a double-decker bus.  This is Chris, our very patient and knowledgeable guide from Breakaway Bicycles, who expertly guided us through off-the-beaten track streets and alleyways of what was once a darker, seedier part of London.

The Monument was designed in the 1600s by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666.  In the mid-1800s, a cage was built around the top because there were several suicides that took place - in fact, even more suicides than there were official deaths from the fire, which was only five.

This is the ultra modern Lloyds of London, otherwise called "the inside out" building.  They insure, amongst other things, Mariah Carey's legs and Tom Jones' chest hairs!  What could possibly happen to the latter?!

I love the juxtaposition of the "Gherkin," the modern building in the background against the old church in the foreground.

Pedaling on, we reached Leadenhall Market, which has been a marketplace since the 14th century.  For Harry Potter fans, some of the filming was done here - this is where Harry bought his magic wand.

The butcher used to display his products on these meat hooks.  It makes me think of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol.

Spitalfield's Market is an old Victorian Market and now is a great market for just about anything - from antiques to art to high fashion.  But no shopping for us today as we continued our journey to

Brick Lane, where supposedly the best curry houses in London are.  Over the last few hundred years, Brick Lane has been called home by many immigrants and is now home to a large Bangladeshi community.

Legend has it that Mary Kelly, Jack the Ripper's final victim, walked out of The Ten Bells in the early hours of morning in 1888.  The next morning, her mutilated body was discovered across the road.  They say the pub is haunted......  But, not a pint for us this morning as we had more places to discover like 

the Whitechapel Bell Foundry - the oldest manufacturer in England.  It dates back to 1570 and has been in business since then.  It's famous for the iconic Big Ben in London and for the Liberty Bell in America.  In 1976, some Americans protested and in jest, requested that the Liberty Bell be returned to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry because it had a crack in it.  The Foundry said they would accept the return but only if it was in it's original packaging!

These canals used to link the massive docks of the River Thames to big cities north of London.  Now, there are quiet, peaceful paths along the canals for walkers and cyclists like us.

St. Katherine's Docks is now a leisure area boasting a marina, housing and this pub, The Dicken's Inn.

Just a short rest before crossing the Tower Bridge to the south side of the River Thames.

Along the river, we passed Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and, after returning our bicycles, ended up at

The Anchor & Hope pub for a well-deserved lunch!