London Is The Capital of UK but The World Too!
11th June 2015
The Underground trains are regular and fast. In about 25 minutes the tube fast and furious takes me to Green Park, the closest station to Christies the auctioneers, Green Park and Buckinham Palace just a stone’s throw away further. Off the train in a fast pace and up an escalator that looks a mile long and slows you down to a snails pace. This is a central station but no refurbishment is evident yet. Disappointing that such a station has not had a face-lift yet where it matters!
Slow up the escalator, cricking and cracking these old dinosaurs but they do work. Trust them, as they do work and I know that from long experience. Up in the main station, my electronic card is read quickly and I follow the crowds. Crowds of students, crowds of visitors, crowds of shoppers. This is London. Walk being pushed left and right and I am heading into Green Park.
Green Park
Real park with real greens and trees in the heart of London and hundreds of people pour out from the station into the park. Directions to Knighsbridge, Buckinham Palace, Victoria etc. I am not going to the Palace, I am heading to Christies but I wanted to see what the park looked like on a good day and who was in the park enjoyng the day and escaping momentarily from the pollution and heavy traffic of the main thouroughfare towards Picadilly.
It is sort of a festival. Crowds gathering at every part of it. Importantly all nationalities, all colours and all races are mixing here, in the melting pot of London. This is a real international city with people from all over the world living happily toigether, working together and making this city pulse fast and furious. Add the millions of tourists in this area and you get a taste of this humanity living and breathing together in a magnificent cosmopolitan place!!
LONDON!
Would you like to see London from a double decker bus? The weather is great, London looks amazingly attractive as you see from the shots in the park and the buses are empty. Yes, a little expensive but if you are that visitor, that tourist, you will do this just once and it is indeed another view of London, a different more attractive one from the top floor a double decker bus, the signature of buses in London!!
Turning right to go to Christies but how can I go to St James’ Square without passing through the Ritz Arcade and indeed one of the landmark hotels of London. The Hotel is one of the most luxurious in London and NO i cannot afford to stay there even for a single night but… if you like a bit of fan and a spin of the roulette or whatever else, then the Ritz Club is good enough.
No jewelery in the windows. Where are the jewels. All photos of spectacular jewels but nothing real in window after window until the last one or two. Did my camera manage to take a good shot of them? Turning the corner and directing myself to Christies as the traffic is too much for my ears that are used to the quiet of North Finchley.
Never think that London has quiet corners or pavements with no eyes but importantly streets without vehicles. It is a jungle of traffic but also an oasis of cute shops, bigger shops and galleries and they eye can never rest, the attention cannot be left alone. I am hurrying to get to Christies to view the paintings that speak of India and its masters of yesteryear and today. There were a few I would like to see in particular but unfortunately I cannot afford!!
This is one I can afford and belongs in the collection!
Antonis Andeadis, Cypriot Woman Baking Break
