Southwark Cathedral

Southwark Cathedral is situated close to the Thames near London Bridge.. It is believed that there has been a church here for over 1000 years. Prior to that there was a Roman villa.  In 1977 a well was discovered beneath the choir, it contained a pagan statue believed to have been put there in the fourth century.



Looking down the nave




Some of the many memorials inside the church.

In the churchyard is a very unusual memorial to Mahamet Weyonomon a chief of the Mohegan tribe. He was 36 years old when he died but as a foreigner he could not be buried in the City of London. He was carried across the river and buried near St Saviour's church which is now Southwark Cathedral.

His tribe had helped the first settlers in New England to repel Indian attacks but then the settlers began to steal tribal lands. In 1735 Mahamet sailed to England to petition the King but then contracted smallpox and died.

 The memorial was erected at the request of his tribe to honour a fallen chief. The stone was brought from Mohegan lands and placed in the grounds of the Cathedral. It was unveiled by the Queen on 22nd June 2006 with the tribal chairman Bruce 2 dogs Bozsun and the US Ambassador. It is a beautifully carved stone that you just want to touch.



The Shard

The Shard is the latest addition to the London skyline. It is not finished yet but you cannot fail to see it as it is now the tallest building in western Europe. It is going to be a mixture of offices, apartments, restaurants and a hotel. There will also be a public viewing gallery which will be the highest in London, allowing views of up to 40 miles. The gallery should open in February 2013. I have already put my name down for a ticket!

Around Madrid



Such a bright reminder to post letters.



When visiting a city for the first time I like nothing better than wandering around the streets to get a feel for the city and the people. Madrid was no exception. Here are one or two things that caught my eye.


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I could have listened to this guitarist all day. The setting and music were beautiful.



Paella ready for the lunch time rush

Anyone for a hat?

The Retiro park rose garden

Another beautiful feature in the Retiro is its rose garden. If only I could photograph the scent which surrounded the roses. A perfumed garden would be a more apt description. The hybrids we buy and see in many gardens today seem to have lost their scent but not in this garden. Each rose seemed sweeter than the last.

Retiro Park

Retiro Park covers a large area in the middle of Madrid. It used to be the gardens of the Buen Retiro Palace which opened in 1635. Its usage has changed greatly over the years and now walking through the park you come across roller bladers, skate-boarders, numerous cyclists, joggers or groups practising their tai-chi. There are also some amazing buildings in the park such as the Crystal Palace. 



  

Palacio de Cristal

Detail of the iron and glass structure which was inspired by the Crystal Palace in London and the Palm house at Kew. It was built in 1887 as a hot house for the tropical plants of the Philippines. Now it is used as an exhibition space. 











Prado Museum

Another reason for visiting Madrid was to visit the Prado Art Gallery. I wasn't disappointed. It was easy to find your way around the galleries armed with an information leaflet showing the museum's most famous paintings and which rooms to visit to view them. So in a relatively short time it was possible to see the best of the Goyas, Velasquez, Rubens and Murillos. Fantastic!

Oysters galore.

Delicious fruit

Wandering around the back streets I stumbled across an amazing indoor food market.

Lots of ham on sale here

In the evening I managed to get involved in a demonstration in the main square protesting about the economic crisis in Spain. Apparently there were 100,000 people in the square - Puerta del Sol. Fortunately I managed to get back to the hotel safely although I heard that the demonstration went on well into the night.



Botanical gardens Madrid



These beautiful gardens near the centre of Madrid make a wonderful escape from the crowds and traffic. 


The irises were huge

This was where we could refill our water bottles. It did say the water was drinkable so I'm sure I'll be OK tomorrow!

This statue was in the 'Peace garden'.



Opposite the botanical gardens was this amazing vertical garden. My photo has not really done it justice.