Regent's Park Before Dark: Part 2

So on we go, up through the main body of the park's west side - I won't bother with pictures of that as I'm sure you're all familiar with what flat, grassy football fields look like - and then up to Regents Park Canal, which runs along the norther curve of the circular shaped park. Along this canal lay the London Zoo and I would have given it a whirl except entrance was fifteen quid and I would have only had an hour before closing. I quickly realized that that apes and giraffe's would all be from the same places as the apes etc. that I'd seen in Canadian zoos, so it wasn't a big loss. That being said, here's a snap of the portion of the zoo which lay along the canal.And then looking down the other way...Crossing this canal took me to a separate section of the park called Primrose Hill. It's from the highest point of this hill that you can achieve a magnificent view of all sorts of neighborhoods I've been talking about on this site for the past year - Soho, Embankment, Oxford Circus, Westminster, Tottenham Court Road, King's Cross...and if you cast your eyes far enough you can even see such as Shoreditch, Barbican and Canary Wharf to the east (left) or Westminster, Kensington and Hammersmith to the West (right).I took a couple of short MPEG's, the first working from east to west and then the second working the other way, but with more of a zoom. I'd suggest viewing them with the sound off as the wind was high that day, causing a great deal of uncomfortable noise to be picked up by the camera's tiny mike.


The BT telecommunications tower features prominently and perhaps these videos will reinforce what I've said about it being an immensely useful landscape for finding your bearings in North London.Eventually I came down from Primrose Hill and went back along Regent's Park Canal, heading into the North Eastern quadrant of the main park. Spotting a wild boar, I tried to grab a picture through the fence. The durn focus kept on the fence instead of the boar, but I think it's fun to see anyways.Just by the Zoo is, understandably, the headquarters for the ZSL.And now you are joining me as I swung around and starting heading southward along the eastern half of the park.Eventually I came across this little monument which, at a distance, I presumed to be some churchy church church church thing for which I had little interest.Boy, was I wrong!I fully appreciate that, in the final tally, the British going and conquering a quarter of the Earth's land area was not A Particularly Nice Thing and that it entailed some pretty heinous injustices. But it is refreshing to see someone saying "Thanks for the good stuff that came with that!", it's nice to see something which goes against the grain of almost cartoonishly villainous portrayals of imperialists if only for a greater variety of discourse. I remember often enjoying seeing this side of the Indian reaction to the English occupation in the literature I studied in my related University courses - and it wasn't always from the wealthy Brahmin class, either. As I say, though, I'm not endorsing imperialism here so much as I am a plurality of thought!.The ol' BT tower again, as seen from the South-East quadrant of the park.
This is one of the Money Buildings which lay along the eastern side of the park's perimeter. Alas, I cannot recall what it was! I do recall there were a few private residences along this stretch where, as with those homes by the heart of the Thames, the residents are not suffering from a terribly desperate need for your PayPal donations.

Sick little Oliver is staying in today

But luckily he has plenty of pictures left from last weekend.You know, it's hard to ever get too soft on the Royal Family what with their cradle-to-grave , unearned wealth and all...but maybe I get a little sympathetic to why a bit of the old class snobbery might take root when you look out the windows of your palace at the monument to the most highly regarded monarch in the nations history only to see ignorant bastards (both local and imported) crawling all over it like howler monkeys. I'm certainly not a royalist nor an anglophile, so I think it must be from a simple appreciation of fine craftsmanship and manners that I get so pissed off when I see shit like these kids fishing through the water for coins people have tossed in. Not pictured: Some Persian guy pretending to masturbate one of the statues and a Mancunian remarking on the great set of tits on another.A street artist I've seen several times outside of the......National Gallery. I had a quick peek in there, finally, but they are obviously not as cool with photographs as a museum and so there isn't really anything I can show. It's definitely worth another, longer visit sometime and when I do I'll see what I can gather to put up here.Ye olde Scientologists over on Tottenham Court road. Which reminds me, I know these guys take the prize by far, but has anyone ever really taken a close look at Mormons? I've been reading a lot of books from the Victorian era lately and The Church of Latter Day Saints has cropped up in several of them. It's interesting to see how they were viewed, reviled and laughed at in much the same way the Scientologists have been getting it in recent years. I suppose Mitt Romney has got me thinking about them again too.This is a portion of a monument along The Mall, opposite the ICA, which was made to honor British Artillerymen who lost their lives during a conflict in South Africa from around 1905 (sorry, it's been a week since I read the plaques or I'd be more specific). There are just so many beautiful monuments to the dead in this city......like this one, which is in the same general vicinity. Kind of a miniature Nelson's Column, this is dedicated to Frederick, Duke of York.The storyteller in me would like to think that his grave lay at the base, with this doorway leading in. But I don't think it is.

Addendum: THIS kind of worries me. It almost goes without saying that healthcare will factor into my deciding what country to be living in at the end of my two year look-see in the UK.

Bits and pieces of the city from last Saturday

On my way down from Tottenham court road I passed through St. Martin in the fields (the church is undergoing serious reconstruction, so I didn't bother with any pictures - though one day I shall).
I was almost annoyed that I'd just managed to miss an exhibit on contemporary Canadian design, I would have liked to see how the embassy would be portraying us to the outside world...to take the stance of the other vis a vis Canada. the Meanwhile, here's a couple more of the Canadian Embassy...See the flag nearest? I feel like such fool, I had to actually think to remember that it was for Nunavut. Just a second, but a second too long I should think!
Eventually I ambled away and came across these burning braziers.
But the only clue I could find as to what their adjoining building was for or who owned it was this flag. Ten internet points to whoever might tell me what it represents!I then passed the Texan embassy and nearly shat myself before I realized it was a restaurant.


Dropping south, past the ICA along the MALL and into St. James Park, I came across this monument to all the fallen London police officers.The book is updated each year with not only names but descriptions of the officers. It was nice, in a way, to see that the lists for the past few years were not terribly long ones.Tomorrow there just might be a new comic, if you cross your legs and pray the requisite amount of times.

Not that Prince Albert

Man, I do believe that the comic is going to be postponed until tomorrow in the interest of quality. It's really my own fault, as I've once again tried to run before I can walk with this thing. But there is a pretty decent consolation prize, pictures of the superb sight I alluded to yesterday - The Prince Albert Memorial.Now I knew that Queen Victoria had grieved for the death of her husband rather thoroughly (what with her wearing all black every day of her life but one, from the funeral onward). I knew that as Queen of the British Empire at it's height, she'd have some serious resources to draw upon for a tribute. But still, I was absolutely stunned when I came across this while walking from Kensington Palace to the Serpentine Gallery.
If you want to see some pictures underneath the monument and to learn more about how it was built, you can check out this here webpage.Each of the four outer corners is dedicated to one of the continents which the Empire held notable sway over. First we have Africa with it's camel.Then we have Asia with it's Elephant.
Followed by a Bull for Europe.
And finally, a Buffalo for North America.
And finally the big man himself.As if all this wasn't enough, we have the more widely known Royal Albert Hall which lay right where Albert's statue can keep an eye on it.
Tomorrow you all shall be treated to the loose photo's from Friday's bloody long walk and a new First World Problem strip. I'm going to try for another mid-week one as well, though I shall try to restrain myself and just do a simple, linear, three or four panel comic.

St. Paul's Cathedral, also a cheery garbage eating device

As promised, I did a camera strafing run on St. Paul's Cathedral today. Odds are I'll come back to it as I certainly didn't cover everything in my limited lunch hour.

This is the front of the church......and here is the main front door. To give a sense of scale I swiveled left and grabbed a picture of this fella.Here we have the monument to Queen Anne which lay out front, along Cannon St.
Eventually I walked over to the Thames and sat down to eat. There I saw one of these things again...something about the exclamation mark in it's claim makes me want it to grow Thomas the Tank Engine style eyes and start nattering.Across from me was (and still is, I imagine) the Tate Modern. It's a great, free gallery - currently featuring a wealth of Salvador Dali - and arguably the first gallery which comes to most people's minds if asked. That's all for today, but when we get another sunny day this week (as you can see, today was pretty grey) I'll bust out the camera and grab some more shots.