Located on Victoria Street, the Albert is a pub / restaurant where Winston Churchill would stop for drinks during the war (WWII; it is still THE WAR). There is a lot of Churchill memorabilia here and The Albert is about a 10 minute walk from #10 Downing Street.#10 Downing Street, and the entire street in particular, is closed off from Parliment Street with 10-12 foot high ironwork, guarded by heavily armed military personnel.
This is a Chelsea Pensioner, the first I've meet. He was in The Albert and let me know about some of the history of the place. Dressed as he is, it indicates he lives in The Royal Hospital, set up by King Charles II in 1689. Generally, a Chelsea Pensioner is a retired Career non-commisioned member of the Army, at least 65, and in-pensioners surrender their army pension, in return receiving board, lodging, clothing and full medical care.
This is an interior view of Westminster Catherdal, which for many, many reasons is very unique. Note the columns with 90 deg corners (not square columns, but rectangular). It is one of the most important catherdals of Roman Catholicism in England and if interested, I suggest you visit www.westminstercatherdal.co.uk for more info and pictures. Also, do a google search & check out the images. This is definately NOT a Gothic or Norman styled structure. It's a Byzantine Styled building with a moorish look to it.
From inside the British Museum; this is a photo of one piece of the Parthenon Friezes. The British Museum built a special room to house them, displaying them in the same manner in which they were originally mounted on the Parthenon. Blow this picture up and check out the detail of this carving. Can you count the 5 horses (hint, one only shows part of its head)?
This is one of the Assyrian Friezes, about 640BC, from the palace at Nineveh, the North Palace. It depicts the Royal lion hunt, the King riding in the chariot.
This is a Chelsea Pensioner, the first I've meet. He was in The Albert and let me know about some of the history of the place. Dressed as he is, it indicates he lives in The Royal Hospital, set up by King Charles II in 1689. Generally, a Chelsea Pensioner is a retired Career non-commisioned member of the Army, at least 65, and in-pensioners surrender their army pension, in return receiving board, lodging, clothing and full medical care. 
This is an interior view of Westminster Catherdal, which for many, many reasons is very unique. Note the columns with 90 deg corners (not square columns, but rectangular). It is one of the most important catherdals of Roman Catholicism in England and if interested, I suggest you visit www.westminstercatherdal.co.uk for more info and pictures. Also, do a google search & check out the images. This is definately NOT a Gothic or Norman styled structure. It's a Byzantine Styled building with a moorish look to it.
From inside the British Museum; this is a photo of one piece of the Parthenon Friezes. The British Museum built a special room to house them, displaying them in the same manner in which they were originally mounted on the Parthenon. Blow this picture up and check out the detail of this carving. Can you count the 5 horses (hint, one only shows part of its head)?The British Museum has a special list of 30 attractions, The Top 30, for those who only have 3-4 hours to spend. In 4 hours, I got to the fifth item on the list. There is just so much to see. I suspect one could return to the museum daily for a month, not see the same thing twice and still not see all that's there.
Long since aware of its existence and its importance, I was thrilled to see the ROSETTA STONE. It is housed in a glass case and looks rather small, dwarfed by its historical significance. Displayed as it is, it is difficult to get a good picture of it without reflecting the crowd that continuously stands around it.
This is one of the Assyrian Friezes, about 640BC, from the palace at Nineveh, the North Palace. It depicts the Royal lion hunt, the King riding in the chariot. No, this wasn't a jungle hunt. It was conducted in an arena and in a further effort to ensure the King's safety, the lions were de-fanged and de-clawed. The curator told me that last bit of info., info that surely wasn't passed on to the King's adoring spectators.
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