VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!
A unique moment in the annual London ceremonial events calendar - the only non-Commonwealth foreign army which is allowed to march in uniform and bearing arms through the centre to the Cenotaph for a special act of Remembrance.
It’s down to George V’s special closeness to his cousin, WW1 hero King Albert and recognises not just him but the valour of the Belgian military commanded by him during World War I. His death in February 1934 in a climbing accident sparked the idea of this special London military parade.
#BelgianArmy
#BelgianNationalDay
#anglobelgian
#cenotaph
#viveladifferance
#KingALBERT
#BelgianEmbassy
#serendipity
I am a Blue Badge Tourist Guide lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time with clients who were not expecting this bonus to their day. Let me delight you by showing you something great you never expected to see!
Gloucester Crescent in Greenwich
Lovely to do what I tell others to do - make happy memories. All good wishes for 2024!
Marathon Man Mo Farah’s last London street race took him right past the Greenwich local Waitrose store. Practically had the road to myself to get this shot of the great man in action. And as a London Blue Badge guide I knew all the backstreet short cuts to catch him away from the madding crowds.
#Mofarah
#Londonmarathon
#Marathonman
#Bluebadgeguide
#Britainsbestguides
Morning commute from Greenwich to Heron Quays. This journey is a great way to start my day as a Blue Badge London guide.
#dlr
#docklandslightrailway
#transportforlondon
#tfl
#canarywharf
#canarywharflondon
#britainsbestguides
#instituteoftouristguiding
A rare moments of freedom during a long-ago Lockdown lift had me jumping on a train to St Pancras to meet up with friends at the Gymnasium near the station. We had to wear face coverings indoors though.
An excerpt from Much Ado About Nothing in Westminster Abbey’s Henry Vll Chapel. The most glorious, atmospheric and artistic time I’ve ever spent in this iconic building on Tuesday evening where I had been guiding tourists only that morning. Immersive performances by actors from the Globe Theatre taking place simultaneously all over the church that you could just wander up to. The whole experience I can only describe as well-organised and joyful chaos! This was one of a number of snippets from the Great Man’s works being performed in every corner of this world-famous space. A regular annual event bar pandemics! Check out the details on the Abbey website and catch it if you can.
#williamshakespeare
#westminsterabbey
#thorneyislandsociety
#globetheatre
#bluebadgetouristguide
#bluebadgeguide
#globetheatre
You don’t have to jump through hoops to go to the King’s Cross Gymnasium these days. But if you’d been here in 1865 you might have! This is where the indoor events of the first National Olympian Games in London were held, the forerunner to the full-blown Games that took place in same city in 1908. And this magnificent building? It goes back to 1861, was built for the German Gymnastics Society and was England’s first purpose-built gymnasium funded entirely by London’s German community.
The main exercise hall’s stupendous features are still evident now in its new incarnation as a top restaurant.
And as diners chomp away they’d probably choke on their food if they knew that among the now obsolete sports that athletes competed against each other to excel in was...Indian Club Swinging! Who knew?🤔#germangymnasium
#olympicgames
#nationalolympicgames
#muchwenlock
Wonderful Walthamstow - the William Morris gallery
