Tudor and Stuart Whitehall

I have a bit of a break until my last term paper is due so I took another guided walk about Tudor and Stuart Whitehall. Whitehall was the former palace that is mostly associated with the Tudor and Stuart dynasties. The palace burnt down in the late 1600s, but the whole area around it was referred to as "Whitehall." (It still is called Whitehall) There is not much left anymore of what was there during the Tudors and the Stuarts. Today it is all government offices, mainly the different ministries. Anyways, it was a nice day, though I can tell summer is starting as there were lots of dumb tourists around, blocking the sidewalks!!

Bust of Charles I on the Banqueting House, one of the only bits left of Whitehall Palace. The bust is placed near to the spot where Charles got his head chopped off by Oliver Cromwell

The window on the Banqueting House that Charles walked though to get on the scaffold to get his head chopped off

The stairs that led to Queen Mary's terrace (long since gone) The terrace was designed by Christopher Wren for Queen Mary II (William and Mary)

The gatehouse at St. James' Palace dating from Tudor times

The window of the Chapel Royal of St. James Palace, the ceiling inside was painted by Holbein, though it isn't open to the public

Flowers in St. James Park

More flowers in the park

Setting up the grandstands at Horse Guards for the Trooping of the Color in June- the official celebration of the Queen's birthday.

The South Bank of London

I took a break from writing my term papers (exciting!) and took a guided tour of the South Bank of London, roughly between Waterloo Station and the Globe Theatre

A view of St. Paul's Cathedral from the South Bank
Some houses from about the 1820s, they were built for the working classes of London

Some more examples of working class homes from the 1820s

The oldest theatre in London still operating-the Old Vic, been putting on plays since 1818

The Kings Arms Pub- been there from the late 1800s

The London Nautical School-opened in 1913 after the sinking of the Titanic to train people to work on cruise liners, still operates, though it is boys only

House where William Bligh from Mutiny on the Bounty fame lived

A plaque of Atlas holding up the globe- this is from the 1820s before London had fire stations and houses were insured by private insurance companies who had their own fire brigades. The different companies had different plaques so they would only put out fires at houses that were insured with them.

Far West of Cornwall-Penzance and other towns

I spent all five nights in Penzance at a really nice guesthouse right across from the sea. Most of the Coastal Path is along protected land or farmland but I went through several pretty villages while hiking. Most of the time, my day started and ended in a village, easier for the cab to pick me up.

St. Michael's Mount- an island just a shortways from Penzance, now owned by the National Trust
A view of the old town of Penzance

The harbor of the village of Mousehole- the prettiest village I went to

Another view of some of the cottages in Mousehole

A view of Mousehole from the hill walking into the village

The church in Zennor- has 12th century origins

An old water wheel in Zennor- the church is in the background

Looking down at Lamorna Cove-another village where I starting hiking one day

A view of the Stanley Guesthouse-where I stayed in Penzance

The view from the window in my room

Jake the Scottish terrier who lived at the guesthouse

My room- you can see my backpack laying on the bed!

Far West of Cornwall- Views from Southwestern Coastal Path

Most of the time that I was in Cornwall, I hiked along part of the Southwestern Coastal Path. I walked about 7 to 8 miles a day. The weather was really nice and didn't rain once (Surprise, surprise!) All the pictures below were taken over several days on the coastal path and unless otherwise noted are all coastal views.

Waterfall running from the cliffs
A ship that ran aground only a few years ago- still dangerous coastline!

Holiday makers at Porthcurno beach

A couple of guys boogie boarding

A farm about a mile from the coast

A view of the West Penrith moors

Longships Lighthouse- just off Land's End

Sea Holly on the path-(It actually stuck you, so you had to avoid brushing up against them!)

Dog running through the water

A rare breed of some special Cornish cow (I forget the name)

A cow looking over a stone fence

Ponies in a field just off the coast

Cape Cornwall- once thought to be the westernmost point of England- it was later determined that Land's End was

A burro grazing- a friend for Guido!!