This is a VERY nice elevator in the office building where GE Frankona Re (Reinsurance)/ERC (Employer's Reinsurance Corp) is housed.
The offices are about a 30 second walk from London Bridge. As an education point, I must assert that London Bridge is very ugly and big
and quite boring. The nice bridge you're possibly thinking of is actually TOWER bridge, just downriver near the Tower of London and
such. See below for more info...
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Yes, the Tower Bridge is the nice one, you can see a red streak from a firework on the far right of this photo. I was in
London during Bonfire Night, Nov. 5th. This is the day that celebrates the discovery of the Gunpowder plot to blow up
Parliament. Guy Fawkes was found guilty of this and he's commemorated when people make life-sized effigies of him and throw these
"guys" into bonfires across the country. This is also closely tied to the Protestant-Catholic battle and for some time it was
widely held that there was a Jesuit priest behind the plot, but nothing was ever proved on this point.
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The bridge again
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So, on Thursday, the 7th of November, 2002 I had about an hour between when I left my stuff off at the office and my
first meeting - so I ran from the Clifford Street office to the Bond Street Station and underground over to Westminster to
snap a few photos, get a few postcards and a magnet and run back to the office. Here's an ever-so British sign at the Westminster
station apologizing to patrons and imploring their forgiveness for a delay the previous day. Only in the UK - so polite!
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What a...concerning scene...when coming out of the Westminster Station near Parliament. Perhaps Guy Fawkes is still at it trying
to destory the place, because they've certainly got it well sealed-off with high black metal fences and such.
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Ben, Biiiiiig Ben
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Light...Little light
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Ah, I've found a cheesy souvenir stand, just what I was looking for. A keychain, some postcards and a magnet later (and a few
pounds lighter!) I've got one goal accomplished.
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A picture of a drawing of Big Ben with the Union Jack flag flying overhead, isn't that quaint folks?
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Ah, the conservative nature of the clock just oooozes in black and white, don't ya think? Nice morning sun reflection off the top
windows of the structure.
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So regal, so magestic, so BIG!
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At an angle
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Yes, it even tells time in addition to being a major world landmark!
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Well, after my meetings I headed up Seville Row (where I saw a lot of silk ties, but not too many photos) and up to
Piccadilly Circus
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Nice photo of some lights and a stone building
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Some anonymous building near Piccadilly Circus. The sad thing is that there's no circus to be found, in fact
I didn't see much remarkable of the area overall. Of course, I was looking for the London Underground (subway) station, which I
quickly found and went on my way back to Heathrow Airport and Amsterdam.
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