More of Day 2

There was so much to see there that my brain is still on overload. So, I will take the time today to share some of the sights we saw while walking around London on day 2.

The walk along the River Thames was as enjoyable as it was relaxing, and I learned a bunch of stuff, like the image in my head of London Bridge is actually Tower Bridge as it leads to the Tower of London. London Bridge is a concrete bridge much like the ones we see today with wide walkways for people to walk.

From London Bridge, you can see Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is much more graceful and elegant than the other bridges in London. It was built in 1894 with roadways that lift for passing ships. It is an engineering marvel and an icon for London.

Continuing your walk down the Thames, the first statue/monument you see is that of Queen Boudica. Boudica or Boudicca was a queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe who led a failed uprising against the conquering forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61. She is considered a British national heroine and a symbol of the struggle for justice and independence.

Our goal was to walk down to Cleopatra’s Needle. Cleopatra’s Needle in London is one of a pair of obelisks, together named Cleopatra’s Needles, that were moved from the ruins of the Caesareum of Alexandria, in Egypt, in the 19th century. Inscribed by Thutmose III and later Ramesses II of the Egyptian New Kingdom, the obelisk was moved in 12 BC to Alexandria, where it remained for over 1,800 years.

It was presented to the United Kingdom in 1819 by the ruler of Egypt and Sudan Muhammad Ali as a diplomatic gift. Although the British government welcomed the gesture, it declined to pay to move the obelisk to London. It was subsequently erected in the West End of London on the Victoria Embankment in Westminster in 1878.

On either side of the Needle are Sphinx that protect it. Along the bottom of the Sphinx, you will see holes and damage from bullet/shrapnel fire during WWI.

As we walked through the city, we kept seeing this tall monument. I took pictures from several streets that showed it’s central location of the area. Standing 202 feet high and 202 feet from the spot on Pudding Lane where the great fire is thought to have started, The Monument to the Great Fire of London is the tallest isolated stone column in the world.

I think this is in Latin, maybe you can read it

Below are other buildings with interesting architectures that I enjoyed.

I hope you have enjoyed these as much as I did. I am always fascinated with these grand structures built so many years ago with such grace, elegance, and artistry.

I close with a reminder to be kind and show that we can change the world with kindness…if everyone is kind.

Day 2 of London

Day 2 started with a fantastic tour of St. Paul’s Cathedral. St. Paul’s was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in the late 17th century and has been home to the Cathedral Church of the Diocese of London for over 1,400 years.

The exterior of the building only whets your appetite for what you will see inside.

Once I was inside, I was amazed by its size. I knew it was big, but it was so open, with massive arches supporting this beauty. Coming from an architectural/engineering background, I am easily amazed by ancient buildings, knowing what tools, materials, and artistry they used for construction that could never be matched today. Yes, we have amazing structures today, but they can not compare to these 17th and 18th century works of art.

As you walk the aisles of this building, you will see what I am talking about.

This is the overall view of the nave, which shows the height of the walls and the lower section of the dome. If you look at the first level of the dome, called the Whispering Gallery, you can see cages of protection for those who chose to walk up the 257 steps to view the floor at 98 feet high. My daughter did that while I had the sense to sit quietly and enjoy the view. You can then go another 376 steps, 174 feet from the Cathedral floor, to see the spectacular view outside from the Stone Gallery. Higher still is the Golden Gallery, 279 feet from the cathedral floor.

Below are some shots taken while I waited for my daughter as she explored the Whispering and Stone galleries.

At first, I thought I had taken the same picture twice, but the statues are different. This shows the consistency of the design while adding artistic differences.

The Quire, where the clergy and choir sit, is located between the Dome Altar and the High Altar. It has beautifully designed wood carvings, with

The altar is a raised platform where communion or offerings are placed. St. Paul’s has two altars on the cathedral floor; the Dome Altar pictured above is on one end of the Quire, and the High Altar pictured below is on the opposite end of the Quire.

The pulpit is located between the Dome Altar and the Quire and is a beautifully carved raised platform with a spiral staircase.

As you walk behind the Quire, you notice that the woodwork on the back is also beautiful. And just beyond that is the entrance to the High Altar.

Other things of interest were the plaques showing the church leaders from 1090 to the present.

Before we visit the Crypt pictures, there was one door that caught my eye. It seemed to go outside, but not one that we would use. The crypt was accessed through stairs on the opposite side of the Cathedral.

Above is says…Through the gate of death we pass to our joyful resurrection.

Fortunately for me, the crypt had a handicap accessible lift, and they let us use it. Like the All Saints church, there were graves laid in the floor, where people now walked. Coming from south Georgia and the ghost stories my grandmother used to tell, this gave me the “heebie jeebies”.

You can see several tombstones, most of which were dated in the mid-18oos. This is the altar and pulpit used for funerals. Some of the older tombs were above ground and very ornate with statues or ornate crypts.

Arthur, Duke of Wellington, was known for defeating Napoleon Bonaparte at Waterloo in 1815.

Another famous name in this crypt was Florence Nightingale. While it was unclear if she was actually buried there, she was memorialized there.

I know this was a long post, but there was a lot to share. There was a lot more we saw on day 2, but that will have to be on another post.

Always remember to show kindness where you can and sometimes be kind when it’s not fair because, at some level, kindness always wins.

Hello From London

Well, technically, I am not there now. But my daughter and I took a two-week trip over the “pond” and visited London, England, Edinburg, Scotland, and ended in Dublin, Ireland. It was a wonderful trip, and I thought I would share some of the 600 pictures I took.

On day 1, we went to All Saints Church on Market Street. When we went to New York last year and visited many of the ancient churches, I kind of knew what we would see, but this beauty is something you can’t describe; you have to see it. So, I will share my sightings with you.

The foundation stone for this house of God was laid on All Saints’ Day by Dr Edward Bouverie Pusey in 1850. Dr. Pusey was one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement, which was responsible for the Catholic revival in the Church of England. This site was previously occupied by the 18th century Margaret Chapel.

The front entrance and the overall building amazed me, knowing what tools they did not have to create such beauty.

Once you got inside, the quiet beauty made you stop and just look. William Butterfield was the architect and the designer of many of the beautiful inlaid tiled walls and murals.

The pulpit had beautiful paintings and sculptures with gold embellished ironwork. The side of the pulpit had intricate stone and woodwork around the windows. The multi-arched ceiling above the pulpit was amazing.

The great West Window, created by Alexander Gibbs in 1877, was beautiful. It depicted several Old Testament scenes. A window depicting many of the prophets is in the northwest corner of the church. The ceiling’s main arch ran the length of the church to the pulpit.

There was another pulpit-type structure, which I assumed from the literature was the baptistry. But I am not sure. I noticed that many of the churches we went to had several small side chapels, so it may have been that. Regardless, it was beautiful.

After we visited All Saints Church, we went to Kings Crossing Station, famous for the Harry Potter movies. There was a significant line for photos around the half in the wall luggage trolley. Again, the building was impressive and part of the St. Panaras Church building. This is also the church featured in the Harry Potter movies.

The architecture and brickwork of this building were unique and worth the photo opportunity.

This pretty much finishes out day 1 of our trip, as we only had half a day to explore due to our plane’s arrival time. Day 2 was MUCH busier, and my legs felt it. I may have to break it into two posts due to how much we saw that day.

For now, I leave you with a reminder to always be kind. Kindness has a power that can change a situation if it is allowed the opportunity.

Hello, It’s Me Again

I have not posted since fall as my daughter has had me busy traveling. This past year we went to New York, to Philadelphia, to Missouri, to Chicago and several Christmas markets in the Midwest during December. And in two weeks we go on our big trip – two weeks to the British Isles. We will hit London, England; Edinburg Scotland; and Dublin, Ireland. I told her that when we got back home, I was not going anywhere for several months.

And with all that busyness, I still managed to finish book 2 of Smiles from Heaven.

This again is mostly short stories, a smattering of poetry and some Psalm-like prayers. Our pastor challenged us this past summer to find some quiet time and really try to write a Psalm with the idea that a Psalm is a heartfelt prayer or conversation with God. Like book 1, this book’s purpose is to encourage one another through uplifting stories about life from a Christian perspective. I have enclosed one of the poems and hope you enjoy it. If interested, the books are sold through Amazon.

Nature’s Gift

I lean my head back staring up thru the tree

I close my eyes to sense what I cannot see

I feel the rough bark, the breeze lifts my hair

Bringing in the fragrance of flowers so fair

The birds are singing and chirping close by

Jumping through the tree or heading to the sky

I can hear the small brook flowing over the rocks

Creating soothing sounds like a small music box

The beauty of nature, God’s creation gift for us

A place where we escape, the noise and the fuss

Nature is a place where all senses come into play

Relieving our stresses on any given day

I hope these few words helped you smile. Life can be hard for many of us but if we can find one moment to breathe and smile, it helps relieve the stress we may be facing. Be encourage as God is always close by ready to carry you if needed.

In closing I remind you of the power and gentleness of kindness.

Fall Pajamas

Don’t you just love it when the weather turns cool and you snuggle up with fuzzy socks to watch TV or read a good book? It’s a favorite time of year for me for several reasons but one of the short-term experiences is the pajamas of fall.

Not these types of fall pajamas but nature’s fall pajamas, a beauty that makes us smile. As the sun gets fewer hours to shine, and the temps begin to drop, fall puts on her favorite pajamas as she gets ready for winter’s nap.

The colors range from various shades of red, yellow, and gold and even the brown had a sheen to it.

As I came home today from Bible study, I took a meandering trip through the neighborhoods and thought I would share what I saw with you. These are with my phone camera but still, I think you can enjoy the color. Many of the trees in North Carolina did not get to wear their color this year due to the hurricane that devasted the area. So, I share some of the colors of the Midwest with you. Hope they bring a smile.

God gives us gifts in nature for each season to remind us that he is always there and that he wants to share the beauty he enjoys. So enjoy the fall pajamas in your area and always be kind.

Buildings of Philadelphia

In any city with history, you have wonderful architecture from major craftsmen and artists. This beauty can not be reproduced for several reasons, such as cost, but mostly because of the lost craftsmanship of a gone-by era. While modern-day architecture is a marvel to look at, there are no longer amazing artisans who make imbedded statues within the walls of a building.

Philadelphia has many beautiful older buildings and I will share a few of those with you today. This is the front and side of City Hall.

Check out the closeup of this amazing artwork that I presume to be stone.

We expect churches to be amazing on the inside but some wonderful structures from the early 19th century and later are striking on the outside.

The Masonic Temple entrance had intricate arched layers as it came down to its arched door.

Along with churches, the Christ Church Cemetery had monuments of artesian flair.

You have to be of a certain age to get a chuckle and be amazed by this building’s stained glass masterpiece. I chuckled with fond memories of the TV commercials when I was a kid.

If the window does not ring a bell, it is the RCA music mascot, Nipper. Since I have always been an animal lover, of course, I would remember Nipper. This building is now apartments and shops.

A must-see if you go to Philadelphia is Elfreth Ally. It’s the oldest neighborhood in the entire country still being used as it was first built. They are still homes plus a museum giving history information of the ally.

A photo contrasting the buildings of 1700 and today…

I close with a smattering of photos taken at random as we walked the streets of Philadelphia. The last day was misty rain but the beauty of this place could still be seen.

One last string of photos – if you go to Philly, you have to visit Reading Terminal. Shop after shop of amazing food.

Well, the Philly trip is done, I hope you had fun looking through my picture fun. Don’t forget that wherever you may travel, always be kind. When you are kind, kindness will be returned.

More on Philly

While my daughter is a major history buff, both of us are aquarium lovers. One of the other reasons for this trip was the Philadelphia Aquarium. It housed one of the few Hammerhead sharks in the world. Unfortunately, 3 weeks before we got there he died. Bummer. But the rest of the aquarium was fabulous.

They have a shark tunnel where you can walk under the tank and the sharks swim over you.

Then the really big tank has the sharks up front and personal.

But the most fun part was the pigmy hippos. We got there at feeding time so we got to watch. Such an amazing creature. Don’t let the word pygmy fool you, they were still over 5 thousand lbs. But compared to the 10k hippos of Africa, yeah they are smaller.

We also caught feeding time at the Piranha rain Forest that was set up for Halloween.

Check out some of the other fish, I take lots of pictures,

They had huge turtles including a snake head turtle.

In closing, I remind you that animals understand love.

They stood cuddling each other for a long time.

Nature will teach us the power of kindness and love if we will just pay attention. So remember to always be kind to all kinds.

Short Works

G.A. Neal

Thank you Susi Bocks for allowing me to write for The Short of It. The Short of It along with I Write Her, are a wonderful place where authors share their hearts with words. Please check out other authors that Susi of I Write Her has highlighted. They have amazing talent.

And as always, remember to be kind.

History Trip

My daughter and I took another trip this past week to feed her taste for history. This trip took us to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the birthplace of our country. This is where our forefathers met and discussed how to form this new country. Fortunately, people understood the importance of preserving the city’s history, by restoring its amazing buildings, museums, statues, and cemeteries.

Independence National Historical Park, the “most historic square mile in America” includes Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, two of the city’s most important attractions.

Independence Hall, formerly Pennsylvania State House, is the birthplace of the United States where in 1776, the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence. Eleven years later, delegates to the Constitutional Convention created and signed an enduring framework of government – the United States Constitution.

Interior Photos:

During the blistering summer of 1776, 56 courageous men gathered at the Pennsylvania State House and defied the King of England.

Eleven years later, representatives from 12 states gathered to shape the U.S. Constitution, finally creating one unified nation.

In 1751, Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly Isaac Norris ordered a bell for the bell tower to be made by the Whitechapel Foundry in London. That bell cracked on the first test ring. Local metalworkers John Pass and John Stow melted that bell down and cast a new one in Philadelphia. This is the bell that would ring to call lawmakers to their meetings and the townspeople together to hear the reading of the news. It was later known as the Liberty Bell.

The Liberty Bell’s inscription is from the Bible (King James version): “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof.”

The bell is made mostly of bronze weighing in at 2,080 lbs. The crack appeared over several years of heavy use and in 1852, it was removed from the tower when the repair was unsuccessful.

Over the next few days, I will post more on our trip hoping you enjoy the fun we had, even though it rained. But we don’t melt so on to the next amazing site.

I remind you as always – try to be kind. Its power can change the world.

9-11

To most places around the world, this day is called September 11th. But to us here in the US, it will forever be called 9-11. A day of horror, a day of unmitigated cruelty, a day of where the jealousy and hatred of another country unleashed itself on the innocent people of America.

It is a reminder to all believing Christians, that satan is in charge here on earth and we must stay tightly connected to our Lord and Father to survive until He calls us home to our real home in Heaven.

For ages, all around this planet, there have been acts of cruelty and atrocities to fellow mankind that were never the intention of God. God’s intention was the Garden of Eden, but satan found a way to destroy that beautiful garden throwing mankind out where he can continually torment him in an effort to strike out at God.

I am in continuous prayer against the cruelty of war and oppression that is everywhere on this earth. And as we, in the US, mourn again on this day where over 2,000 lives were senselessly lost, it is a reminder of the damage hate can cause.

In February, my daughter and I visited the site of the twin towers where now a large hole still remains in the ground. It has been turned into a memorial fountain with granite walls engraved with the names of the lives lost…people that were never found. Some were just ordinary people going to work, some were bystanders as the buildings began to fall and some were people sworn to protect others with their very lives, which they gave willingly trying to save as many as they could.

Even though the busy city still moves about today, there is a reverent quiet all around the square of the memorial fountain. People move quietly about as they remember the horrors of the day and pay their respects to those they lost. Even today, strangers weep over this devastating act of cruelty.

May we forever understand that this is no way to be and lift our voices to Heaven for the cruelty to stop. If it means that Jesus needs to come back…then come Lord Jesus and save us from ourselves.

For through kindness, understanding of our differences, and working together as one in Love, then and only then will we find Peace.