| I love London, it is my kind of town. Now
| |
| | recent years was held shortly after the
|
| I know that to most people this would
| |
| | awful events of 911 when instead of
|
| sound as if I am plagiarising some
| |
| | playing God Save the Queen the band of
|
| advertising copy for either New York or
| |
| | the Guards performed what turned out to
|
| Chicago but in this case I truly mean it.
| |
| | be quite an emotional performance
|
| I have lived AND worked in London for
| |
| | (certainly for those visiting American
|
| well over 30 years and I have seen
| |
| | tourists in the audience) of the Star
|
| everything come and go, good times and
| |
| | Spangled Banner, the national anthem of
|
| bad times.
| |
| | the United States of America.
|
| From the bad old days and the darkest
| |
| | Perhaps the significance of this passed
|
| hours of the terrorist bombing campaigns
| |
| | most of the on looking tourist by but it
|
| of the Provisional IRA in the 70's and
| |
| | was a first in living memory that any
|
| 80's to the good times when the
| |
| | other national anthem other than the
|
| announcement was made that London had
| |
| | United Kingdoms own God Save the Queen
|
| been awarded the 2012 Olympics and the
| |
| | had been performed at the Changing of the
|
| Queens Jubilee. London has seen it all
| |
| | Guards ceremony.
|
| and treats both with the same respect.
| |
| | Perhaps it is little incidences like
|
| I remember travelling through London to
| |
| | these that sum up exactly what a rich
|
| return home to Northern Ireland where I
| |
| | cornucopia of the historic and modern,
|
| now live on the day the news broke that
| |
| | the city of London actually is. Unlike
|
| Princess Diana had tragically been killed
| |
| | other major international capital cities,
|
| in a car accident in Paris and the sense
| |
| | London may lack perhaps the historic
|
| of grief and shock were overwhelming as
| |
| | grandeur of the Parthenon in Athens or
|
| total strangers just blindly made their
| |
| | the Coliseum in Rome but through out
|
| way to Kensington Palace to lay flowers
| |
| | London you will find examples of perhaps
|
| at the peoples memorial. Then at the
| |
| | a more modern architecture (though no
|
| other end of the spectrum you have London
| |
| | less splendid and impressive) such as the
|
| the day of the "Live 8" Festival in Hyde
| |
| | mother of all parliaments, the Houses of
|
| Park where the city centre was brought to
| |
| | Parliament in Westminster or the serenity
|
| a standstill with blaring rock music
| |
| | of St Paul's Cathedral a survivor of many
|
| belting out across the entire City
| |
| | centuries and in many ways every bit as
|
| Centre.
| |
| | impressive now as in the days of its
|
| There is so much history in London, real
| |
| | design under the architect Sir
|
| live, vibrant living history in London
| |
| | Christopher Wren.
|
| that sometimes when you live there it
| |
| | If nothing else the building of St Paul's
|
| just passes you by and you take
| |
| | Cathedral is a testament to survival
|
| everything for granted.
| |
| | itself having both survived the Great
|
| Take the changing of the guard for
| |
| | Fire of London in the 16th Century and
|
| instance. This happens everyday at Betty
| |
| | then four hundred years later the Blitz
|
| and Phil's place at the end of the mall.
| |
| | in World War II.
|
| OK I should be slightly less flippant. I
| |
| | Perhaps this encompasses the overall
|
| am of course referring to Buckingham
| |
| | appeal of London, the historic blend of
|
| Palace, home of Queen Elizabeth II and
| |
| | the old and the new.
|
| Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh found
| |
| | Come and visit London, it won't
|
| at the end of the Mall. Perhaps the most
| |
| | disappoint.
|
| notable of the Changing of the Guards in
| |
| |
|
