Some More Time Passed in London and Captured in Photos But Not Nearly Enough Photos For the Amount of Time Passed

The last few days in London have passed between morning phone calls, afternoon and late evening checkups and adventure and meals in between.

Some photos:

St. Paul’s Cathedral as seen from the backside of the Tate Modern museum.

Gull tries to hide on a poop splattered pedestrian bridge.

Beaded water.

A loner in rain poncho skims for treasure using a metal detector.

Boy sitting at the base of the columns in front of St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The dome of St. Paul’s.

Corinthian columns.

Inside the cathedral.

Brick buildings nearby.

KEEP CLEAR.

The pedestrian bridge to the Tate Modern.

Wooden posts in the Thames.

Shipping containers on a barge, perhaps used for building materials.

A tie.

Miscellaneous basket decoration.

The base of a lamp post decorated in goo.

Garbage alley.

Woman walk in front of an abandoned lot.

Vietnamese soup.

Dog sitting by a church.

Mural.

A bike stripped of its valuable parts and wrapped in festive paper.

A window shutter holder shaped like a fellow.

Yesterday, I took a variety of subway lines north to Archway Station. My goal was to explore Highgate West Cemetery. I walked up the hill and to the entrance, only to find that both the east and west cemeteries had entrance fees (£3 for east, £7 for west) and that the more interesting west side was only by guided tours that left hourly. I arrived past 11, just after the tour left. So I decided to stroll around the east cemetery to kill some time. Highgate East is not without its charms. Beside holding the body of Karl Marx, the bulk of the grounds are weathered and mossy tombstones taken over by either ivy or woods. This would be a particularly creepy cemetery at night.

Before noon, I queued up with a group of twenty odd people. Most were couples. I tried making small talk, but found it easier to just be a quiet loner touring a cemetery with a camera. The tour wasn’t particularly informative, but the grounds were interesting. Not many years ago, the place was in ruin. It would have been more interesting back then.

I don’t suspect this cat will escape.

Whereas this one might.

Old walkways at Whittington Hospital.

A row of flats.

The snake sculptures in this park remind me of the snakes from the Simpsons “Whacking Day” episode.

Colorful and overgrown apartment entrance.

A smoking car creates atmosphere near the entrance to Highgate Cemetery.

Rosemary growing healthy from a feast of human nutrients.

Unusual sculpture over a tombstone.

Mushroom sculptures.

Berry tree.

Weathered tombstone type.

Ivy covered epitaph.

Another stone.

A pair of ivy covered stones at the edge of the forested core of the cemetery.

Karl Marx lies here. The head is life-size.

A path through the graveyard forest.

An angel reaches skyward to give God a high-five.

Yellow leaves.

Ivy encroaches on an angel.

Mossy stones, one of which being overtaken by a tree.

Don’t panic! Here’s the modest tombstone for Douglas Adams.

The pathway leading through Highgate Cemetery West.

A recent burial.

Entrance to the Egyptian Avenue tombs.

Circle of Lebanon: a sunken ring of tombs in the cemetery that lie under an old cedar.

The Lebanon cedar.

A sign pointing to the Columbarium, a function room for burial urns.

Many of the unmaintained graves were deemed unsafe to be around and were marked with police tape.

The grave of Thomas Sayers, Victorian pugilist. His pet dog rests as sculpture for eternity.

Looking south from Highgate near Waterlow Park.

A pint on the sidewalk.

As I walked back to the tube stop through Waterlow Park, freezing rain started to fall. I made it back to the Aldgate East neighborhood, walked to an Indian place and ordered two dishes and some nan. I hadn’t brought my Murakami book, so I had to entertain myself by studying a map of London. That evening, I came home and played a healthy dose of Counterstrike Source, Team Fortress 2, and the demo to Batman: Arkham Asylum.

Today, we went to the post production office around 11 for a check-in. From there, I went on a walk north to a canal. Again, some cold rain struck. I returned early to the comfort of free beverages and blazing hot old radiators.

A record tried to escape and got stuck.

The decorative entrance to some small local library.

Handrail down to a canal promenade.

Looking westward along the canal from under Kingsland Bridge.

A thirsty man’s litter.

Weathered wall along the canal.

Goose.

Old water pipe with a pigeon on top.

Mossy ribs on a brick wall.

Small locks along the canal.

Chipping bridge.

A boat bumper made from jute.

A cool couple has tea and toast as they cruise down the canal on their house boat.

My canal walk ends at a tunnel.

Graffito.

Graffiti.

A row of townhouses lit by the setting sun.

Green, blue, and red.

Someone’s phones must not be working.

Parish Hall’s modest back entrance.

Take it back!

Just a few more days are left in London. It has felt like a healthy trip already and a good balance of work and sightseeing. Unfortunately, my mood has been overshadowed by being sleepy and tooth pain. I hope to find a dentist to look at my tooth tomorrow. I want to see how long I can wait before I need to do something about it. I suspect a root canal and crown are in my future.