London in verse - Prof O'Boyle

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite London poem or nursery rhyme?

"Lines and Squares

Whenever I walk in a London street,
I'm ever so careful to watch my feet;
And I keep in the squares,
And the masses of bears,
Who wait at the corners all ready to eat
This sillies who tread on the lines of the street,
Go back to their lairs,
And I say to them, "Bears,
Just look how I'm walking in all the squares!"
And the little bears growl to each other, "He's mine,
As soon as he's silly and steps on a line."
And some of the bigger bears try to pretend
That they came round the corner to look for a friend;
And they try pretend that nobody cares
Whether you walk on the lines or squares.
But only the sillies believe their talk;
It's ever so portant how you walk.
And it's ever so jolly to call out, "Bears,
Just watch me walking in all the squares!"

by A.A. Milne (which is about his visit to London as a little boy)" - Prof O'Boyle

* Photo by Joffley, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

On and over the river - Ric

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite bridge, path, or other spot along the river?

"St. Katherine's dock. A stone's throw from Tower Hill, just east of Tower Bridge on the north side of the Thames, St. Katherine's was renovated from a dis-used deep-water dock originally created for accommodating London's global maritime network. It is now the home to dozens of yachts, but also a number of restaurants and bars. For something out of Farringdon and the centre of London, this would be a good spot to visit."- Ric

* Photo by Ian Press Photgoraphy, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

On and over the river - Miss Alice

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite bridge, path, or other spot along the river?

"Just the one? Then I'll pick the daddy of them all:the Thames path. This national trail runs all the way from the river's source to the sea, but the sections through central London - roughly Tower Bridge up to Battersea Bridge - run right through the heart of the city, and are delightfully modular, with well-signed paths on both sides of the river, and all the bridges in relatively close order so you can loop around very easily. The stretches between Embankment and Tower Bridge on the North or South side are the section I walk several times a week.

For a longer exploration, though, head away from the bridges entirely, taking the South bank path from Tower Bridge down to the Greenwhich Foot Tunnel, the next pedestrian river crossing. I've said this before, but that stretch really gives a fantastic cross-section of London life, from council estates to very swishy apartments, from the Dickensian warehouses of Shad Thames to the glittering 21st century towers of Docklands, past posh boats, working boats, waste boats and discarded boats, past the Design Museum, Mudchute Farm, the Dome, and the Trinity Buoy Wharf Lighthouse - plenty to see and explore and to think about. (The path does occasionally part from the river, though, so take an A-Z or some other decent map as a back up to the signs.)"- Miss Alice

* Photo by Nikonmania, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

On and over the river lake - Kris

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite bridge?

"St. James's Park is one of my favourite places in London, and the bridge across the lake is one of my favourite bridges. It is called the Blue Bridge, and it has wonderful views of lots of the surrounding architectural icons - the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Whitehall. But it also allows you to get a better view of the water birds that live on the lake, including the famous pelicans. Take a picnic and enjoy!"- Kris

* Photo by bthomso, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

On and over the river - Catherine

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite bridge, path, or other spot along the river?

"Everyone will find their favourite stretch of the river, and claim it their own with dozens of pictures of the bridges or the skyline or their friends flashing peace signs as the tea-coloured water bobs below them. While some people stand around wondering what could be down there (was a whale really found by Albert Bridge a few years back?), I prefer to use the river as an excuse to discover what is above the water line.

Like everything in London, you don’t have to go far to come across a gem. An amazing after-school stroll down to Embankment is the perfect excuse to stumble into Gordon’s Wine Bar before making your way to the water. Gordon’s, the oldest wine bar in London, is not easy to find on Villiers Street by Charring Cross on the Strand, but worth the hunt. After spending an hour or two ducked down in the cavernous, candle-lit cellar, emerging into the riverside breeze is a delight.

Or if you want a view of the river while you sip a drink, hop along Waterloo or Blackfriars bridge to Southbank. You can’t miss the OXO tower. Not the cheapest option to consider for dinner, but a cocktail definitely fits the student budget. And the view? Priceless. Check out the panoramic video on their website if you don’t believe me.

Both so close to the London Centre, add these spots to your riverfront finds. And let us know what choice locations you come across!"- Catherine

* Photo by Heidigoseek, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

On and over the river - Prof O'Boyle

Question of the week: Do you have a favourite bridge, path, or other spot along the river?

"As already you know, I think London's Millennium Bridge is a spectacularly beautiful and highly original piece of architectural engineering, whose razor-sharp profile is best appreciated from a boat on the River Thames.

This YouTube clip gives a nicely illustrated explanation of the 'wobble' phenomenon when it first opened

With the addition of newly engineered dampers, however, the bridge is now quite safe to walk across, either heading south to the Tate Modern Gallery or north to the dome of St Paul's Cathedral."
- Prof O'Boyle

* Photo by Miss Alice, used under Creative Commons.

We love London

Welcome to London, summer school students, and welcome to the LUP blog - a place where we share still more about the city, for those of you interested enough to subscribe, or visit regularly to read. Take a look back through the archives for almost a years worth of suggestions and recommendations, and if you have ideas for questions that you'd like us to post about, let us know!

As you may have gathered, all of us are really enthusiastic about London, but - why?

Cornelius O'Boyle - "I love London because ...'it is a modern Babylon'. (Benjamin Disraeli)"

Kris - "I love London because it's inspired so much art - books, paintings, music - everything!"

Ric - "I love London because even when fashions and tastes change, the Meridian makes it the centre of the world!"

Alice - "I love London for its juxtapositions, its energy, and most of all for all its possibilities"

Catherine - "I love London because in London, nothing is missing."

* Photo by Sarah G, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

Blog on break.

Wishing our departing students safe travels, and bright futures. We hope you'll stay in touch - as Prof Kucich says, you'll always have a home with us and Notre Dame in London!

Over the next few days we'll wrapping up the business of the Spring Semester, and taking a few days off from the blog to rest and prepare for the arrival of our Summer School students.

See you in a week or two!

* Photo by MarkSpokes49, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London this summer

"Here's another this summer one - the World Cup!

It doesn't happen every summer, but this summer London will be gripped by World Cup fever. How do I know? Every country that has a team in the final rounds in South Africa will have a greater or lesser degree of this disease, and the England team has a lot of fans!

I'm not particularity interested in football (I'm an American girl...), but even I love the World Cup. I love how it seems that the whole country is united behind one thing, and it's really neat when you hear whole streets erupt in cheers when England scores a goal.

If you're here while the World Cup is on, try to go to at least one game in a pub or other public setting. The atmosphere is wonderful, especially if England wins!"
- Kris

* Photo by CharlesFred, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London in summer - Ric

To experience London in the summer is to encounter fewer of those things that make you want to leave London the rest of the year! Trips to the vast swathes of countryside outside of London remain attractive, but there are a few things in town that retain appeal for the visitor - like you! One of my recommendations is boats. For a fee you can pedal, paddle or row your way around some of London Royal Parks for an enjoyable hour or so.

Re-enactments of the Seige of Boston or the Battle of Trafalgar are not encouraged, but more information can be found at:

www.solarshuttle.co.uk / www.royalparks.org.uk / canalmuseum.org.uk"
- Ric

* Photo by Gary Knight, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.

London in summer - Miss Alice

"Something fantastic that's specific to this summer is the Elephants' Parade , which arrived yesterday, and was having a formal media launch in Trafalgar Square this morning, with celebrities and small school children.

What's the Elephant's Parade? It's a fund-raising and awareness raising exercise on behalf of the endangered Asian elephant, and a huge public art project, bringing more than 250 brightly coloured, cleverly customised, elephants to London's parks, squares, and street corners.

It's an excellent excuse to grab your camera and go out exploring the city - hunting for elephants! They've even provided a map if you want to target your exploration. (warning - large pdf file.)"

Miss Alice

* Photo by raindog, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.