AnglOrony

What an experience! We had a chance to explore the whole building of th e College of Psychic Studies in London. A place dedicated to the exploration of consciousness since late 19thcentury, continuously - the oldest of its kind in the whole world! Sir Arthur Conan Doyle  (known for his iconic  Sherlock Holmes stories) himself was the most prominent president here, for several years.  For the two of the Summer months, the members and the public could visit and explore this majestic place, looking at the rich exhibition, entitled Strange Things Among Us . But first - as we visited first time here - the amount of the bookish volume at the reception room - was even to us - jaw-dropping. The topics - all occult, paranormal, spiritual.  We could had spend hours in that great library! Before us, however, were more rooms, 13 or 14 of them, and nooks and crannies - to discover.  One of the first: the Presidents Office where  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle  himself wor...

Another visit to London for training reasons had been arranged in the new headquarter of our company. It happened to be just around another tourist's hot-spot .  A quick walk along the Tower Hill strikes with places rich in power and the past. This is the most important area not only in London's history but the whole of the British Isles. Tower of London view from the north side Among the many royal palaces and castles on the British soil, the Tower of London is a symbol of British history .  Surviving from the earliest moment of the Norman conquest in 11th century , its layout has been established by the 13th century and remained largely intact. Tower Hill Underground Station Most of all, it is a symbol of the Norman   ruling class that invaded Anglo-Saxon Britain a thousands years ago, that built castles and palaces and had been granted privileges and land.  The remains of this rule and a social divide are still present in the British society.  The a...

Towering steep into the sky, narrowly built, gloomy, powerful, dangerous, emanating some dark energy.  They had started to be erected some 20 years ago, symbols of exponential power of money. Murky businesses are going on behind those glassy walls. Some led to the global financial crisis in 2008, dealing with - what Warren Buffet called - 'weapons of mass destruction' - derivatives and futures - tools in stock trading.  Through the power of money they forced technology to serve money grabbing purpose, using algorithms, Artificial Intelligence and 5G are able to run stock market transaction. Milliseconds are vital for their activities. Transferring money that the ordinary people cannot even and ever imagine. In truth, they run not only the economy but politics too. It was all down to them to give the go ahead with Brexit as presented in the excellent the Spider Web documentary . As clearly suggested, British Empire still operates under cover of those glass and steel towers. I...

A view over the Southbank:  Odeon, King's College, Stamford Street, new towers. A short trip to London in the afternoon and evening hours of January 2020.  Getting off in the Waterloo Station (below, left), walking through the misty streets, towards the City . The central London grows in eerie mystery, each time visited, more and more; the walls start to look at you through its stern stone of the medieval churches tucked  among the steel and glass . The memorable shapes put a stamp in the mind. London does impress - in many different ways. And there are many secretive, dark and arcane goings, to this day. You can literally feel it through your skin, while walking at this hour. The modern sculpture (below, lower right) - a most dramatic display : of the  voracious  forces of nature among the many headquarters of the global financial system .   The Gherkin and its surrounds  The east part of the City of London , near the Aldgate and Live...

The grassroots movement have spread across the world in a few months since its inception in the United Kingdom in May 2018. The momentum was reached in 2019 when many protests were organised worldwide. Activists from the campaign group Rising Up! launched the Extinction Rebellion in Autumn 2018, blocking bridges across the River Thames in London. In Spring 2019, Extinction Rebellion protesters occupied busy sites in central London. In mid-October, there was a two-week series of actions in major cities around the world labelled as " International Rebellion ". Thousands gathered around Westminster, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street and Victoria Embankment on London. A major gathering was held in front of Westminster Abbey. Extinction Rebellion uses protests, disruption and civil disobedience to pressure governments about the 'ecological climate risks, social collapse and sixth mass extinction of species'. A number of activists in the movement accept arrest a...

The City of London is steeped deep in both, history and modernity. A wondrous entity where trade and money , and money trading , have played a major role in the financial power the city has created over the world.  It is a sovereign district , more like a state within a state , with own jurisdiction, police, rules and rituals dating back to the most ancient times.  Medieval London had two main districts - the City of London , where ordinary busy life had been run, and the City of Westminster , the seat of power - monarchy and government - now also the cultural West End .  Over time the ordinary citizens moved outwards from the City , creating all the adjacent London boroughs. The City has now only a few thousand residents but almost a million people travel here for work in the big financial institutions and services.  The eastern old part of the City is beaming with the " Ye olde " memoirs of the Merry Old England - the legendary medieval period, praised in...

The Shard stands alone on the historic south bank of the River Thames , opposite the clusters of the City of London and Canary Wharf high-raisers, next to London Bridge station. Many had objectives to its presence when it was built but eventually it blended into modern London cityscape. The Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom with 95-storeys, over 300 metres (over 1000 ft) high. The top is sometimes completely invisible due to heavy London fog and it changes its appearance through the time of the day and seasons. Its construction began in 2009, completion in 2012, by Sellar Property Group owning 5 percent, the rest 95 percent belongs to the State of Qatar . Al Jazeera, the Qatari television is housed there. Other tenants include investments companies, recruitment consultancy, international law firm, marketing agency, publishing house, business school.  There are three restaurants, the Shangri-La Hotel and few residential apartments. The View...

The most interesting areas in central London can be enjoyed by foot. Everything is in close proximity. Of course, you will need a few days to cover many other places of tourists interests but to get the real quick feel of London , this is what we recommend. The area covers a large part of London's West End : Covent Garden and Leicester Square, the historic sites of Trafalgar Square , Buckingham Palace , Downing Street , Palace of Westminster . Covent Garden is associated with sophisticated leisure time. There are theatres, numerous pubs and bars, an exclusive shopping area, a craft market, floral market and regular street performances. We popped in there in the early hours and in some parts it was already busy, in others still very quiet. Covent Garden For centuries, Covent Garden had been a market where Londoners had been buying fruits and vegetables. Before that, since around 1200's it served as a garden for the needs of Convent monks, hence the name.   Pu...