Look to the left, then to the right; welcome to London! This pic was taken while I was standing in the same place, with just a little turn to the left, then right...London is a wonderfully complex and beautiful city, new architecture on the left, Tower Bridge on the right.

A few buildings survived the Great Fire of 1666 (which also wiped out the plaque epidemic from the year before by destroying the rat population, but that's another story entirely). Historically the architectural powers that be have preserved much of what was left and simply built around it.

The traffic is horrendous...so we toured the City from the top of a double decker bus. Saw all the major sights. Our regular travel about town was by public transit, which is very efficient and convenient.

Friday night (by the light of full moon!) we followed the trail of Jack the Ripper around the Whitechapel district. Our guide was great...the slums where the murders occurred are essentially gone, but the alley ways remain.

Every teenage girl in the mid 60s who was remotely fashion concious knew about the designers in Carnaby Street. I was just learning to sew then and used to copy the clothes I saw in British fashion magazines....Mary Quant was a favorite.

The street does not allow traffic and is still a mecca for modern fashionistas. I did find a pair of gorgeous red suede pumps... unfortunately the only pair in my size was an obnoxious flamingo pink.

Labels: London
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