More from Highgate Cemetery - West Side

The guided tour on the West side of Highgate was definitely worth it.  It was a snapshot of lives in Victorian times, hearing all of the stories.

Path through Highgate

The peaceful vibe of Highgate with the winding paths is amazing.

Thomas Sayers & Lion

Thomas Sayers was a bare-knuckled fighter in Victorian times.  The fighting was illegal so the locations would rotate and you could only find out about it by word of mouth.  Thomas Sayers was only defeated once in his career and his funeral procession was 4 1/2 miles long!  This is his grave above and the statue is of his dog Lion.

Sleeping angel

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The detail and enormity of the statues at Highgate is incredible.  This is one of my favorite of the sleeping angel.  It is the only one that I saw that the angel was laying down.

angel at Highgate

Many of the Angel monuments are really tall - like over 10-12 feet or more.  This is a more traditional angel.

Mausoleum of Julius Beer

Julius Beer was a newspaper man and a self-made success story.  The mausoleum cost over 5000 pounds (10,000 dollars) 120 years ago which is staggering!  It is the highest monument on the west side and it is said that Julius built it that high to block the view from the promenade and thumb his nose to the aristocracy.  When Highgate fell into disrepair, the mausoleum was preserved inside due to 17 feet of pigeon POO.  Yes - pigeon POO!  Over the years, the inside of the mausoleum became a haven for the pigeons and their droppings accumulated over 17 feet which dissuaded many grave robbers in later years.  All the poo has been cleaned out and everything was intact in the mausoleum.  The picture below was into the mausoleum and the face of the little girl in the arms of the angel was actually the death mask for Beers' daughter who died at 8 years old.  It was difficult to see into the mausoleum so the clarity is not great.

inside mausoleum

angel in Highgate

Highgate Cemetery - West Side

One of my favorite places in London is Highgate Cemetery.  It is a Victorian garden cemetery and has the most amazing flora and fauna and, my favorite, statues and monuments.  The purpose of a garden cemetery is to let things grow wild and indeed it has!  The East side claims such famous residents as Karl Marx and, more recently, Douglas Adams, but the West side...well, the West side is amazing due to the crypts and the Egyptian influence.  So here are a few before I leave...

Highgate - West Side entrance

Inverted torches

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Inverted torches are seen throughout Highgate - the photo above is of a door of a mausoleum.  You will also see them on gravestones and held in a downward position by angels.  The guide said that is was a symbol of the light of life being extinguished.  I found it particularly interesting as well since the torch is a symbol of the Goddess Hekate who carries torches to light the way into the Underworld for souls.

Cedar of Lebanon

The Circle of Lebanon is a group of mausoleums formed into a circle towards the top of the cemetery and is crowned by a Cedar of Lebanon.

Terrace Catacombs & Mausoleums

the photo above is the circle that is below the cedar.

peeking into the catacombs

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The catacombs are currently going through restoration as they have been badly damaged by thiefs and vandals as well as many many years where there was a lack of upkeep.  This was just a peek through but there are more underground, including some tunnels built into the hillside and a tunnel leading to the east side so that bodies never actually leave sanctified ground by crossing the road from the chapel on the west side to the burials on the east side.

Nero

Nero the Lion is the guardian for the tomb of George Wombwell who was his owner and had an exotic animal show that toured throughout London and some of England in Victorian times.

More to come!

election

"I have not been unaware of the political drama
going on, but I have not taken any sides because
politics to me, all of them seem rotten to the core
and all based on economics , not humanitarianism.
The suffering of the word seemed to me without
remedy except by what we could give individually.
I did not trust any movement or system..."
Anais Nin 1939

Anais Nin is one of my all time favorite writers.  She is raw and fluent and has voiced emotions and ideas about the world and the human condition that are timeless.
The quote above to me is completely relevant to now.  We are watching a parade of power brokers who throw dirt professionally and bandy the word "change" around as if they will make a difference.  But will they?  It all feels a bit hopeless sometimes, especially that all of those seeking election need vast teams around them to advise them how to be more human and likable...

catching up ...

Time flies...sometimes too quickly. 
2008 has been quite a whirlwind - the job has kept me busy, back and forth to the UK and now traveling throughout the USA.  I just got back from Boston and Arizona and I will soon be leaving for Tennessee and North Carolina and then back to Arizona and New Mexico and probably squeezing Texas in there as well.  London and Paris coming up again in June.
I have truly missed keeping up with vox - sending hugs out to everyone and promising myself to get back to writing and photos.

Happy 2008 from Zach & his Mom (that would be me!)

As Zach and I are sitting here and counting down the last 20 minutes of 2007, we decided that we did not want to do resolutions but we would rather focus on the positive and send some good mojo out to family and friends, so we came up with some wishes for 2008 from us to alllll of you!

We wish you peace and prosperity and the time to enjoy it all!

We wish you fun and giggles and goofiness and pure joy!

We wish an end to conflicts and the strength to move forward!

We wish that dreams do come true, especially for those less fortunate than we!

We wish everyone a Snappin' and Crackin' New Year!

Watch this space!  Things are going to be happening in a GOOD way in 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are off to the USA in the morning so catch up with everyone on the other side of the pond!

Evening Lights along the Thames

I love twilight in England - and then the twinklies come on and it is so pretty!

London Bridges not falling down

We got a late start and the lines were horrific at the Tower of London so we just ended up cruising around the area and checking out the sites - Mom and Zach are going to go EARLY tomorrow morning to the Tower....

Queen Elizabeth & Christmas & YouTube

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Happy Holidays to all my friends and family that read my blog!  Sending out BIG HUGS and BEST WISHES to ALL!

Royal Crown on top of my tree from Mom and Zach

Harrod's - Big Ben - Some Christmas London Shots!