Speak

Words are not free
spend them wisely
Use them freely,
but with deep thought

So much is lost
if never said
Nothing is found,
if silence speaks

 

– – –

Photo: Remnants of the Journalism Industry on Fleet Street, London, c.b.w. 2011
Words: c.b.w. 2015

Sunday on Fleet Street

After a stroll on Fleet Street nothing ever looks the same . . . .

Fleet Street, London, June 2011, c.b.w.

Interesting facts about Fleet Street:

• It was named after River Fleet, London’s largest underground river.
• British newspapers originated on Fleet Street and called the street home until the 1980s.
• The length of Fleet Street marks London expansion in the 14th century.  The East end of the street marks the spot where the River Fleet ran against the medieval walls of London.
• At the west end is the Temple Bar, which marks the current City of London/City of Westminster boundary, (extended in 1329).  In addition, the west part of the street was destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666.
• The barber Sweeney Todd is traditionally said to have lived and worked in Fleet Street.
• Aside from journalism, Fleet Street is also known for coffee houses and taverns (some of which have been there for centuries).
• Fleet Street is now more associated with the law and its Inns of Court and barristers’ chambers, because the Royal Courts of Justice and the Central Criminal Court on Old Bailey are nearby.

– – –

Sorry there’s no poem this week.  My muse and I are still on vacation!  I hope a pretty photograph and a little history lesson makes up for the lack of lines.

– – –

c.b.w. 2012

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Vintage Soul

Lingering relics
guard the past
Steadfast holdouts
fend off now
Wounded windows
never heal
Bleeding paint
impels new scars
Wrought iron will
stakes its claim

Fetter Lane, London, c.b.w. June 2011

– – –

c.b. 2012

Wandering in London, Part 3

I’ve been busy  . . .

June 15, 2011

Today I was feeling all historical again, so I went to Fleet Street where the history of London peeks from every corner.  Fleet Street was once London’s center for journalism, banking, and a number of pubs, but today its a busy street filled with lawyers, bankers, and tourists.  The highlights for me were the memorial of Temple Bar, Number 1 Fleet Street (Dickens used this bank as the model for Tellsons’s in A Tale of Two Cities), Prince Henry’s room (from the 17^th century and its still there!), Hoare’s Bank, and Mitre Tavern.  In addition, it was really interesting to see how Londoners hold onto the past even thought the present keeps pushing towards the future.  Old signs and storefronts remain in place even when something new takes over.  For example, there might be a deli or a salon inhabiting a building but the sign for a newspaper from bygone days remains firmly in place.

Off the main road there was just as much to explore.  On one of those sidetreets, Fetter Lane, I got one of my favorite pictures so far:

During my first trip to London, the tour guide (back when I went with tours instead of on my own) took the group to a church that still bore the damage from the German blitz during WWII. My pictures from that trip did not turn out well and I’ve always wanted another chance.  During my next two trips I searched for this church, but never found it.  This time, however, a little bit of wandering and an extra dose of luck brought me back to St. Clement Danes.  Not only do I have some great pictures to add to my lessons on WWII for my students, but I gained even more respect for a city that wears its wounds with pride and reverence.

Before I left for London I read a blog that outlined the five best places to write in London and she had mentioned the Royal Festival Hall.  I was close enough to that very spot, so I headed towards The Strand and then crossed the Thames at Waterloo Bridge. According to the blog, the fourth floor was a good spot and she was right!  Large windows offered a great view of the river and despite the number of people occupying the other tables it was remarkably quiet.  I started a new short story and simply enjoyed the ambience of creativity.  Just to shake things up I went exploring and found another great spot on the 5^th floor, the Balcony Terrace.  Not only do you get a great view of London, but you can also hear the goings on down on the embankment.  More detailed posts on the South Bank are forthcoming.  There are a number of reasons why I keep walking along that side of the river, so stay tuned!

June 16, 2011

With rain threatening and me on my last pair of dry shoes, I opted to stay indoors and do another museum day.  The National Gallery at Trafalgar Square seemed like the perfect way to spend the day . . . and it was!  I visited just about every exhibition hall, but I naturally hovered over my favorite artists.  I sat and admired Leonardo da Vinci’s The Virgin on the Rocks and then learned all about Britain’s most famous painters including J.M.W. Turner.  From there I bumped into Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Peter Paul Rubens.  My heart, however, belongs to the Impressionists, so the bulk of the day was given to Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Cezanne, Degas, and Pissarro.  Each of their works inspired a number of ideas for characters I hope will populate a story or two in the future.  In particular, Pissarro spoke the loudest with his painting The Boulevard Montmarte at Night.

After the museum, I wandered through the side streets around Trafalgar and eventually ended up at huge bookstore, Waterstones.  I don’t know why, but I always manage to find a bookstore wherever I go.  And no matter how much I try to resist, I always have to go inside!  This is probably the third or fourth Waterstones I’ve been through already, but in this particular store I noticed their catch phrase.  As a burgeoning writer, I found it to be a fantastic source of inspiration . . .  “Feel Every Word.”

Click for much more . . .