EXPLORING LONDON

    LONDON. EXPLORE . ADVENTURE . LOVE . SCARY . FUN . 


On June 5th 2018 I caught the train from Witham station to Liverpool street station. 
I have done this previously with someone, or I've met someone there.  
This time however I wasn't meeting anyone. I was going to London with me, myself & I.

Quite nervous at first stepping out side of the station into the unknown. 
AND Away I was off. I decided to walk to The Hard Rock cafe...Looking at shops and around along the way. some detours and over an hour and a half later I made it!! 

I went into the march store where they had loads of memorabilia But what I really wanted to see was "The vault" London's only Rock "n" Roll museum under the hard rock cafe shop. 

Did you know the Hard Rock Cafe in London was the first of the iconic restaurants? Two Americans, Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton, wanted a decent American burger while living in London so opened the restaurant on Old Park Lane/Piccadilly in 1971. There are now nearly 200 Hard Rock locations across the world including cafes, hotels and casinos.

In 1979, Eric Clapton asked Isaac to hang his guitar over his favourite bar stool to ‘mark his spot’. Not to be outdone, a week later, Pete Townshend of The Who sent the restaurant a guitar and the collection started. Both guitars are still on display and the memorabilia collection now has over 80,000 pieces and continues to grow.


In The Vault The room was tiny but they had some great stuff in there. 

Some of the things I saw were

Guitars owned by:

• BOB DYLAN
• BO DIDDLEY
• JIMI HENDRIX
• JEFF BECK
• JOHN ENTWISTLE
• GENE SIMMONS
• B.B. KING
• LES PAUL
• DUANE ALLMAN
• DAVID BOWIE
• BILL WYMAN
• KEITH RCHARDS
• JIMMY PAGE
• JOE PERRY

Mike Stand owned by:

• PAUL STANLEY

Clothing owned by:

• JOHN LENNON
• KEITH MOON
• MADONNA
• ERIC CLAPTON

Drums owned by:

• Bill Ward

And that was just some of it, not to mention all the memorabilia in the actual Hard Rock Cafe itself. 

Afterward's I decided to have some lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe next door. I ordered a starter of nachos as I wasn't very hungry, this must have been the BIGGEST plate of nachos I've ever seen in my entire life!! I honestly think you could have fed a family of 5. 

I also ordered a alcoholic iced tea. 

So here I was sitting alone looking like a fatty eating the biggest plate of nachos anyone has ever seen, god knows what people thought haha. I of course couldn't finish it.

I then decided to go for a walk through one of my favourite parks "Hyde Park".

With it's first rock concert on 29 June 1968, attended by 15,000 people. On the bill were Pink Floyd, Roy Harper and Jethro Tull, while John Peel later said it was "the nicest concert I’ve ever been to". Subsequently, Hyde Park has featured some of the most significant concerts in rock. The supergroup Blind Faith (featuring Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood) played their debut gig in Hyde Park on 7 June 1969. The Rolling Stones headlined a concert (later released as The Stones in the Park) on 5 July that year, two days after the death of founding member Brian Jones, and is now remembered as one of the most famous gigs of the 1960s. Pink Floyd returned to Hyde Park on 18 July 1970, playing new material from Atom Heart Mother. All of the early gigs from 1968–71 were free events, contrasting sharply with the later commercial endeavours.

My dad got to see some amazing bands at Hyde Park (man I wish I was there). 

I attempted once again to go to Buckingham Palace but some event was on, with thousands of people lining up to get in, all dressed fancy as top hats and all. 

It was getting later and Liverpool Street station was a fair way away, so I made my way back. 

What a day!! over 29,000 steps, sore feet and a tired Abby later I was home back in Braintree. 

What a great day. I truly do love London! 

PEACE XX

Me in the vault

Bob Dylans guitar

Les Pauls Guitar (my favourite one ;))

Bill Ward drums

Hyde Park