London and Luton, Wednesday

London is cool and crisp and showing its best side.  There are lots of flowers in hanging baskets.

Hanging Baskets in Lancaster Gate

The trip from Hobart to Melbourne was uneventful.  We arrived in the late morning and went straight to the National Gallery of Victoria to see a wonderful exhibition of Viennese art including a number of Klimt paintings.

The National Gallery of Victoria

Then it was on to dinner and back to the hotel to prepare for an early start for Singapore.

At the airport we both went through one of those body-scanning machines.  Whether they will prove useful or not is hard to know.  What is clear, however, is that they will increase waiting time since they are only an addition to the existing security measures, not a replacement for anything.

The flight to Singapore was the usual, two movies, three drinks, two meals and lots of boredom.  Once in Singapore, however, we were off the plane, through immigration and customs and out of the airport in well under thirty minutes.  Then to the hotel, a short stroll, a light dinner and bed.  The following day, Tuesday, saw us at the airport for a noon flight to London.

Our A380 at Singapore's Changi Airport

The flight to Singapore is just boring, the flight from Singapore to London ranks as "uber-boring."  Increase drinks, meals and movies, and add in a few hours of reading and the level of ennui is not diminished by even a skerrick! But as I said at the beginning, London is lovely at the moment.  Unfortunately we only had a short time there before going down to Luton on Wednesday to catch a flight to Israel on Thursday.

Going to Luton means catching a train at St Pancras station.  This is a really superior station. It was redeveloped a few years ago for the Eurostar.  Full of good restaurants and some interesting "public" statuary including a charming statue of the former Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman.

Sir John Betjeman

There is also a very large and fascinating statue of a man and a woman embracing as they say goodbye (or possibly hello).  Of course, it could be neither.  Maybe the station was just a good location for a bit of public embracing!

The Statue!

While the statue itself doesn't necessarily appeal to everyone, there is a brilliant frieze around the base with scenes from the development of the underground and the railways.  In it the sculptor displays a puckish sense of humour as in the image of a man and woman hugging one another while she texts on her mobile phone over his shoulder.

You have to wonder who she is texting

From the Frieze

Saying Goodbye

 Many of the restaurants are a part of the old St Pancras hotel, a classic Victorian railway hotel, which has been renovated after a massive fire a decade or so ago. Dozens of restaurants, but only two public toilets, one "Mens" and one "Womens".

We are now in Luton, and tomorrow board our El Al flight for Israel.  Stay tuned to this station for continuing updates.