An Indian limestone temple and my sibling's foot

Following the information found online, I invited my friends to visit a roof garden atop The Ismaili Centre in South Ken last Sunday. Unfortunately, we weren't admitted. Having waiting for a good few minutes by a pretty fountain in the entrance hall, we were told that the information was incorrect, but that we could come back after the evening prayers. That was not feasible and we will leave the gardens for another time.

London is surely not short of all sort of temples. This morning I visited a Hindu temple (well, not exactly Hindu, one can argue) in Alperton, near Wembley. Knowing how hard it is to find a parking place, we turned into a little side road and saw the temple peering from between the two houses.

I though this may surprise you: a road sign in two languages:

We didn't find a place to park even in an adjacent street. Restrictions everywhere. Driving to the main road we invited our teddy bear to pose Amelia style (have you seen 'Amelia', the French movie? Even I have seen it!);-)

Here we are, approaching the destination!

There was a lot of parking space behind the gates! As bits of blue sky were just making their appearance of the day, I suggested walking around the building first and my friend pulled on his shoes having just taken them off at the nearest entrance (for disabled).

We parked on the left of the gate. On the right, there were some little buildings and a few tall trees like the ones below. The tree that is not in the picture was hosting a huge bird convention. I tried to make a video recording to share, as the birds' singing sounded really special, and they kept moving about, some were arriving while others were leaving. However, a man approached us and started talking. I completely forgot about the birds.

With such a structure there is always some work to do...

There were many people praying inside this elaborately decorated temple filled with colourfully dressed Hindu deities and carvings in stone. A Nepalese man at the entrance told us that the sculpture work was all made in India and brought to the UK. The imported limestone doesn't seem to 'feel' comfortable in the damp and cold English climate. You can see the green growth methodically covering the intricate surfaces.

As we were leaving, we talked to the man 'guarding' the exit/entrance. He came from Nepal having served in the British Army in the 1980. A former Gurkha, he has stories to tell, about his service in Afghanistan for instance... Unlike many Nepalese pheasants or labourers who had served in the British Army, he was lucky enough to come to Britain. So many others, having completed their service, had to return to the life of poverty in their home country.
That made me think of the Polish soldiers who fought in the British forces during WWII who couldn't go back to the Soviet- influenced Poland and whose life in the UK was not a bed of roses, at least initially...

A proof that it is in London: the double-decker bus and the weather...:-)

A mosque in Wembley, was it once a church?

An Islamic Centre in Wembley

Can you guess what there is above the road?

....
Meanwhile, my Skarzysko friends went to see The Scream as I have just read on Ania's blog. And they did. How can you see a scream? This one you can, if you go to the forest near Zagnansk, as this is what a small river is called. The Polish word for 'scream' is 'krzyk'. As if the name wasn't strange enough, it's source is known as Jackowa Stopa which means 'Jack's Foot' in English!