Your Bond location pilgrimages.

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Comments

  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,099
    I love the way you frame these, @007bondUK! What a grand day out.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 14,861
    Excellent: I love that you found 009's death bridge! :)

    And wasn't the railway a location for GoldenEye too? Although I guess the bridge doesn't look much like a tunnel any more!
  • 007bondUK007bondUK England
    Posts: 25
    mtm wrote: »
    And wasn't the railway a location for GoldenEye too? Although I guess the bridge doesn't look much like a tunnel any more!

    Yes, I originally assumed that they used the same tunnel that they used in Octopussy but it turns out they used a bridge and just heavily dressed it so it looks nothing like it in real life. So much so that had I take a photo and compared it to the reference pics no one would believe it was the same location.

    However, you might be familiar with the the same bridge if you know the Queen music video for Breakthru. It's the very same bridge that they used for the train to crash through the wall with the words 'NOW' written on it.

    queen@now_bridge.jpg

    Queen - Breakthru (Official Video)
    https://youtube.com/watch?v=CEjU9KVABao



    There is a scene in Goldeneye where the train rushes through an empty station

    goldeneye@station.jpg

  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited October 2021 Posts: 14,861
    Excellent! Yes it is quite amazing what they did to that bridge. Even the tank was fake!
  • Mi6appealMi6appeal Denver, CO USA
    Posts: 10
    The square in Mexico City where they do the PTS for SP during Day of the Dead. It was very cool to get to see it.
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    Posts: 2,895
    None. But at one remove - I went to the same school as Donald Pleasance! Several decades later, I hasten to add...
  • j_w_pepperj_w_pepper Born on the bayou. I can still hear my old hound dog barkin'.
    Posts: 8,657
    I didn't find a better "Bond location" thread than this, but the Millennium Dome got heavily hit by Storm "Eunice" today. Definitely suffered more damage than by Pierce Brosnan falling onto it and hurting his shoulder.

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  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,728
    j_w_pepper wrote: »
    I didn't find a better "Bond location" thread than this, but the Millennium Dome got heavily hit by Storm "Eunice" today. Definitely suffered more damage than by Pierce Brosnan falling onto it and hurting his shoulder.

    _123309558_02arenapeterparnham1.jpg

    That was the white elephant project that summed up, early on, the hubris of the Blair era of British politics.
  • BondAficionadoBondAficionado Former IMDBer
    Posts: 1,884
    I was bouncing around Europe last month and got to visit many Bond locations including those in Paris, Monaco, Rome, Venice (the courtyard as seen in MR/CR being my absolute highlight) and Prague. I didn't have the time to visit Karlovy Vary and Loket in the Czech Republic but if I'm ever there again I'll certainly factor those locations in.

    The reason for my post though is that I wanted to give everyone planning to visit Prague a head's up regarding the Danube House. It's the building seen at the very start of Casino Royale which serves as Dryden's office. Being in Prague I had to go there and I'm sure a lot of Bond fans would have it on their list too. So anyways, I was taking photos from the position of the camera in the film but as soon as I started recording a video I was approached by security who had been standing near the entrance. The gentleman politely told me to stop with the reason being that the Danube House is private property and that the company within the office doesn't exactly approve of it. He didn't ask me to delete the images but wouldn't allow me to take any more. (Bear in mind I had only been there two minutes so there were few images.)

    Funnily enough, I asked him how often he has to intervene to stop fans from taking pictures of the building and his answer was that it happens on a near-daily basis. XD They can't put up a "no photos" sign because they don't have permission I don't think, so security is basically stuck reliving the same thing everyday. I figured that I might as well post about this because they were pretty nice about the whole thing and tbh I don't want us Bond fans to be seen as disrespectful. (Some fans supposedly keep taking photos after being confronted.)

    So if you're ever thinking about visiting the Danube House please bear this in mind.
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    I'm planning a trip to the US East Coast. Are there any good Bond locations to hit while there? Our itinerary isn't set yet, but we're mostly looking at anything Washington DC and north from there...
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I'm planning a trip to the US East Coast. Are there any good Bond locations to hit while there? Our itinerary isn't set yet, but we're mostly looking at anything Washington DC and north from there...

    New York, obviously.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,921
    There was this girl in Philadelphia.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,099
    Not a Bond location but I loved touring the Pentagon because it's such a spy movie staple.

    Washington also has the International Spy Museum, which includes some Bond stuff, though alas it was closed when I was there.
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    That's a good shout, I'll look into that. Thanks.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 12,914
    East Coast. Washington DC's International Spy Museum is a good thought. Watch for one-time events in the area.

    Other possibilities below, the address detail is from IMDb. if you go as far as NYC


    New York City:
    • Spyscape. https://spyscape.com/
    • United Nations Building. LALD
    • 33 East 65th Street, Manhattan. (Oh Cult voodoo shop) LALD
    • Madison Avenue, Manhattan. (Oh Cult voodoo shop parking garage exit) LALD
    • 118th Street, Manhattan. (Harlem fight scene) LALD
    • 2nd Avenue 94th Street, Manhattan. (Fillet of Soul restaurant) LALD
    • Harlem. Okay generic and maybe not essential. Be careful.

    Book locales

    New York
    • DAF
    • GF
    • 007INY
    • FSS
    • BFTP

    Vermont:
    • FYEO
    • Scorpius
    • COLD
    • Solo

    Virginia:
    • Role of Honour
    • COLD


    South to Florida would actually offer fun locations from GF, LTK.

  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,921
    Harlem's actually quite safe and trendy now.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 12,914
    logo.png

    Recent travel had me in London for the first time with a trusted agent. A very fine time collecting Bond locations, and realizing there are more to see in the future.

    A highlight from my last day was having the Rules Restaurant come to mind from Spectre and walking a couple blocks to it from Trafalgar Square. It didn't seem reservations were absolutely required.

    Absorbing the outside and entering what's advertised as London's oldest restaurant, I asked for a table. The nice man looked at his schedule and projected an opening in about an hour. I'd wait for that. Then he looked over his shoulder and down the aisle and declared a gentleman had moved on and there was a table open for me.

    Walking in, I recognized it as one table to the right of the painting Mallory sat in front of having his lunch, as approached by Moneypenny and Q. A group of 4 sat in front of the painting, I thought it possible I was sitting at the same single table used by M himself.

    I had a fine meal from the menu, lamb. It was not skewered.

    As I finished, walking out I took two interior photos. One shows the painting as a reference and my table to the right. Then a longer shot.

    From Spectre
    Rules%2BM.jpg


    My images.
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  • goldenswissroyalegoldenswissroyale Switzerland
    Posts: 4,378
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    edited July 2022 Posts: 1,351
    East Coast. Washington DC's International Spy Museum is a good thought. Watch for one-time events in the area.

    Other possibilities below, the address detail is from IMDb. if you go as far as NYC


    New York City:
    • Spyscape. https://spyscape.com/
    • United Nations Building. LALD
    • 33 East 65th Street, Manhattan. (Oh Cult voodoo shop) LALD
    • Madison Avenue, Manhattan. (Oh Cult voodoo shop parking garage exit) LALD
    • 118th Street, Manhattan. (Harlem fight scene) LALD
    • 2nd Avenue 94th Street, Manhattan. (Fillet of Soul restaurant) LALD
    • Harlem. Okay generic and maybe not essential. Be careful.

    Book locales

    New York
    • DAF
    • GF
    • 007INY
    • FSS
    • BFTP

    Vermont:
    • FYEO
    • Scorpius
    • COLD
    • Solo

    Virginia:
    • Role of Honour
    • COLD


    South to Florida would actually offer fun locations from GF, LTK.

    Fantastic, thank you. We won't make it to Florida this time.
    I was wondering if I could talk my girlfriend into a hike from Frelighsburg, Canada to Echo Lake, Vermont to kill the Nazi leader of a Cuban hit squad. She'd need some bowhunting lessons first though...
    And of course the Reptile House at Central Park Zoo is high on my list..

    And Rules is on my London list. Your post strengthend the resolve on that one @RichardTheBruce
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,099
    And Rules is on my London list. Your post strengthend the resolve on that one @RichardTheBruce

    Yes, you're one up on me there - I still haven't been. I was waiting for the right occasion, but maybe I'll take a leaf out of your book and make it a spontaneous visit!
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 12,914
    Having a good year, can share some activity from last month.

    In Budapest Hungary, I found it easy to search out a venue from Charlie Higson's On His Majesty's Secret Service, published May this year.

    Specifically: the 360 Bar.


    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSn0WDRgQkRWcSlGPSDkx3wqGVQSSCvjdj_9JhwQaEMyXxdHgXp
    On His Majesty's Secret Service, Charlie Higson, 2023.
    March 23rd – 44 days until the Coronation
    /
    He found the discreet door for the 360 Bar, where he was meeting his contact, next to the art nouveau Párizsi Nagyáruház department store. It had been a bookshop when Bond was last here but was now sadly closed. The dedicated lift to take guests up to the rooftop was situated in an anonymous office lobby, with an unmanned reception desk. Nobody else was waiting, so Bond took his phone out, tapped it and brought it up to his face, letting it stare back at him. It had more security than a market town pub on a Friday night. Facial recognition. Retinal recognition. Fingerprint recognition. Without passing all three tests, anyone trying to hack into it would end up at a dummy, false front stuffed with innocuous apps and personal data.
    Bond stepped out of the lift into bright sunlight and slipped on his Persol aviators. He was on the roof of the building, which was covered in decking. There was a small, L-shaped bar in the centre, with removable screens for walls. But the most eye-catching feature of the place were eight transparent, heated, plastic domes, like igloos, with seats and tables inside. Bond made his way to a low perimeter wall and leant on a shelf for resting one’s drinks, admiring the view.



    My experience: late afternoon/early evening entered address Andrássy út 39, 1061 at the ground level, and discussion started regarding a reservation. Last minute as I am and catching things on the fly, I gratefully paid the cover charge and got a wristband.

    Elevator to the top, coming out of the lift a beautiful lady asked for my reservation--I raised my forearm to display the wristband as if it was the reverse side of my Spectre ring granting entry. Got a table for myself along the streetside wall, for the view and to take in the rest of the venue during my time on site.

    Ordered a martini and their pulled pork sandwich from the menu. Took a couple photos of some props I brought with me for the occasion. (The igloo domes were advertised as a Sunday fixture and were not present when I was there on a weekday.)

    My photos.
    My order.
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    Tempus fugit.
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    Here's to Us.
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    Images on line.
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    budapest-drink-360_bar.jpg?auto=format&fit=max&h=1080&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1920&s=ae5026915e91be997ab0b2215e587670

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    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT_0Ds_1qsmrhzTn_Hmm91GSnEpFOodLPwMyq_EkOiB-1THW-LO

  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,879
    Well done, @RichardTheBruce, great pics there. Did you grab a packet of paprika for Yasmin?
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 12,914
    (I did x 2 on the Paprika--in a tied bag and in a tin. Passed on the T-shirts.)

    There's actually another location local to Budapest I searched out related to a Bond film, if someone would like to venture on what that would be.

  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    edited July 2023 Posts: 3,099
    Oh I think I know! But I also think you might have told me so I will keep quiet.

    And having taken a look at the delights of Budapest, I now want to visit the thermal baths.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 12,914
    Thanks for the further tease, @Agent_99 .

    So GoldenEye's backdrop to the nighttime meeting of Trevelyan and Bond (also in the games) was inspired by the collection of Communist-era monuments at Memento Park outside Budapest.
    aa4335bc8a9ff8e479247cfaca94e34a7676f099.pnj
    StatueMapDossier.png



    mementopark-logo.png

    Opposite the entrance area to Memento Park there are the remaining boots of a Communist statue to tell the tale. Also represented inside its small museum display.
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    On the way to the statues, a familiar type automobile is on display. Photographed below with a prop I brought along.

    An outright doppelgänger, compare to GoldenEye. (There's actually a Trabant-supported tour I learned about after the visit. I would have done that, definitely.)
    https://www.tiqets.com/en/budapest-attractions-c68199/tickets-for-memento-park-trabant-tour-p1029873/
    5d6a6a88822f76c18eed188899f767fe82de14ed.jpg
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    The Lenin brass plaque goes unpolished I noticed.
    9753cf0d8042e679b790c05672f25cdf081f0e9c.jpg

    And another photo op with one of the more famous statues.
    0d1b02e662b40233ac9a39ffce94290af0b4c3d2.pnj
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  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,921
    See him move, through shrubs and bushes...
  • CommanderRossCommanderRoss The bottom of a pitch lake in Eastern Trinidad, place called La Brea
    Posts: 7,948
    Thanks for the further tease, @Agent_99 .

    So GoldenEye's backdrop to the nighttime meeting of Trevelyan and Bond (also in the games) was inspired by the collection of Communist-era monuments at Memento Park outside Budapest.
    aa4335bc8a9ff8e479247cfaca94e34a7676f099.pnj
    StatueMapDossier.png



    mementopark-logo.png

    Opposite the entrance area to Memento Park there are the remaining boots of a Communist statue to tell the tale. Also represented inside its small museum display.
    83b7cacd3e7a862f3edb01dce2c81bc1c95f6e2d.pnj
    1938666ce29e76650cd857325b34441104ccbf67.jpg


    On the way to the statues, a familiar type automobile is on display. Photographed below with a prop I brought along.

    An outright doppelgänger, compare to GoldenEye. (There's actually a Trabant-supported tour I learned about after the visit. I would have done that, definitely.)
    https://www.tiqets.com/en/budapest-attractions-c68199/tickets-for-memento-park-trabant-tour-p1029873/
    5d6a6a88822f76c18eed188899f767fe82de14ed.jpg
    5c5e74455f44c8a1f92fbfe237aeb24e30aa5a3f.jpg

    The Lenin brass plaque goes unpolished I noticed.
    9753cf0d8042e679b790c05672f25cdf081f0e9c.jpg

    And another photo op with one of the more famous statues.
    0d1b02e662b40233ac9a39ffce94290af0b4c3d2.pnj
    47909210dff23277e995c3979d372b902c927a5c.jpg

    Nice pictures! I was there around 2004-5, iirc. And I'm wondering, could it be that those boots were still filled with Lenin at the time? Or is that a different statue? It looks so familliar. The running worker and the entrance I sure remember. Come to think of it, wasn't there a statue with a car(t) drawn by horses, but they all are flat instead of proper statues?

    Anyway, I visited the spa's as well, they're amazing. Especially when you only had 2 hours of sleep and a hangover.

    It was one of my more adventurous travels with a group of students, doing everything as cheap as possible. They'd booked our train trip mostly by local trains to keep the price down. However, in the year of visit, Hungary became a member of the EU, and the last train out of the city didn't run anymore. Nobody told us, and we had tickets for that train (we got there before the 1st of may, the day of joinng). So, the more seasoned of us settled down in the station with our backpacks, ready for a cold night at the station. The station chief however, wouldn't have it. He put an empty passenger car behind the mail-train. We were not allowed to use light, as the train controller might see there were people on board. When we got to the border station, there was no train to be seen Only our carriage and a completely empty station. So, we settled down in the new station, sleeping in corners, and cought the first train across the border to Austria.

    p.s. did you try an 'authentic Soviet Restaurant'? We did, and got thecorresponding (lack of) service..

    o
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,099
    echo wrote: »
    See him move, through shrubs and bushes...

    LOL!

    This, seen at an open-air aviation museum in the Czech Republic a few years ago, also made me think of GE. He'd clearly just been plonked there for lack of a better spot.

    168287_original.jpg
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,099
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 12,914
    Enjoyed hearing about your Hungary adventures @CommanderRoss.

    The thermal baths would have hit the spot after the day of walking, if I get a second chance I'll search that out plus the Russian Restaurant experience. During other travel the ones down the street from my hotel in Berlin were kind of intimidating, though.


    I don't recall the cart and horses straight off, but this sort of flattened sculpture from the park made an impression. (Not my picture below)


    budapest-park-memento.jpg

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