It rained heavily all night and I was awake for most of it.
😥
Self inflicted, I knew better than to eat chocolate cake that late in the evening!
Thankfully the sky was rained out by the time we got going this morning.
We enjoyed the very humourous banter of our Thames River cruise guide.
Saw the usual sights
I have never seen Big Ben quite like this, all swaddled in scaffolding.
An escape from the crowds into St James Park. These are the resident pelicans!
In London!
Yes, for real.
You can check out the pelican history here:
https://londonist.com/london/great-outdoors/st-james-park-pelicans
A lovely heron
Now that I had expected.
This adorable wee cottage was the home of the St James Park Bird Keeper.
I found out that the species with the white bill are coots, a similar looking duck with a red or orange bill is a moorhen. There are lots of both in England.
Margot, thank you for your interesting email this evening. I can just picture the scene in St James Park. I enjoy your writing, you should write a blog!
Much excitement at Buckingham Palace as some important folks were escorted out in full regalia and a police escort.
No clue who they might be but I reckon that one has to be mighty important to be permitted to wear the hat with the giant plume.
A very late Elevenses
There were only disposable cups so I took a pass on the tea and stuck with my water.
Do you see the swan?
Spring and I braved the Underground
Successfully thank you very much!
We then went our separate ways for the rest of the afternoon.
I would love to know the history behind this.
The sign reads
"Arthurs Mission
Snow's Fields"
and on the left
"Feed My Lambs"
I assume it refers to the human variety?
I visited The Bermondsey Textile Museum
They had an exhibit of Peruvian clothing design, both historical and contemporary.
This is some design work by first year students.
These are from The Cusco Collection
Of Naeem Khan
This was the WoolYard.
I discovered this delightful & funky place.
Shipping containers were full of vintage items, some repurposed.
Great Atmosphere!
In the same area.
It is adjacent to London Bridge train Station.
My good friend Laura just happens to be in town so Spring and I joined her at a vegan restaurant just around the corner from our room.
Laura recently sold her condo and all the contents so she can devote as much time as possible to travelling. Laura has been a huge inspiration to me over the years, many of my English destinations are a result of hearing of her accounts. I admire how she maintains her vegan diet no matter where she is. (But she hasn't been to small villages in Spain!) Tomorrow she is off to Tallin, Estonia.
On 1 of many bridges over the Thames.
I love this unusual building. Only later did I notice the black friar statue. Not sure which came first, the statue or the Blackfriar Bridge itself.
We crossed back over to the south side on the Milenium Bridge.
When we looked back, there was a perfect view of St Pauls Cathedral.
It is amazing how much one walks as a tourist, this evening my fitbit reads 19kms.
I am so pleased to have spent time in London. I had left London with a negative feeling last time I was here in 2011. At the time I was impatient to get back home to my Dad who had been diagnosed with cancer. I wanted to spend as much time with him as I could.
London has a strong, happy, energetic vibe to it. There are so many young folks here, seemingly happily making a living and busy socializing with friends.
What is not to like?!
So sorry London, it wasn't you, it was me.
Tomorrow we will take the train to Churchill's home of Chartwell.
Deb, it was a thrill to see you and Spring, you looking so well after your three adventurous months. You're such an inspiration with all your walking and blogging! Glad you have a new love of London. I saw that train car with red ants on it last week on the Low Line walk. Always new buildings and street art appearing in this town.
ReplyDeleteSmooth travels home. It has been wonderful following your blog.
Bfn.