NAVAL MUSEUM, MARKETS, EGYPT AND THE EMBANKMENT

12/7 London

After breakfast we went to the National Maritime Museum  here in Greenwich. This museum is really well done and our first stop was the Polar Worlds. Here one can learn more about the great polar explorers such as Scott and Shackleton as well as an interesting exhibit about the discovery of the ships for the Franklin Expedition by Parks Canada.  I was enthralled to see Shackleton’s compass used abroad the James Caird to navigate from Elephant Island to South Georgia.

 

FRANKLIN 

The exhibits about Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar are so well done. You can find Nelson’s coat on display with a hole from the fatal musket shot. 

Then there is Turners painting of the Battle of Trafalgar on display.


From the National Maritime Museum to the Waterloo station to find the South Bank Christmas Market. Here we had a couple of Indian dishes for lunch and Dutch pancakes for dessert.  

We crossed over the Thames on the Hungerford Bridge and continued on to Trafalgar Square where there was yet another very very busy Christmas Market. 

We had thought about taking one of the boats back to Greenwich but the skies were cloudy and not the best day for a river journey.

We walked back to Embankment and found the memorial to Joseph Bazalgette, the creator of the Embankment and the system of drains in the city of London. Next we find ourselves in the Victoria Embankment Garden and find the York Water Gate, one of the first arched gateways into the City of London. The neighborhood behind this garden is Buckingham Street a street where Dickens lived. 

Along this area of the Embankment one can find Cleopatra’s Needle, an authentic Egyptian obelisk in London. In the early nineteenth century, the more than three thousand-year-old obelisk was transported to London from its original site in Egypt.

There are two Sphinxes, one on each side of the Needle and the base of the Sphinx on the West side you can find bomb damage from the WWII Blitz.

When we arrived back in Greenwich, we stopped at The Spanish Galleon pub which dates back to 1834. They also proclaim to have ales from the oldest brewer in London. 

Time to pack up and get ready to head home from this most interesting trip.

A RAINY DAY IN LONDON TOWN.

RAINY DAY BUT WE FOUND MARKETS

The day started in the rain and we scouted our route to Heathrow, as there is a planned outage on the Circle and District line. So we scouted out a different route to assure there were lifts for luggage.

We then found our way to Camden Town to find the Christmas Market. There was a market selling tourist items and no real holiday feel. We then went to Canopy Market, this is an upscale market with nice items such as art work and jewelry. There were food options there however, we wanted to get in out the the wet chill.

We returned to St Pancras and found a shop where we got a toasty and soup for £9. It was good and warm.

We then made our way back to our hotel for a break and to dry out a bit.

This evening we went to the Tower Hill area as the Minories was having their Christmas lights party. It was packed but the lights were on.

From there we walked about St. Katherine’s Dock and found a few of the boats had been decorated for Christmas. We continued on walking around  the Tower of London taking some photos before returning to the hotel for the evening.  

Publishers, Most Christmassy Pub in London and More

St Pauls to Borough and Beyond to the Most CHRISTMASSY PUB 

After a full English breakfast, we gather our selves up and made our way to the St Paul Underground station.

Here we find the statue of Rowland Hill, the founder of the modern Post Office. He was responsible for setting standard cost (Penny Post) of postage and the self-adhesive  stamp. 

We then walk through narrow streets to find Stationers’ Hall. This is the home of the Stationers’ Company, an ancient guild of the City of London, which held a monopoly on printing and the responsibility of checking and registering all books produced in England. 

Next we come to Paternoster Square. Prior to The Blitz this area was home to many bookshops and publishers. In this square one finds a monument which was erected in 2003 as a tribute to the bookshops lost during the bombings. 

Looking to the Southside of the square one finds Christopher Wren’s Temple Bar which marked the Western Boundary to the City of London.  It was common for the Monarchy to stop at these gates and ask the Lord Mayor for permission to enter the city. The Arch had been moved several times and was finally located here in 2004 .   

Passing through the Arch, we find ourselves at the entrance to St Paul’s Cathedral. If one has not been in the cathedral it is well worth a visit.

We make our way through the Edwardian Alleyways towards the Millennium Bridge. We made a slight diversion to the Firefighters Memorial near St Paul’s. This monument is dedicated to the firefights of The Blitz. Churchill viewed St Paul’s Cathedral as a symbol of London, because of that, during The Blitz he made sure there were extra fire fighting crews stationed nearby to protect the Cathedral. 

We then walk across Millennium Bridge to the South Bank, walking along the Thames till we reach Borough Market. The market is its usual busy self, with so many offerings it is had to list them all.  

From previous visits, I recalled a nice pub hidden away in an alleyway called the Kings Head. Here we find a warm pub and have some lunch.


We then make our way to London Bridge, past a makeshift memorial for the recent terrorist attack. 

Following the river, we find Christmas Along the River. There were several stalls set up along this stretch from London Bridge to Tower Bridge. The offerings here seem of a higher quality of merchandise and there were also several food stalls.

We crossed Tower Bridge and walked around the outside of the Tower and found a Costa Coffee shop for a tea and cocoa.  This as a nice break as we waited here for darkness to fall.

We then make our way via Underground to Notting Hill to find the Churchill Arms Pub. This is London’s most outrageously Christmassy Pub, 90 trees and 12,000 lights adorn the exterior and there are more lights inside. The pub was packed and we were lucky to find seats at the bar. We arrived there at about 5 pm and the lights were not being lit till 6pm. There was a lighting ceremony at 6pm followed by mulled wine and mince pies for all. It was rather festive. 

We then went to Bond Street, following Oxford Street to Regent Street to Carnaby Street, enjoying the lights along the way. 

We then went to Piccadilly Circus to catch the Underground and make our way back to the hotel. We did stop at a local pie shop for a steak pie and a chicken a sage pie.

It was a full day with over 21,000 steps, but interesting none the less.