Discovery Day

Today was a day to try to slow things down a bit and not to have anything too planned. We still wanted wanted to head into the city, but we were happy to just discover London's treasures as we came upon them.

Chtis thought it might be good to check out the Shard, the tall weird looking building shaped like a shard of glass. We got ourselves to the base of it and checked out the prices of going up to the viewing platform. Unsirprisingly, we baulked at the price, given that it would have cost us about $130 Australian dollars. Also, given that we'd seen comparable views from the dome of St Pauls for about £14, we didn't feel like we had missed out on all that much.

We took a stroll up the street and came upon Kings College, now part of London University and therfore part of the Golden Triangle: Oxford, Cambridge, University of London. It is very prestigious and its campus in the city had parks and ivy covered buildings. A coffee and lemon drizzle cake at one of its cafes did just the trick.

We may recall that London is very hot and steamy this week, so walking anywhere in the open sun is trying and even walking in the shade is sticky. But, we had a walk around and ended up on Bermondsey Street, a vibrant district full of arty places, pubs, bars, cafes and plenty of people who frequent such places. This was the traditional home of leather and tanneries, but we were hot and tired, so were really looking for somewhere cool and less packed-in for a sit down and a drink.

Enter Leadenhall Market. This is a famous covered market in Central London painted up in burgundy and ornamentation, with shops, cafes, bars, restaurants and up market wares. It is lovely to look at, and though bustling with people, did not feel crowded or oppressive. We stopped off at Old Tom's pub and had a half in the cool of the upstairs area.

A little bit of walking around followed by checking out the amazing architecture in this city led us home to relax, and to meet our friend Wayne, just off the plane, for dinner at a local Farringdon Italian, which as the weather would have it, was oppressively hot without air-conditioning and a lot of people packed in. I'm really not sure that the UK is ready for the effects of climate change. We ate and left and found a beer garden where we shared G&Ts all round and said our goodnights.

A slower day, but a necessary one. We are feeling the effects of going out every day, which is wonderful - don't get me wrong - to see different wonders and in this oppressive humidity. Neither of us is twenty five anymore.Read more