Day 14 London

Last day in London. 😰. A beautiful crisp sunny London day and off to explore the South side of the Thames. Closest underground station was St. Paul’s and, while not part of today’s itinerary, we decided to visit, thus fulfilling the obligatory task of every trip to Europe to visit at least one church. I’d forgotten how beautiful this iconic London church is and along with it’s rich history made for a welcome quiet time during a rather hectic week. I do not think I had been inside St Paul’s since my first trip to London over 40 years ago when John and I went to Christmas Eve mass there. They are currently renovating one area of the nave which will have a new remembrance room dedicated to all who died from COVID. An especially good gift store where we did some “damage” as well.
Back to our “scheduled” itinerary. Walked across the Millennium Bridge enjoying the great weather and the boat traffic on the Thames. (See Uber Boat pic). 😂. All of the skyscrapers of London outlined against the clear blue sky displaying the very old vs the very new architecture of the City.
A short visit to the Tate Modern museum. We wanted to eat lunch in their beautiful restaurant on the 6th floor overlooking the river but needed reservations so had to settle for the cafe. Always some weird exhibits there - today they had strange creatures (think large balloons) floating around the entry hall. Had some meaning which I read but have already forgotten. 😫. Then a walk along the South shore of the Thames, always a fun scene with many sites to see and always a lot going on. Today it was another reminder that tourism in London is still minimal. Way fewer people , restaurants that were always packed now looking for customers and street musicians playing to the few of us walking by. Have no idea how all of those people survived throughout COVID.
A fun stop at Borough’s market. A lively scene with all kinds of food imaginable, fresh produce, fish and lots of small upscale products. About 75% open but nowhere near the usual number of people.
Back to the apartment to pack and out to dinner. Found a small,cute,good Spanish tapas place nearby that was a great find for our last dinner in London. Home and early to bed as a 6:30 AM Uber pick up 😫. It’s been awhile since I was up that early!

Walking App: 8.5 milesRead more