St Paul's Cathedral etc

We saw what we could of London on foot today - a Tube free day. St Paul's Cathedral looked doable at 25 minutes according to Maps. Thankfully my legs were in working order and it was pleasant weather. It's quite nice to go for a leisurely stroll, and we happened upon things that we wouldn't have gone out of our way to see, like the Monument to the great fire of London.

St Paul's looked very grand. We didn't go inside, partly because a great coach load of tourists just arrived, and partly because we think we have spent enough funding the Anglican church for now. They certainly know how to charge for things here. It would set us back by $100. I've had Mary Poppins' "Feed the Birds" in my head ever since. It was very peaceful in the gardens.

Next we walked over the Millennium footbridge to the other side of the river, which got us to the Globe Theatre. Again, we didn't feel the need to part with another $100 for the tour. We sound stingy today! (There was one show we were tempted to splurge on: it was virtual reality interactive theatre not far from our hotel. But when we checked the fine print it was not recommended for people with mobility issues, epilepsy, back problems, respiratory allergies, fear of the dark or blood, those of a nervous disposition or who don't like sudden loud noises (among other things). I think the only one we didn't tick was pregnancy!)

We decided to cross back over the river on the Tower Bridge. Our stroll to the Bridge took us past The Golden Hinde replica ship and the HMS Belfast. We passed some vintage markets, but they didn't have much of interest.

We did a LOT of walking! It was punctuated by Cafe stops and park benches, but we were glad to get back to the hotel. We rested for about an hour before we decided to stroll back to the pier to see the Tower Bridge lift up to let a Dutch ship through. It has been a good day.Read more