Leaving Italy was sad. We had been anticipating our trip to Italy for a few months and now it was over. The exciting part of leaving Italy however, was that we were heading to London!! What a great place to end our journey.
During our cab ride from Heathrow it was fun to chat with the driver about London and the changes we could expect since our last time in this city twelve years ago. As we landed on the doorstep of our home for the next few days, Cranley Gardens hotel, I had a sense of deja vu. We had stayed in this same hotel those many years ago as well. Fortunately this hotel had not changed and continued to be a wonderfully located friendly place to stay.
The theme of this part of our adventure was to find some of the most interesting pubs in London. After touring through churches and museums for the last ten days, it was fun to try to find the top pubs in this fine city. So on our first evening we ventured out to the neighbourhood: pubs The Zetland Arms and the Stanhope.
We had actually been in these pubs years ago! And who knew that we would really enjoy pub food! This was the end of our travel day. We were looking ahead to the next few days re-discovering Londontowne!
Our first full day in London was jam packed - bus tour, tube ride, walk around Trafalgar Square and then of course the Lamb and Flag for lunch - a pub listed as one of the top ten pubs in London. It was a pub that had been frequented since the 1800's.
After a short rest back at the hotel we took the tube to Barbican station to meet with Declan. Most nights at 7pm you will find him just outside this station waiting for willing participants to follow him on the Blood and Tears walking tour. He certainly did an excellent job of setting a mood of darkness and evil - discussing serial killers, murders and criminals from the past. John and Neil had also enjoyed this tour on their European trip.
That night for a late dinner, we found ourselves in one of the many Indian restaurants in "our" neighbourhood. What an experience that was! We had an excellent waiter who was very helpful in choosing our dinner items.
The next day we decided to run in the morning. After breakfast we headed to Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. We were out for about for about one hour and 50 minutes!!
What beautiful grounds even in the late fall. The parks were so well utilized by walkers, runners, those with baby carriages and even horse riders!!
The next day we decided to run in the morning. After breakfast we headed to Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. We were out for about for about one hour and 50 minutes!!
What beautiful grounds even in the late fall. The parks were so well utilized by walkers, runners, those with baby carriages and even horse riders!!
After our run we continued on with touring the most notable pubs in London.
The first pub we hunted for and literally had to navigate through some small back alleys, was The Seven Star pub. It had recently celebrated its 400th anniversary. This stop was mainly a photo op as the "bar maid" did not seem pleased with us taking photos!
The Olde Cheshire Cheese pub was our next stop. It turned out to be a great place to have lunch. This pub was rebuilt in 1667 after the Great London Fire. The atmosphere was great, dark lighting, dark wood, and many levels.
Just outside the pub was a stop for the Big Bus - so we hopped on and toured past St. Pauls, Tower Bridge and ended the tour at Marble Arch. Once back in the hotel, we sat in the Lobby Bar and sat with the computer to download pictures and enjoy the ambiance of a lovely little sitting area.
The Olde Cheshire Cheese pub was our next stop. It turned out to be a great place to have lunch. This pub was rebuilt in 1667 after the Great London Fire. The atmosphere was great, dark lighting, dark wood, and many levels.
Just outside the pub was a stop for the Big Bus - so we hopped on and toured past St. Pauls, Tower Bridge and ended the tour at Marble Arch. Once back in the hotel, we sat in the Lobby Bar and sat with the computer to download pictures and enjoy the ambiance of a lovely little sitting area.
We decided to stay in the neighbourhood for dinner. We walked up the road to the Gloucester Arms. This pub was bright and busy. The menu was much the same as all the other pubs and had what has been come our favourite meals inLondon - sausage and mash and meat pie and fries!!
Friday, our last full day in London, dawned cloudy,but no rain. Today, I was determined we would see the Changing of the Guard. What a crazy experience!! and people everywhere watching. I am sure in the summer months it must almost be unbearable with people watching this parade.
The other place I wanted to see before we left London, was Harrod's. Since it's November, the theme of the windows of Harrod's is Christmas but with a very modern theme - that of Quantum of Solace - the newest James Bond movie!!
During our last evening in London we toured two very old pubs - the first was The George, built in 1676 - it has many rooms, with lattice windows and wooden beams. Just outside The George is a large courtyard with picnic tables and heaters for those daring to be outside.
The next pub was The Anchor Tavern - not quite as old dating back to the 18th century. There we found a table by a fireplace and enjoyed our last supper of sausages and mash!!
What an amazing way to see the city of London - the Big Bus tour, hop on hop off, running, including racing to get to see the Changing of the Guard and touring some of the most interesting pubs probably in the world. To see the highlights from the top of an open air bus to running along the Thames River then to finish the day in some of the best places to watch people and take in the day to day culture - the pubs and some as old as 400 years old! People have been drinking beer in those same places that we sat or stood in for hundreds of years.Thanks London for a great finale to a fabulous trip!! Cheers!!
