Saturday 26 January 2008

So... We've been in London for almost 20 months (well I speak for myself, Amy has been here longer), and today I stumbled into an area I have yet to explore while I was out working on my "Bridge Project".

On the south side of the Thames across from the City of London is the Southwark (pronounced "suth-ick") and Bankside areas, a veritable goldmine of new sites and pubs I have yet to sample. Wandering through the narrow cobble stoned alleyways I stumbled across the site of the original Clink Prison (now a campy museum) that originated back to the 12th century.

Walk further... and one will see the recreation of Sir Francis Drake's "Golden Hinde", the vessel he circumnavigated the globe with in the 16th century.

Meander a bit further and one will see the Southwark Cathedral. The oldest Gothic church building in London has been associated with the likes of Chaucer, Shakespeare and Dickens. One of the things on my list now is to come back and visit this magnificent place more thoroughly as soon as I can.

Speaking of Shakespeare and Dickens, I found it fitting to sit and have a pint at the George Inn, the last surviving galleried coaches inn in London. Rebuilt in 1676 both of these literary giants have known the hospitality of this establishment... and now... so have I.

Making my way back to the tube station I inadvertently stumbled into the Borough Market, regarded as one of the largest open food markets in the world.

So... what does one snack on when in the famous Borough Market?? Not just any banger... and not just posh bangers... but THREE VERY posh bangers in a bap. Translation? Three sausages in a hamburger-type roll. Very posh... and VERY tasty.

Not only was it an entertaining afternoon of new adventures and culinary delights, but also one of philosophical enlightenment... because remember:

Saturday 19 January 2008

Amy has been in Houston for the last week (returning next weekend) leaving me all by myself. What to do? WHAT to do?

First thing was to visit the National Army Museum in Chelsea. I KNOW Amy will be sick knowing she missed this opportunity to view the displayed history associated with the British armies from the Redcoat era up to the present day, so please… if you see her this week, console her.

There were no pictures allowed in the museum, so I now see fit to “unveil” my latest project: London’s Bridges. From the iconic Tower Bridge to the very plain, yet historic London Bridge, the River Thames is crossed by some very interesting structures.

Our first visit will be the bridge I see twice a day from the train on my commute into the office, the Chelsea Bridge.

Connecting Chelsea with Battersea this suspension bridge was opened in 1934 replacing the original that was built in 1858. At night it becomes a spectacular site as it is illuminated with hundreds of light bulbs.


If you are interested in the large four smoke stacked structure behind the bridge, that’s the abandoned Battersea Power Station. The former coal-fueled power plant still remains the largest brick built structure in Europe and is still a dominate part of London’s city-scape.

Wednesday 16 January 2007

I know everyone's been curious as to what I've climbed in the last year. Seriously. So my updated achievements now include:

St. Peter's Cathedral Dome, Rome - 452 ft.

Bruges Belfry, Bruges - 272 ft.

Leaning Tower of Pisa - 183 ft.

Add these to my existing list of:

Arc de Triomphe, Paris - 165 ft.

The Monument of the Great Fire, London - 202 ft.

St. Paul's Cathedral's Dome, London - 280 ft.

Eiffel Tower, 2nd Level, Paris - 377 ft

Can you tell Amy's in Houston and we haven't done much worth blogging over??

Saturday & Sunday 12/13 January 2008

They say things tend to occur in cycles, and I find myself buying into that theory.

Recently, it seems, that there is an upswing in my pedestrian encounters with certain canine deposits of which I erroneously thought were the responsibility of their caretakers to dispose of properly. My bad.

Remnants of my encounters have become thoroughly ensconced in the treads of two separate pairs of my favourite walking shoes.

So for those of you planning on visiting us in the near future, please consider this my Public Service Announcement: “Mind the Poop”.

You all can thank me later for not including photos of these latest encounters.

Friday 04 January 2008

Yesterday... Amy went to the half price ticket booth and got tickets for Doug and I to see Spamalot, while Amy and Steph took in Stomp. Earlier in the week I introduced Doug and Steph the joys of Belgian beer when we joined some of my work mates at The Bierodrome.

It was quite the fun night as we sampled several different styles of beer.

Monday 31 December 2007

One of the things I've been looking forward was spending New Year's Eve in London this year. However...

Trafalgar Square wasn't nearly as fun as I thought it would be, and the crowds along the river were very intense. So... once it started raining a bit we decided to head back to the flat. Of course, having a toilet readily available and drinks in the fridge made the choice that much easier.

We also still had a great vantage point from our balcony to watch the midnight fireworks show.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!