A London Eye-Full

Friday, October 22, 2010

This morning, we got a bird’s eye view of London on the Thames-side London Eye, the huge ferris wheel-like ride over the city.  The half-hour “flight” in a clear capsule afforded slowly changing views; somehow, things seemed closer as we moved higher.  The changes in perspective were very interesting and we enjoyed tracing the routes we’ve taken during the last several days.

After a walk along the south bank of the Thames, we crossed the river on Waterloo Bridge and spent the rest of the morning exploring Somerset House, the Strand, Fleet Street, and hidden courtyards and passageways of The City, the oldest part of London.  We listened to Rick Steves’ tour of The City on our iPod while we had lunch in St. Paul’s churchyard, before walking along busy Cheapside to St. Mary-le-Bow, another of Christopher Wren’s many churches built in the area after the London fire of 1666, which destroyed The City.  We happened by the covered Leadenhall Market, one of many places where we saw crowds of people (mostly men) gathered outside pubs talking and drinking.  We’d noticed this at some pubs earlier this week, but they really seem to ramp it up for Friday lunchtime.

After passing through the banking and financial heart of the city, we found ourselves at the Tower of London.  We crossed back to the South Bank on Tower Bridge and strolled back along the pedestrian promenade past the modern City Hall, Hay’s Galleria, and London Bridge to Borough Market, with stalls offering everything from octopus to Saranac Beer from Upstate New York!  Then, a quick pass through the enormous Tate Modern, housed in former power plant, before crossing back to St. Paul’s on the pedestrian Millennium Bridge.

Ordinarily, at this point, we’d be ready to call it a lovely day and head back to our digs, but today’s best was yet to come.  We met cousins Brian and Susie Lenney in at a pub in Mayfair (where we snagged a table inside, rather than joining the crowd standing outside) and then for dinner at an Italian restaurant in Marleybone.  The evening was a mix of memories, catching up on current family happenings, and looking toward the future. It was special, indeed, and easily a highlight of this trip.