London Day 3 - Historic London

Monday, 2 December 2019

Today should be a nice day.  It is sunny with a high of 45 degrees which is perfect for a walk around Historic London.  This walk will take us from Trafalgar Square to London Bridge, 2.2 miles along the Strand.  We took the Underground to Trafalgar Square (30 minute ride with no transfers) and walked upstairs.  We popped out right near Trafalgar Square, which was closed for them to put up the Christmas tree.  Trafalgar Square is London's central square.  The building behind the square in The National Gallery which we will come back to one of these days.

Trafalgar Square

This is Nelson's Column (1843) to commemorate Lord Nelson's victory in the Battle of Trafalgar, the British naval victory in the Napoleonic War.  That's him at the very top.  It is pretty cool that we were on the ship that Lord Nelson fought the battle, just 1 week ago in Portsmouth.

Nelson's Column

This is St. Mary-le-Strand Church (1723).  Charles Dickens' parents were married here.

St. Mary-le-Strand Church

Double-deckers and taxis abound.  This double-decker has a veterans theme to it.

We turned right and walked out onto Waterloo Bridge:

Out on Waterloo Bridge

The view east you can see the London skyline.  The view west you can see Big Ben behind the scaffolding and Westminster Abbey.

View east on Waterloo Bridge

View west on Waterloo Bridge

There was an ice skating rink set up in front of Somerset House, one of the last riverside mansions that once lined the Strand.

Somerset House

We passed by King's College where John Keats, Florence Nightingale, and Desmound Tutu (just to name a few) attended.  The building was nothing special, so Tim took a photo of the gate.

King's College

Royal Courts of Justice, Britain's highest civil court.

We popped into Twinings Tea Shop (established 1706).  I considered buying some, but decided against it.  They sell this tea in the US.

I was hungry...as usual, and saw a line of people in front of a sandwich shop (Sandwich Express), so we joined the line.  The sandwich was so good.  They actually press it so the cheese melts and the bread caramelizes a bit.  It is definitely a good tip that if you see a line for food, get in it.

Down a narrow lane and around twisting alleyways is Dr. Johnson's House, where in the attic, Johnson produced, A Dictionary of the English Language.  When it was published in 1755, it was the first great English-Language dictionary.

Just as interesting as Dr. Johnson is a statue of his cat Hodge, who supposedly dined on oysters.  The pedestal says "Hodge – A very good cat indeed."

Just a 2 minute walk from here is Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Tavern (AKA "The Cheese") where Johnson frequented.  This has been a tavern since 1538, and seemed worth going in for a half-pint.  Oh...Charles Dickens also frequented this pub.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Tavern

We left The Cheese and walked out of the narrow lane back onto the main street and was met with a view of St. Paul's Church. 

This is St. Bride's Church (1675) that is said to have inspired the wedding cake with all the layers.  Interestingly, St. Bride's Church is is known as the "Printers' Cathedral" and "Journalists' Church" since the first printing press with moveable type was brought here in 1500.  Because of this, the pews bear the names of departed journalists.  There was also this memorial set up for journalists that lost their lives in the line of duty.

St. Bride's Church

And here we are at St. Paul's Cathedral.  It costs almost £20 per person which seemed way too much for what it is, so we did as Rick Steves' said, and popped into the basement for free and took a peek into the crypt to see Admiral Lord Nelson's tomb.

Another "secret" in Rick Steves' book is to take the glass elevator to the top of One New Change shopping mall for a view of St. Paul's Cathedral and the London cityscape.

We made it to The Guildhall, a free art gallery, just before 4 PM.  We knew we didn't have enough time to finish the walking tour, so we popped in the museum to see what they had to offer.

The Guildhall

This was kind of interesting.  In the basement of The Guildhall is the remains of a Roman amphitheater.  In our travels, we have come across many of these remains, but what was interesting is how they project on the ruins to show what is missing.  So, I am currently looking down the walkway that enters the amphitheater.

We then went upstairs and checked out the collection of Victorian paintings.  We left The Guildhall just before 5 PM hungry and thirsty.  Google maps shows a brewery only a 13 minute walk from here, so off we went.  We passed the St. Lawrence Jewry Church, the Mayor of London's official church.

Fifteen minutes later we arrive to Long Arm Sports Pub & Brewery.  We wanted to have a flight, but we got there on a night that for the price of a pint you get a liter, so we had to go for that.  By the way, we shared the liter.

Long Arm Sports Pub & Brewery, London, England

After the beers, we took the Underground back to the apartment.  Wow...what a great day!  Tomorrow we will do the East End Walk.  So far we are really enjoying London.