Yep, we did 9 miles today and it was a bit much in the summer heat. Round about mile 8 the wheels came off the bus and we had to make some adjustments, but we ended the day strong - and even went for a short walk later that evening after dinner.
The St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel at Kings Cross/St. Pancras station, our new home base.
A beautiful old hotel that was once a gem for rail travelers, in the 80’s it was run-down and full of rats, but has been nicely redone and is a great place to stay in central London if you’re splurging on a vacation.
Our first destination for Day 2 was the Barbican, but we saw a few interesting things along the way….
Cool old London building with a black cab just happening by.
An old horse trough repurposed as a flower bed.
The Barbican, an area of the city that was bombed during WWII was reimagined as an arts and cultural center. Originally not embraced for its brutalist architecture, it’s grown on Londoners in the past forty-some years. A one bedroom flat in the Barbican can be yours for around £900.000.
Right-on toilets at The Barbican.
A scale model of the Barbican project.
The library at the Barbican. The site also includes a theater, cinema, conservatory, art gallery, bars, restaurants, shops, etc., etc. Was once home to the Royal Shakespeare Company, which has now moved back to the site of the original Globe Theater.
A Barbican Tower.
Your intrepid walkers at the Barbican, before getting lost and trying to find their way out. Assuming people who live here full time eventually figure it out.
Next stop: St. Paul’s - the Notre Dame of London - where they charge you 22 quid (£22!) to go inside - more than it costs to see great modern art at the Tate (free!).
Another view of St. Paul’s.
Our one and only picture with one of the ubiquitous - and quite unattractive, but for a good cause - Morphs.
Inside St. Mary Le Bow.
St. Mary Le Bow, a church in the east end of London. If you are born within the range of its ringing bells, you are a true cockney.
A walk across the Millennium Bridge, aka “the wobbly bridge” because when it opened so many people went to walk across it, it started wobbling dangerously and almost tipped into the Thames.
The Tate Modern, a free and fabulous repository of modern art. We chose one gallery at random, then laid down on the lawn for a quick respite before walking on.
<3 <3 <3 at the Tate.
The tide was low, so we made it onto the bank of the Thames.
The Rose and Crown. The very first pub Mark went to when he moved to London in the 80’s. (Also the site of the very first fight on the marriage marathon.)
The British Library - home to early editions of Shakespeare, Beatles lyrics written on Jude’s first birthday card, and the Magna Carta, along with other great works of literature. Also happens to be the view from our window at the St. Pancras, so this photo means we are almost done for the day!
Map of the day: (Includes a tube ride, but doesn’t include the first half of the day. Close enough.)
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