All around the cathedral the saints and apostles
Look down as she sells her wares.
Although you can't see it, you know they are smiling
Each time someone shows that he cares
Though her words are simple and few
Listen, listen, she's calling to you
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag
After Jack finished feeding the birds, it was nigh time to get Andrew the authentic English pub experience he'd been craving, complete with fish and chips in newspaper, of course.
So it was off to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, quite possibly London's most famous pub.
What's that you say? You've never heard of Ye Old Cheshire Cheese? Then sit back and absorb.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, tucked down a side alley on Fleet Street, was rebuilt after the great fire of 1666, and is known for its rich resume of prominent literary patrons over the centuries, among which numbered Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dickens, G.K. Chesterton, Alfred Tennyson, Oscar Wilde, and Mark Twain.
So of course, two bloggers from a Mill City in Massachusetts, needed to hoist a pint in the same rooms were once those literary greats quenched their thirst
Exploring this pub is an adventure unto itself, as secret rooms stack upon secret rooms as you descend into different levels of the pub. Most are constructed of dark wooden beams with low ceilings, coupled with wooden benches, open fireplaces and flowing taps aplenty. Not for the claustrophobic.
Just a couple of blocks from Cheshire Cheese, and you're at one of London's most famous and recognizable sites, Saint Paul's Cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London. It's located on Ludgate Hill, the highest point in London.
The original church was founded on the site in 604 AD, but the current cathedral was built in the late 17th century.
For two members of this expedition, it gave us yet another opportunity to visit the site of one of the most famous Doctor Who scenes in the show's 55 year history - the invasion of the Cybermen on November 2, 1968.
You will become like us. You will be upgraded. You will be deleted.
A quick hop, skip and jump across the nearby Millennium Footbridge, and Andrew was able to chalk another literary moment off his bucket list, stopping to pay homage to the Bard himself at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in Southwark, on the southern side of the River Thames.
The Bard's original theater was built in 1599, but destroyed by a fire 1613. It was rebuilt, but demolished about 30 years later. The newest version was built circa 1997.
Andrew reenacted Julius Caesar just days earlier, and now it was time for him to stake his claim to Hamlet. Alas, poor Yorick.
The next morning, Andrew was ready to dig into an official English Breakfast. (Blog readers have expressed concern that Andrew hadn't been eating well while traveling abroad, since there haven't been many pictures of his culinary conquests. This should allay those fears.)
My colleagues in Bedford know that when this picture comes their way, they're getting a visit from the Muffin Man courtesy of Java's Brewing in Billerica
Time for a quick pitstop and comic geek-out moment at Forbidden Planet, one of the largest comic stores IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!
Thanks to Lu and her hospitality, I was able to snag a healthy amount of Doctor Who swag on this visit
My idea of dream shopping. (My nightmare idea of shopping follows further down in this blog post.)
From there, Heather took us to the nearby Coventry Gardens, a fabulous indoor/outdoor marketplace, akin to Boston's Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall.
Restaurants, shops and eateries abound. (Not to mention one of the most bizarre water closets you'll find in any market setting.)
And yes, mimes, who sneak up on you as you're taking pictures of the landscape
From there, it was on to Harrod's in Knightsbridge, one of the world's most famous shopping experiences. The store covers five acres, with 330 departments encompassing one million square feet of retails space. I think we saw all of it.
It's also home to amazingly large chocolate eggs
Jack wasn't impressed by Harrod's Bob Dylan art collection.
Me, I think it could have been enhanced by having his songs playing in the background.
Harrod's store motto is Omnia Omnibus Ubique, which translates into "all things for all people, everywhere"
Yes, the girls did leave the store with a couple of bagfuls of necessities, so don't cry for them, Argentina
Heather next wanted to take mom to Kensington Gardens, for another brush with royalty
Somewhere behind us lies a grouping of flowers that Prince Harry himself would later pick to add to a special bouquet for his bride Megan on their wedding day.
Two buds, among the flowers
Before we left Kensington Gardens, a quick stop by the Albert Memorial, commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her husband Prince Albert, who died of Typhoid in 1861.
Next up: heading north of London, to a certain hometown of four famous lads!
No comments:
Post a Comment