22 February: London Town

We walked and photographed today. We trotted passed the Tower, along the Thames Walk through Tower Hamlets to Blackfriars, where we popped into the station and bought our tickets to Gatwick. We’ll be silly early, wrangling bags on Monday. I worry about these things…

We continued down Victoria Embankment, passed Cleopatra’s Needle; crossed the river at Charing Cross and headed back along the South Bank, through the Oxo Creative Commune, the buskers outside the Tate Modern and into Southwark. We constantly stopped for pictures. The river, the light, the light on the river, the sky… the juxtaposition of eras, the details, the street art… London really is a photographer’s dream, however amateur the photographer may be. There are loads of photos in the album from today (“London Week 2 16 – 23 February”)

We had planned for a snack at Borough Market. It’s still a fabulous street-food hub. But, it was jam-packed with people on a dry, almost-warm Saturday lunchtime. So, we headed down the High Street, off the tourist track, to the King’s Head, a neighbourhood pub, where we had a pint and watched the Wales/Ireland 6 Nations rugby game. The place was busy, but in a way that was sociable rather than zoo-y.

After the game, Carey continued our photo loop. I met up with my dear, talented and (importantly) adaptable friend Alison. In a last-minute arrangement, she jumped on the train with her 2 whippet-mixes and met me at London Bridge. We walked back down the River, bought a coffee at a churro truck outside Gabriel’s Wharf and sat on a bench looking over the river and started catching up. I had to rush off at 6:15 to make my dinner reservation with Carey, so I cut our chat short, which was a shame (and I hope not too rude). We’ll catch up again, with forward planning, in April.

We ended the day with a curry in Brick Lane. Brick Lane is famous as the centre of London’s Bangladeshi community. The East London mosque is half way up the road. Its stylish, free-standing minaret is built with colour-changing LEDs that put on an attractive display at night. For a couple of blocks, the signs are in 2 languages (English & Bangla). Brick Lane itself is full of restaurants serving delicious, spicy food, at each door stands a barker, inviting you in with a deal as you walk past. To avoid the hassle, we booked online in advance, but somehow scored a 30% discount anyway. Win!

We finished the night strolling round the neighbourhood. Although/Because it’s a tourist draw, the area is heavily policed at night. Famously, the hunting ground of Jack the Ripper in Victorian times, the area is still fairly rundown. It’s a classic London transition neighbourhood, edging onto the wealth of the city, but also the docklands, where gentrification started further East. The shops along Whitechapel reflect this. Handmade pastel de nata bakeries and organic coffee roasters, alternate with convenience stores and payday lenders.