Today I met Tony and Neiha for lunch in the City. First I walked over to Lloyd’s and explored around there.

They met me outside and we walked few blocks with some familiar and  some interesting turns into new areas for me.

Walking to lunch – the Gherkin

Through passageways and courtyards

Putting apples on a tree in a courtyard

On the way back from lunch Tony took me back by a different route and Neiha pointed out some of the more interesting structures that have been built in the City.

Walkie Talkie building behind Lloyd’s

When we got back to Lloyd’s, I got a pass to go inside.  We went to the main floor and saw the Lutine Bell, but they wouldn’t let me ring it.

Lutine Bell

Even the escalators inside show their workings. Lloyd’s is such an interesting building.

Escalators at Lloyd’s

After lunch I wandered around the city south of the Thames. I walked along the Thames path and then over to St Katherine Docks. I don’t even know the names of the streets I went on because they change so quickly and I was just enjoying strolling from one turn to the next. I did have my compass with too.

All my little excursions added up to a little over 7 miles.

The British Museum is a must see if you are ever in London. Although I have been there before, there are new things to see and old friends to revisit. Once again I mapped my route which would take down Fenchurch, to Poultry, to Cheapside, to Newgate, to Holborn and new Oxford Street and then onto Museum. I just love the street and lane names, ornate doorways, and varied architecture in The City.

Doorway a few blocks from our flat

Since I was heading west once again I came across St Paul’s Cathedral, but from the other side. I walked around the courtyard area enjoying different aspects of the building.

St Paul’s Cathedral

I continued down Newgate which turned into Holborn. This house caught my eye down a side street.

Charming house on side street

Continuing on Holborn I crossed a lovely old bridge that was under repairs. What really grabbed my attention is the old building surrounded by the new glass structure. London is just full of these interesting contrasts.

Old surrounded by new

As I walked down HolbornHolborn which turned into New Oxford Street, I enjoyed looking at all the shops and variety of architecture. Soon I was at the British Museum.

British Museum

The place was filled with people and groups of students. The large halls with the huge statues from Egypt and antiquities from Greece were packed like sardines. I had visited them twice before, so I headed to less crowded areas of the museum.

Mummies

There are many different exhibit areas within the museum. I looked at a lot of the ancient cultures: Egypt, Mesopotamia, Europe, and  Japan to name a few.

Nebamun hunting in the marshes – from tomb

Thalia muse of Comedy

On Wednesday I mapped a route to the Victoria and Albert Museum online, made some notes and set off. Heading west, with umbrella in hand, under cloudy skies, I walked by St. Paul’s Cathedral.

St Paul’s Cathedral

I continued down to Trafalgar Square which was full of people and buses as I negotiated my way through the traffic. It is a good thing they have painted on the street which way to look before crossing. Automatic pilot does not work here as they drive on the opposite side of the road.

Trafalgar Square

From Trafalgar Square it was a quick turn onto Pall Mall under the Admiralty Arch.

Admiralty Arch

Then it was a pleasant stroll down the Pall Mall past Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial.

Victoria Memorial by Buckingham Palace

I walked past the Canada Gates and continued through Green Park on Constititution Hill. Then it was a few underground walkways (subways in England) to get to Knightsbridge.

Canada Gate

From Knightsbridge I turned onto the Brompton Road which is the home of some famous shops like Harrods and Burberrys.

Burberrys

There are some lovely looking residence flats and hotels here too.

Lovely place to stay

A turn onto Cromwell Road took me to The Victoria and Albert. They had a special exhibit on David Bowie with costumes etc. but tickets were sold out for the day. There are so many interesting exhibits here from furniture to ceramics, textiles to sculpture from all part of the world, both ancient and modern.

Staircase from central hall of large town house in Brittany 1522-30

Sculptures and wall decorations V & A

Pillar V & A

I had some coffee and a scone and a bit of a sit down for my tired feet in the delightful cafe at the V & A

Cafe

On the way back home to the flat I decided to visit some places mentioned in the book my online reading group just finished, Frederica by Georgette Heyer.

Mount Street

Hans Crescent 

I had fun imagining what this area must have been like in the early 1800s. Of course coming up to a corner I was quickly brought to the present by the crowd of people standing outside a pub enjoying a pint or two after work. This is a familiar scene throughout the city.

Crowd of people at pub

Lovely building

I walked about this area for quite a bit and then headed back toward Trafalgar Square and down the Strand where I caught a bus back to the Tower.

Tower of London before sunset

I had walked over 13 miles and was glad to get home and put my feet up!

I had a luncheon date with Tony, and old friends, Adrian and Kevin. I walked over to Leadenhall Market which is right next to Lloyd’s where Tony is working. We had lunch at the Fyne Loch.  I had not seen Kevin or Adrian in years, but they both had been most kind and generous on past visits. Adrian had invited us all to the Plumpton Races and Kevin had taken the boys and me to Hampton Court. It was lovely to see them again and my Scottish salmon was delicious!

Leadenhall Market

We had  rain on and off all morning. I set off on my walk after lunch equipped with a rain jacket and umbrella. I ended up walking about 10 miles and although it was mostly cloudy all day, there were only sprinkles of rain. I headed west with the vague intention of maybe going to the National Gallery.

On my walk I passed by a charming churchyard garden with fish in a little pond.

Church yard

If I saw a narrow road, I usually took it just to see where it went. Sometimes I just ended up a making a big loop, but often I found little gems like this church.

St Bartholomew the Great

There were also some charming row houses along these narrow lanes.

Row houses

Sometimes my small passageways ways led to nothing and I had to back track.

The road to nothing

I ended up in the area of Smithfields where many of the old buildings had been abandoned, but now are being restored.

Smithfields Area

It became a bit dark and rainy as I walked around this once beautiful buildings. It was a perfect setting to view them, but not to take pictures. I continued on under an old bridge that was being restored.

Under the bridge

I headed over to Trafalgar Square under cloudy skies.

Trafalgar Square

The National Gallery sits right there too.

Buildings at Trafalgar Square

It was a wonderful visit inside the Gallery. I have some favorite paintings that are there. The walk home was mostly dry.

I took myself on my own walking tour with the idea to visit the bridges across the Thames and then head up to Convent Gardens. Since I had already walked across the Tower Bridge, I headed toward Leadenhall Market to get myself a local phone. I plotted a route on my phone, but it was merely a guide. I ended up walking over 13 miles.

My first turn took me to Seething Lane and a strange old church, St Olaves.

Cautionary Gate Way at the Church

The distance was .3 of a mile and there were 9 different turns! I selected the walking route and it was a little mini-adventure trying to follow it. One turn took me to a spot where the road ended and motorcycles were parked with the Gherkin looming.

Motorcycles and the Gherkin

A walk past Lloyd’s and I was at Leadenhall Market. Next I would head to London Bridge.

Inside Leadenhall Market

I had a general idea of the route I would take, Grace Church Street, but some of the twisty turns and layers of streets beckoned. Often I found myself wandering into some courtyard or down some narrow alley. I brought my compass with me and that really helped. The Thames was south so I kept heading in that direction after I went off route.

Layers of buildings with twists and turns

My steps took me passed The Monument and I explored  that area for a bit.

The
Monument

I walked across the London Bridge and meandered along the streets and alleys there.

View for London Bridge, Tower Bridge in distance

The Southwark area is the home of the Southwark Cathedral,  the Borough Market, the Globe Theater. Along the South Bank is also the Tate Modern, which I had visited previously.

Southwark Cathedral

As I was walking to the Embankment along the Thames, I saw this interesting side street which begged to be explored.

Ruin of Winchester Palace 12th century

The bishops of Winchester had this palace for their use whilst in London. ( Love the signage here – use caution whilst crossing.)  Another side street I wandered on had the Cathedral in the background.

Side street in Southwark with view of Cathedral

Walking along the Embankment there were views across the Thames, interesting buildings and sights, and great people watching. It was a visual feast.

The Globe Theatre

Next to the Globe Theatre

View from the Embankment

Next, I headed across the Millenium Footbridge built in 2000. It was originally knick-named the Wibbly Wobbly because once there was a lot of foot traffic, it wobbled quite dangerously.

London Millennium Footbridge

The view from the bridge show the new building “The Shard” pointing skyward.

View from Millenium Bridge

Across from the bridge is St Paul’s Cathedral. I had been inside one year with the boys.

St Paul’s Cathedral

The view back toward the Millenium Bridge is also a favorite. When we were here a few years ago the place was teeming with skateboarders. Only saw a few this year.

View back toward the Millenium Bridge

After walking around St Paul’s I headed  west and back down to the Victoria Embankment along the Thames. I spotted this gem, but Dr. Who was nowhere in sight.

Red telephone box

Across the Thames I could see The London Eye which I have been on twice. For those that know me well, you are no doubt amazed. I am terribly afraid of heights, but the views from up top are amazing.

View looking south from Victoria Embankment.

I just kept walking from bridge to bridge walking on different sides of the Thames. The last bridge I crossed was Westminster Bridge and I was heading from the south to the north with views Parliament in front of me.

View from Westminster Bridge

The government buildings are very impressive and the area was full of people, so I headed to St James Park for a quieter, less crowded stroll.

St James Park

It is a smallish, but lovely and green park with lots of water and birds. At one time there was a bird keeper who lived in a cottage in the park.

The Bird Keeper’s Cottage

Then I headed toward Covent Gardens, letting my curiosity lead me down passageways that looked interesting.

Passageway to Convent Gardens

At Covent Gardens I could not take pictures inside as “no photography” signs were posted. It was the day they had collectibles and antiques for sale inside. Outside there was a performer and a large crowd watching. I browsed and people watched there.

Covent Gardens

On my walk back to the flat I visited Somerset House.

Somerset House

Inside I saw an exhibit about architect Nicholas Hawsmoor who built many churches  in London during the 18th century. It really was fascinating ; I had just walked by one the day before.

Hawsmoor Exhibit – miniature spires with pics in background of church details

I also viewed and walked on the Nelson Staircase. It is a must see at Somerset House. I couldn’t get a picture of it in its entirety, but it is graceful, beautiful, and functional.

Nelson’s Staircase

Then it was back on The Strand past the Royal Courts of Justice and home.

Royal Courts of Justice

This morning Tony and I walked to our local market for food and supplies. I am not sure I can find my way back. He took one twisty route there and a different one back to the flat.

Hung, Drawn, and Quartered

Later we walked to the Poet Bar to meet Tony’s friend Mark. We passed Petticoat Lane Market and Spitalfield Market along the way.

Inside Poet Bar

Mark at the Poet

Another friend, Peter, joined us and we walked to the Market at Brick Lane. There was an eclectic mix of stuff for sale. Inside one area were lots of food vendors selling an international variety of meals from India, Thailand, Japan, Argentina, to name a few.

Crowds at market

Since the guys wanted to stop at a pub and I wanted to look around, we all got to do as we pleased. After walking around the area a bit, they headed to the pub and I went to Spitalfield Market.

Spitalfield Market

It is quite large and sprawls in this covered area. Did not buy anything, but had fun looking around. The only thing that tempted me at first look were some T Shirts, but they were 35 pounds each!

Near Brick Lane Market

It was the hottest day so far this year, so I walked along outside looking for bits of shade and enjoying all the interesting things to see. I am still amazed at the beauty that can be found in the oddest places.

Works of art on a door in East End

Many of the row houses are in beautiful shape and this neighborhood is quite nice. There are some spots that still need a bit of renovation.

East End housing is in many places being renovated.

Tony took me on a different route on the way home. People ride bikes around here…which is crazy because the roads are narrow and twisty. You can rent them at certain places, but I am not tempted to do that here. I guess you have to bring your own helmet, but most riders on the rentals didn’t wear any.

Bikes you can rent

We also saw this strange vehicle coming down the street twice now. They were pedaling and having a party too.

Cycling down the street
Who gets to steer?

Posed as they passed by

We walked out to dinner this evening. Not sure of my mileage, but it was around 6 miles or so again. Tomorrow I have planned a walking tour while Tony works.

We flew out of SFO to London on Friday evening and arrived late this afternoon. Amazingly gorgeous weather here today, so I took a walk around from the City of London to across the Tower Bridge and meandered around getting a bit lost. I knew once I got back to the Tower of London, I could easily find my way back to our flat.

Thames Walk

The City of London is an interesting mixture of the old and new. The streets twist and turn, with strange alleys and passageways, that it is quite easy to get turned around without realizing it.

The Gherkin behind some charming old buildings. Love the juxtaposition.

I ended up walking about six miles today. We leave for St Bees on July 8 to begin our trek. I plan to do some interesting hikes in London until then.

Recognize this from Harry Potter?

Tower Bridge for Thames Walk

Walking past the Tower of London toward the Tower Bridge

Yesterday I had a lovely ten mile hike with Evan up to the shady side of Bon Tempe. We encountered a rattlesnake along the path by the Meadow Club. Evan spotted him right away and we stepped back and had a water break while we waited for it to slither out of the pathway.

Evan right before we step on pathway with rattlesnake

Right now at the airport waiting for our flight to London. It is quite hot in Marin, but we saw the fog rolling down the hills of Marin Headlands as we began to cross the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco.

Fog rolling in

Since Tony and I have been training for our long hike across England in July, we try to do a longer hike together on Saturday. We have been breaking in our hiking boots,  trying out our new hiking poles, and carrying our daypacks so that we will be prepared for our trek. This Sunday, however, was quite hot which is something we should not have to contend with in northern England….hopefully.

We started our hike on Lagunitas Street just a block up from St. John’s Church in Ross. Parking anywhere near Natalie Coffin Greene Park on a Saturday is a long wait. The dogs were at home because it was going to be too long and too hot for them to come along. I would take them for a short spin in our neighborhood later.

Hot day at PHoenix Lake

Once past Phoenix Lake we headed up Edridrige Grade to Lake view Road.

View from Eldridge Grade all the way to the East Bay. We did some climbing!

We went left at Lake Lagunitas and walked along the more shady side.

Lake Lagunitas and very blue skies

We stayed on the fire road instead of heading down the path to Lagunitas Dam. This road takes you to the beginning of the trail around the shady side of Bon Tempe. We were drinking lots of water as it was even hot in the shade.

Trail along the shady side of Bon Tempe

We crossed over the Bon Tempe Dam and headed down the hill to a small gravel parking area. There we took a left and saw a lovely view of hills and Alpine Lake. We took the next right which is a fire road that turns into a path. It skirts along the edge of the Meadow Club.

View below Bon Tempe Dam

Our trail ended at Sky Oaks Road near the Ranger’s Headquarters. We walked past the buildings and stopped to refill our water bottles at the spigot by the fence. Then we headed down the Taylor Trail. From the Taylor Trail we made a right on Concrete Pipe which took us to Five Corners.

Taylor Trail

It was a hot , but easy walk down Shaver Grade back to Phoenix Lake and down the road to our car. It was about 13.3 miles with 1, 460 foot climb for me and a bit longer for Tony as he strides ahead and then comes back.

Tony trying out his new poles on the shady part of Shaver Grade.

June 18  – Hiked up from Lagunitas Country Club through Natalie Coffin Greene Park. Went up Shaver Grade to Five Corners and took Concrete Pipe Fire Road. Went left on the Taylor Trail up the Sky Oaks Road.

Taylor Trail

Crossed Sky Oaks and took the path right out by the porta john.

Trail from Sky Oaks – no trail name posted.

At the fork I took a left and skirted the edge of the Meadow club following this path/roadway to the BonTempe Dam.

Meadow CLub

Below Bon Tempe Dam

Walked up the hill to the trail on the sunny side of Bon Tempe which took me back to Sky Oaks Road where I turned right and headed to Filter Plant Road.

Sunny Side of Bon Tempe

Filter Plant ends at Eldridge and we took Eldridge back down to Phoenix Lake on our right following the fire road to back to Natalie Coffin Greene Park.

Filter Plant Road

Over 10 miles for June 18.