London, Finally: Part 2

 I'm not an itinerary person when I travel--I prefer to wander and see what catches my attention. However, I do like to have a general plan that keeps me from zig-zagging across a city with no rhyme or reason. Therefore, I had a game plan, of sorts, for my first full day in London.

Three major things I wanted to do were all within a couple of miles of each other on the South Bank of the Thames: a visit to Hodge at Southwark Cathedral, a visit to the Tate, and a visit to the Garden Museum. Who is Hodge? He's a cat. 

I started at the Paddington Tube Station, purchasing my very-necessary Oyster card and setting off on London's ever-expanding Underground system to the Monument station, where I could easily reach the river and London Bridge. I could have taken the Tube to the South Bank, but I wanted to cross the river and get pictures.

The London Monument, in memory of 
the great fire.

What was interesting about this trip was that I happened to plan it before realizing it was going to be Jubilee time. Queen Elizabeth celebrated 70 years of reign, and London was decked out (and crowded) for the occasion. 

I'm used to my own countrymen being "YEAH 'MURICA!" and "BALD EAGLES WOOHOO" about everything, but I've never really witnessed England being super-patriotic (and remember, I've lived there...twice). So it was different, and a little awesome, to see the country decked out in honor of their longest-reigning monarch. It seems that even if they hate the Royal Family as an institution, they can't help but love Elizabeth II.

Anywho, a lot of my pictures will reflect that, starting here, with a pub. 

I made my way to London Bridge (which these days is a rather plain concrete span), from which I could see Tower Bridge, the Shard, and look back at the Monument.

Once across, I walked to Southwark Cathedral, home to Hodge the Cat. See, in 2008, a stray cat came by the cathedral, and someone fed her. She came back...and back again. Before long, she was christened Doorkins Magnificat, and she was a beloved member of the cathedral community until her retirement and death in 2020. 

Doorkins had been an unintended resident of the cathedral; now, missing the feline addition to their church community, the deacons and bishop set out to bring in another cat. In September 2020, they adopted Hodge from a local rescue group. Hodge is a valued member of the congregation, often seen joining services, and bringing smiles to all. I learned of him on Instagram a few months ago, and was determined to visit him. 

I approached the cathedral just at its opening time, wondering if I'd be so lucky to see him. You can likely imagine my pure delight when he came out the front door just as I walked up to it. 

He wasn't overly attentive, skirting around me. I soon realized why when he climbed into a planter and...had a wee. 

"A little privacy, lady? Do you let people
take pics of you when you pee?" 

I was a bit turned around when I got inside, but I found someone to ask and just as she pointed out where the cathedral entrance was, I saw Hodge leading the way. I followed him down the hall, where we parted ways--me to walk the perimeter quietly, him to join the prayer service that was in progress. I watched him saunter up to the bishop and others praying, and plop down on a (likely very old) cushioned seat at the altar. 

It's a cat's life. 

Southwark Cathedral is lovely, but I only took a few pictures because I couldn't find where to buy the "suggested" but "not required" photo pass, and I wanted to respect the church in that.

But before I left, I had the most...bizarre? Needed? experience.

I came across a room devoted for quiet prayer. A sign outside asked all visitors to respect the quiet space, as "Jesus is here."

If you know me, you know I am not religious; I do not identify as Christian. But you might also realize that since Mom died, I have remained agnostic...but also really kind of started hoping that maybe, just maybe, there is something after all of this. Or someone/something out there to help me make sense of things. 

As mentioned earlier, I was recovering from COVID on this trip, and jet lag on this particular day. The two weeks leading up to my trip had been full of the stress of being sick, missing work, and then I had been stuck, isolated at home, when the Uvalde school shooting happened...right after the mass shooting in Buffalo, NY. My mental health in the time before my trip had been a little shaky.

Still, I never expected that I would walk into this prayer room--mostly just to give my body a quick rest--and immediately burst into tears. 

It was like everything that had been bubbling inside of me--worry about my health post-COVID, the state of our country, missing my mom (as ever)--just came bursting out of me, like a volcano. I sat there and sobbed for several minutes. 

Once calm, I set off again, feeling refreshed. 

I walked along the South Bank, taking a few pictures here and there. The Tate was just shy of opening when I reached it, so I waited a few minutes before going in.

The Tate isn't as exciting to me as the National Gallery, but it was worth a quick visit. I didn't take any pictures inside, as I would a day later at National Gallery, but I wandered around and enjoyed some of what I saw. 

After the Tate, I kept walking, spotting all of my London favorites and dodging crowds. My favorite London 'icon' is Elizabeth Tower...more commonly known by the name of it's famous bell, Big Ben. For some reason, that old clock tower just makes me really know I'm in London. 

It spent a few years wrapped in scaffolding, undergoing a multi-billion pound refurbishment, which included having it's clock completely dismantled, moved to another location, cleaned/tuned up, and then re-installed. It really looks amazing.

St. Paul's Cathedral

London pigeons

A hot pink double-decker.

Hello, gorgeous!

Just past the Houses of Parliament was my next destination--a Garden Museum I had come across while perusing London on my maps app on the phone. On my way, I passed the COVID Memorial Wall. It goes on much further than my pictures show.

The Garden Museum is in an old church, and, while small, it was well done and lovingly tended. 

After my visit, I crossed back to the north side of the Thames, and walked to Parliament Square. It was wall-to-wall people, due to summer tourism and Jubilee Weekend, but I wandered a bit taking pictures.

Westmister Abbey

By now, I had breakfasted at my hotel quite early, and stopped for a frappuccino-like drink at Cafe Nero. I was getting very hungry, and the humidity of England was affecting me. I took the Tube to Covent Garden, and chose one of the first restaurants I came across. There was a veggie lentil dish with goat cheese on the menu that sounded quite nice, and it turned out to be gorgeous.

On the daily specials menu was a fancy champagne, in honor of the Queen, so I thought, "Why not?" 

After my meal, I wandered around Covent Garden Market a bit, and bought two small prints from an artist selling her wares...not the Super Hero Last Supper. 

So many flags.

On other trips, I often walk all day and get back to my hotel late, but on this trip, I'd have quite a few earlier trips back to the hotel as I recovered (and dealt wit England's humidity--it's not Florida levels, but it's way higher than I'm used to). 

My first full day back was, as you can see below, quite active.