At first glance, the map of London's bus sytem seems a tangle of confused lines that meander about, turing up and down various streets. Very quickly the confusion of lines make perfect sense. Each bus line clearly identifies its terminal station, and the bus stop lists the various stops the bus makes, and the rough amount of time it will take. Once you have a rough idea of the major landmarks in London, it is easy to find a line to take you where you want to go, and connect from there if need be.
Yesterday we walked from Westminster to Trafalgar, along the path of power, political power. Today we were to walk from Trafalgar to the City, along the path of financial and legal power.
From Trafalgar we followed the Strand, a busy boulevard of shops that was once a row of elegant riverfront houses. Only one such house remains, Somerset House. As we have so often found, a small detour into it, and we leave the hustle and bustle of busy London, and find ourselves in a quiet oasis bordering the river Thames.
Just before reaching Somerset House, we dipped into the Savoy Hotel, a truly elegant first class hotel. A bit uncertain, we were reassured by the smile of the doorman as we entered the hotel to catch a glimpse of its tasteful Edwardian decor. As we left, a guest entered his porsche and drove away.
We walked past the church St. Mary-le-Strand, literally stranded in the middle of the road, as the boulvevard was expanded, and further along was St. Clement Danes church.
An impressive building soon greeted us, the Royal Courts of Justice. It is a huge Neo-Gothic complex that is open to the public. We peeked inside quickly before moving along.
Across the street, a small unassuming building, but with a very familiar name is to found, Twining's Tea. The two Chinese men on top of the doorway remind us that tea came from China, and the British brought it to India and London.
In the middle of the road is the Temple Bar Monument, that marks the boundary between London (original London) and Westminster. It is customary that the King or Queen stop here so that the Lord Mayor may offer the City's pearl encrusted Sword of State as a token of loyalty.
Stepping into a small, unassuming little street, we found ourselves in a maze of tiny streets and law ofices. The Inns of Court is a little world onto itself. Within here, a small side street led to Temple Church. The same one used in the movie the Da Vinci Code. Unfortunately it was closed today, and we hope we will be able to get back here one day to take a look inside.
Getting back onto the boulevard, now called Fleet Street past the Temple Bar Monument we soon come to St. Dunstan in the West church. Here, theology students battled the flames of the great fire of 1666, and saved the church.
Shortly after midnight on September the 2nd, a fire broke out in a bakery. Three days later almost all of London was burned down. It is estimated that the homes of 70 000 of London's 80 000 residents were lost in the fire. Prior to the fire, London buildings were built with wood in the Medieval manner. After the fire, London was rebuilt along similar roads, but now of stone and brick.
If the great fire of 1666 was not bad enough, the year before in 1665 the plague killed every sixth person in London. And once again, during the bombings of World War II, most of this area was again leveled.
Again following some narrow lanes, we came across Dr. Johnson's house and the delightful statue of his cat Hodge, and then the authentic very old pub called Ye Old Chesire Cheese Tavern. It was rebuilt in 1667 after the fire, but it was a pub since 1538. We walked inside and considered having a bite, but it was a bit too early, so we carried on.
The rebuilding of much of London was entrusted to Christopher Wren by King Charles II. His centerpiece church is his rebuilding St. Paul's Cathedral, but he also built several other churches including St. Bride's Church. It's steeple is said to have inspired a baker to make a multi-tiered cake, that has become the traditional wedding cake.
We walked up and down small little streets, and then came to the large intersection where nine streets intersect, and what an intersection it is. Standing in front of Mansion House, the residence of the City's Lord Mayor (Mayor of this neighborhood, not of all of today's London), we can see the majestic building of the Royals Exchange, the original stock exchange. Across the street is a the huge Royal Bank of England, that once loaned money to King William III, and ever since, it has managed the nation's debt.
In this area, there are hundreds of financial and international institutions.
As we walked, lawyers and bankers were leaving their offices, making their way home, or more often than not, stopping at their favorite pub. We made our way to London Bridge, and gazed over to Tower Bridge.
We backtracked through the financial district, and came across an Irish Pub called O'Neils. I had a great Fish and Chip plate, while Hera had a Grilled Salmon, and topped off our meal sharing a delicious chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.
As we walked towards a bus stop I spied a sign in a shop window stating that all stock and money has been removed, and as we rode the bus, we noticed a shop in the process of boarding up their windows, and then many other stores with boarded windows. It is unfortunate, but the city is suffering from organized groups of youths vandalizing, looting and burning shops for the past 3 nights. I do hope that the parents of these undisciplined children are also held accountable.
Throughout these three days, we have felt very safe. But we have noticed the high police presence, and the news reports are unrelenting as they describe the riots.
Photographer's comments: Sorry for high conrast images in today's Blog. For some reason my computer's screen calibration program did not kick in upon loading, therefor it forced me to edit the images thinking that it was my fault. They all looked dull. Then the signature action got messed up. So you have a ghostly rectanglar in each shot due to this error.
Cheers,
Hera & Anthony
