The temperature has come down and the crowds have thinned out so walking through the city was extra pleasant this morning. We started off in Oxford Circus:
Then went looking for the Broad Street Pump which I have wanted to see in person ever since reading "Ghost Map".
After, we re-visited the area between Piccadilly Circus and Leister Square which were the perfect level of busy this time as opposed to mob scenes.
We passed by Trafalgar Square, and then walked down The Strand and Fleet Street all the way to St Pauls. On the way, among many other attractions, we saw: Sommerset House, The Twinings Tea Shop, The Danish Church, The Royal Courts, Hodge the Cat Statue and St Bride’s Church
I wanted to stop for a drink at the Old Bank of England Pub specifically, not just so my mom could see how awesome it is, but because the last time I went I wanted a sherry and the bartender said he didn't even know what it was!! Sherry? unknown anywhere in the UK? Colour me suspicious!
This time, they said they were "just out" of sherry, so I had a gin and cranberry juice which was the size of a fish bowl! I couldn't finish.
We stopped for lunch a Pizza Express next to St Paul's which was delicious, but I was burping garlic all afternoon! I love lunch with a view.
After lunch, we visited The Monument to the Great Fire and then tried our luck at getting into the Sky Garden again without a reservation – it worked!
In addition to the great view of London, there are a few places to eat and drink up there. A cafeteria-like snack area near the big front terrace overlooking the Thames, a nicer bar on the other side where I went last time for a drink, and a fancy restaurant. My mom didn't like the seats at the bar, neither one of us wanted cafeteria-like refreshments, so we tried the fancy restaurant.
When we told the snooty woman at the reception that we wanted to sit for a drink, she gave me an up-and-down glance and told us we could sit at the bar. The bartender could not have been nicer or more polite... that woman who "greeted" us could have learned a thing or two from him! I had a nice glass of Sauternes which was as expensive as it was delicious! (100mls for 24£ / 40$ CDN - gasp!)
Once done, we set off to see the ruins of St Dunstan Church.
Done with that part of the city, we tubed it over to St Pancras Station to admire the building...
Then over to St Pancras International to see Platform 9 3/4. I'm not a Harry Potter fan, so I didn't know what to expect, or just how much this was a "thing". I have to admit it was fun! We didn't wait in line to get our picture taken, we didn't have that kind of time to spend, but watching all the tourists fulfill their dream was very entertaining!
Last stop for the day was the British Museum with the sole purpose of seeing the Rosetta Stone and the Pantheon Sculptures (Elgin Marbles). We barely grazed the rest, we were not really in the mood.
Supper was a less than yummy burger at a nice pub across the street, then we tubed it back to the hotel, had a nightcap at the bar and called it a day.
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