Velkommen til London

Saturday, 2 June

On Saturday morning my parents found a note under the door to their room. It said, "Bob—Your Norwegian cousins came by at 10:30 last night—they will be back at 9 a.m. Saturday."

The Norwegian cousins are actually my mother's cousins from the Trondheim area of Norway, Kåre and his wife Annbjorg, and Gerd, who had visited my parents in the U.S. a few years ago. When my mother had emailed Kåre about the trip to England, he replied that maybe they would come meet us in London. Hopping between European cities is not so unusual here, especially with bargain airfare deals being advertised all the time. It's a lot like flying from Seattle to San Francisco for the weekend. Still, it was quite a surprise to find them actually here!

So after breakfast on Saturday morning we stationed ourselves in the hotel lounge to await their arrival. After a bit we saw them approaching in the crescent outside the hotel, cheery and triumphant over their success at finding us.

So, what do you do in London with a gaggle of senior Norwegians (including my parents)? My plan for the day (which my mother was going to be required to participate in) was a walk along the Thames from Westminster to the Tower Bridge, with a stop at Borough Market along the way. I was a little dubious, however, about dragging these relatives on a forced march through London, regardless of how scenic and enjoyable the path might be.

But they were all up for it. I decided it would be easier to start at Embankment, to which we could go directly by tube, rather than make our way down to Westminster Pier. That would shorten up the trip just a little bit but still offer all the same views and scenery.

So, after forcing Gerd to change from her rather high heeled shoes into walking shoes, we were off. First stop Euston station, to hop on the Northern line to Embankment. My mother and I already had tube passes, 7-day Oysters, but the others needed travelcards for the day.

In my past visits to London (prior to last year), transportation on the Underground and buses was easy to arrange—I either pre-purchased a travelcard in the U.S. for several-day periods, or bought one-day travelcards in London. But a couple years ago London Transport introduced the Oyster card (Oyster online - Transport for London - Buy or top up your Oyster card), a smart card that can either be purchased as a travelcard, for unlimited use in a period of 7 days or by the month, 3-month, 6-month, or year; or as a "pay as you go" card, which you top up as desired and each journey gets debited from the card (at a better rate than you would pay for a ticket). Just like travelcards, the Oyster is good for travel on both the Underground and buses. (For single days, you can still get a travelcard.)

Using the Oyster is pretty nifty. On the buses and Underground entry points you simply touch your Oyster card to a yellow circle, and it opens up the gates for you.

So, with everyone else outfitted with their lower-tech travelcards, we filed down the escalator to the trains. A short ride brought us to the Embankment station, and we emerged onto Embankment, the road that runs alongside the north bank of the Thames. Since we were starting at a different point than I had originally planned, I was a little undecided about where to go next. First we crossed the street to walk along Embankment; but the minute we reached the other side I decided we should cross Hungerford walking bridge to the other side of the river. So back across the road we went.

Hungerford Bridge links Charing Cross Station with Waterloo Station. It is actually three bridges, a railroad bridge flanked by a pedestrian walking bridge on either side. Because of the railroad bridge, you can only see in one direction from each footbridge. On one side you look toward the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament (Palace of Westminster), and Big Ben (St. Stephen's Tower). From the other side you look downriver toward Waterloo Bridge (which also leads to Waterloo Station), with St. Paul's and the City beyond.

From our point on Embankment, we climbed up to the bridge that looks toward Waterloo Bridge. I momentarily cursed myself for choosing that side of the bridge, as I peered through the rail bridge at broken pieces of Westminster. But that deficiency was solved when we reached the other side of the river, as a short walk back provided a fine view of all of Westminster.

We then proceeded to walk along the South Bank down the river. I believe that almost everything you want to see in London can be seen from the banks of the Thames. Walking along the river truly gives you London in a nutshell, beginning of course with Westminster and the Houses of Parliament, and the London Eye. As you pass the Hungerford Bridge and approach Waterloo Bridge, you can look toward the Strand and the West End on the north side of the river, and the South Bank arts complex, plus the National Theatre on the south bank—a veritable pantheon of artistic and theatrical offerings. Just before Waterloo Bridge you can see the Savoy Hotel alongside the river (Monet painted his Thames pictures from a hotel room at the Savoy). Somerset House is visible just past Waterloo Bridge. Formerly the home of England's records of births and deaths and other public offices, Somerset House now houses several art museums and other arts facilities, including the Cortault Institute, a lovely building containing a collection of Impressionist art. Beyond Somerset House lies the Temple, constituted of Middle Temple (one of London's four Inns of Court, essentially barristers' offices) and Temple Church (The Temple Church, London - Place of Worship).

Going on to pass Blackfriar's Bridge, an ornately decorated railway bridge, you then approach the Millenium Bridge (Millennium Bridge (London) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), a pedestrian bridge that stretches between St. Paul's Cathedral (Welcome to St Paul's Cathedral - Home Page) on one side of the river, and Tate Modern and the new Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on the other (south) side. I made our group walk onto the Millenium Bridge in order to experience the view looking in both directions.

The further down the river we go, and as we near the Borough Market area, we pass more and more pubs and cafes, most with outdoor tables and seating filled with people eating and drinking. The sidewalks are also swarming with walkers, strollers, and a few runners, all soaking up the sunny river view. While the midday sun is pleasantly warm, there is a nice breeze coming off the river and it is not uncomfortably hot.

Two more bridges onward, and we are at London Bridge where we turn away from the river to approach borough market. I've been to Borough Market a couple of times before, on my Bridget Jones pilgrimage walks, but this is the first time I have actually managed to go there on a day when the market is open. It is an incredible food market, with dozens of stalls selling fruits, vegetables, meats, breads, cheeses, and many other kinds of fine foods, both fresh and prepared. It is said to be frequented by London's celebrity chefs, and it was certainly well-populated today. In fact, it was so crowded that it was all we could do to squeeze our way through the mass of people from one side to another. Ann-Bjorg did manage to emerge with some kind of roll or pastry in her hand!

By now it was near 1:00, and we had been walking at least a couple of hours. Lunch was in order. But despite being surrounded by food, and all the restaurants and cafes we had passed, we were unsure about where we should eat. Finally we decided on a pub where my mother and I had eaten a few years before, the Marker Porter, in Stoney Street right across from the market.

After a rather leisurely lunch, we returned to the street to continue our walk along the river. But first, I led us into Bedale Street to see Bridget Jones's flat (the movie location was above the Globe Pub in Bedale Street). I had been here last May on a Sunday afternoon, and found the area almost deserted. I have several pictures unsullied by other people.

But today, a Saturday afternoon, was an entirely different matter. For one thing, the pub was open, and the street outside was crawling with pub patrons, most with glass of beer or wine in hand. While the area teems with life and vitality, it was missing a little of the magic that I felt when I first walked into the deserted street last year, knowing that Bridget's flat was supposed to be at the Globe Pub under the railroad overpasses, then looking up and seeing it right in front of me. Then, I was able to find a passerby to take a picture of me in front of the door. This time I took a picture of my mother and Gerd and Annbjorg (the three Bridgets), but I can barely recognize the background with all the other people around.

We returned to the river to complete our walk down to Tower Bridge. The riverside path we were following is also called the Thames Path (Home - Thames Path - National Trails). The Thames Path is a long trail that follows the Thames River for 180 miles from its source in the Cotswolds to the North Seat. Our walk from Buscot to Kelmscott followed the Thames Path for a short portion. This extended trail is another walk I would be interested in doing in future, should I ever be able to work out the arrangements.

Before going under London Bridge—the last bridge before the Tower Bridge—we passed Southwark Cathedral, a historic site which has housed a place of worship for over 1000 years. The present cathedral, London's oldest Gothic building, was first constructed in the 14th century, although it was later damaged in a fire and repaired, and then added onto in the late 19th century. It is an active church, used for a wide variety of community events and services, and is also twinned with Bergen Cathedral, Norway and Rouen Cathedral, France.


Past London Bridge you begin to see close, fine views of the Tower Bridge. Despite all the pictures I've taken in the past, I can't resist more glamour shots—and the tower bridge is a photogenic subject indeed.


Walking across it is fun, and gives you a different perspective than you would have from the river or the side banks. On the north side of the river you will of course see the Tower of London, somewhat obscured at this time of year by trees in full leaf.

We walked past the Tower of London and up onto Tower Hill where we could catch the Number 15 bus back to the West End. This bus route offers a London tour of its own, taking you through Cheapside and right past St. Paul's Cathedral, down Fleet Street, past the Royal Courts of Justice (where Bridge Jones interviewed Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones's Diary), and into the Strand, after which you can alight at Trafalgar Square or go on to Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, Oxford Circus, or as far as Paddington Station.

We got off at Trafalgar Square and walked down the Mall to see Buckingham Palace. From there it is an easy walk through Green Park to Piccadilly and the Green Park station. By that point I think I had worn my tour group into the ground, so I put them on the tube at Green Park and sent them back to their hotel. I then did a little


shopping at Waterstone's in Piccadilly before heading back to the hotel myself. I also stopped by Brown's Hotel in Mayfair to make reservations for my mother and me to have tea on Sunday. Brown's Hotel is a swanky but perhaps lesser known hotel just off Piccadilly. Our first encounter was in 1999, when my mother and I were looking for a place to have afternoon tea after a long walk, and the doorman at the Ritz sent us to Brown's. We have never gone back to the Ritz since! Brown's is located between Albemarle and Dover Streets, and the main entrance is on Albemarle Street. After arranging a reservation for 5:00, I visited the restroom off the lobby then decided to slip out the back door into Dover Street. Since the revolving door was locked, I went to the side door instead. As I pushed open the door a piercing fire alarm started shrieking. I quickly pulled the door shut, but the alarm continued. A nice young porter came running to turn off the alarm, as I apologized profusely and repeatedly. He kindly explained that they don't use that back entrance any more. I slunk back through the hotel and out the main door, hoping that they would not remember me on Sunday!

Later that evening we met up again and Kåre took us to dinner at a pub not too far from the Harlingford. Sometime in the last few years this pub had changed its menu from standard old-style pub fare to a more exotic Spanish menu, including a wide assortment of tapas and a number of dishes that we needed to get interpreted before we ordered. I remember years ago my mother and I tried to order fish and chips there—after spending a long time trying to get a table, we finally did, only to be told that the kitchen was closed; no special reason, just on a whim. Nowadays it seems to be more professional in its food service!

Another difference I noticed in this pub from before is that it is not smoky like before. In fact, I've noticed that in all the pub/restaurants we've been in (although, admittedly, it's been very few). While the English probably still smoke as much as ever, restaurants and other buildings are fast eliminating smoking. In fact, as of July 1, England will be smoke free. It will probably help that the change is coming in the summer, when smokers can easily stay outside—and perhaps they'll be used to it before cold weather comes.

After a leisurely dinner (these foody pubs are not fast food), we said good night and promised to touch base the next day (they were returning to Norway on Monday).

Today was our first full day back in London and I made my return to Regent's Park early that morning. Around 6:30 a.m. I headed out to Regent’s Park for a run around the park. As I ran down the Broad Walk, a wide path that cuts through the park along the east side, I realized I had enough extra time to make a foray into Queen Mary’s Gardens to see the roses. Last year I thought the rose garden was amazing, even though none of the roses had been in bloom. This year, as I passed through the black and gold gates into the garden, I was immediately stunned by the masses of roses in bloom, bordered by thick rope swags lavishly draped with pink climbing roses. Beyond the circular rose garden lay dozens of beds, each planted approximately 72 bushes of one variety. My first reaction, and the one I still hold onto, is that this was the most beautiful rose garden I had ever seen. I was determined to get my parents there to see it, preferably early in the morning before the crowds. So that night I broke the news that they would be get up the next morning to head out to Regent's Park by 6:30 a.m. They seemed dubious... but agreed.