The Great City of London Walking Tour

Today, whee! Back with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners.. first time in months! This time, it was for The Great City of London Walking Tour. Meeting in The Liberty Bounds, which is, again, walking distance from me - lovely! A breezy walk across the bridge again, then - this time, in glorious sunshine! which was a bit intermittent through the day - but, as I said to someone, I don't know when I last used my sunglasses so much!

We met inside - which turned out a bit awkward, as we kept losing people to the toilet etc. We eventually convened outside.. Laurence pointed out to us the City boundary:

I have always loved the eclectic City skyscape:

We stopped off at St. Dunstan-in-the-East, whose tower was the only thing to survive WWII bombing:

The rest of the site is now a peaceful garden:

They have some interesting additions to the side of the Monument (to the Great Fire of London):

Our walk took us to Leadenhall Market:

and Cornhill:

I'd forgotten the story about how the Royal Exchange was originally named after its founder, Sir Thomas Gresham, whose family crest is a grasshopper, as depicted near the top of the building:

And I also keep forgetting how the ground-floor windows of the Bank of England were blocked up because of the Gordon riots:

On to the Guildhall:

and the church of St. Lawrence Jewry, with its weathervane depicting the griddle on which St. Lawrence was reputedly grilled:

Down Wood St., whose protected tree, in turn, protects the old buildings beside it:

The most interesting thing about the statue of John Wesley is that it's apparently lifesize - meaning he was really titchy!

We finished at St. Paul's:

So - a combination of facts I already had, and facts I didn't, about one of the most interesting parts of town, this is one of the more interesting walks I've been on! Whee.. delighted I could make it.

We had lunch afterwards at Ye Olde Cock Tavern. Now, this was also the only day this month I could find for my work reunion.. James couldn't make it on the 6th because of rail strikes. Ivan couldn't make it today - but anyway, James was supposed to join us for lunch, and we might stay there, as I told Martin. However, James had a busy week.. he warned he mightn't show, and sure enough, he didn't. Which, mind you, was just as well, considering that this was the first time I can remember - for a large group - where EVERYONE wanted lunch! Unfortunately, Laurence had only booked for a certain number.. we then arrived at the same time as another large group, so unfortunately, we ended up split in two for the lunch.

I had my usual - for here - chicken kiyev - and the best wine I've had in ages! Spy Valley, it's called, and I will be looking out for it in future. I might have stayed for another, but some wanted coffee - but they were told they weren't serving it, and it couldn't be brought in from outside. So some of us decamped to Harris + Hoole, across the road, where I'm sorry to say, the hot chocolate was in need of quite a lot of sugar adding.. Anyway, great to see people again, and roll on the next!

(Martin, BTW, eventually got back to me to say the whole family is under the weather, so he's staying put this evening. So, no reunion this month, then..)

Tomorrow, back at last at the British Museum with the Crick Crack Club! This one is Woyengi and the Medicine Woman, by Jan Blake. Man, I've missed these.. it's nearly a year since I was last there!

On Monday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for Boys on the Verge of Tears, at Soho Theatre. Again, ages since I was last there!

On Tuesday, another dinner at Greenwich Yacht Club with Over 40 Living the Life. Third Tuesday in a row - but the last time for a while they'll be doing it.

On Wednesday, I'm at The Hideout's April social! The BFI Riverfront Bar again..

On Thursday, taking a break from Meetup - I'm going to a talk, interesting-sounding to me, at Southwark Cathedral. It's The King's Assassin, about the relationship between James VI/I and George Villiers, now a TV series, Mary & George, with Julianne Moore as his scheming mother. Based on a book, whose author is giving this talk. And as that's also walking distance from me, I'll look to go to the office on Wednesday. Maybe. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend again.

The next two days in London, I'm ticking theatrical boxes - both in Delfont Mackintosh theatres, and both, would you believe, cheapest from the official source! On the 29th, I'm finally getting to see Player Kings, depicting the relationship between Falstaff and Hal from both parts of Shakepeare's Henry IV, with Sir Ian McKellan as Falstaff. Looking forward to it - I love Shakespeare adaptations. That's in the Noel Coward Theatre, and I'm paying a little extra not to sit in the slips, so I get more legroom.

On the 30th, I'm back with UITCS to see Opening Night, a musical with music by Rufus Wainwright. Before it closes! That's at the Gielgud.

On the 1st, back with The London Horror Book Club - they're doing a book I think I'll like - well, I certainly was interested in the free sample, so I bought it. It's The Fifth Child, about a couple living in domestic bliss, having four children, and all is sweetness and light.. until the fifth arrives.. This will be in The Prince of Wales, Drury Lane again. A few months since I was last with them.

And on the 2nd, back with London Classical Music and Theatre Group, for the opera Lucia di Lammermoor in the Royal Opera House.