Exploring London - Day 3 (27.06.08)

Posted a 3.3kg parcel Down Under. It was outrageously expensive – about 10 x the value of the contents. Suddenly the bargains I bought in Egypt are bargains no longer and I should have waited another 20 years for Paddington or at least until I got back home.

We went back to London Bridge (no improvement there) and had a look at Southwark Cathedral. A church has stood on the site by the Thames for over 1400 years. The present church was built in 1212 making it the first Gothic church in London. St Thomas a Becket is said to have preached here as he fled London and Shakespeare was a parish member for a period. I love finding out people I have heard of and read about have been in the places we are visiting. All the books I read suddenly have a very real context.

Next, a guided tour of the Globe Theatre which has been built with exactly the same materials as in Shakespeare’s time. It was a pity all performance were booked out but I didn’t fancy standing in the Penny Stinkers (or groundlings) spot on the floor for 2 – 3 hours. The most interesting thing I learnt was that people never ever washed their clothes in those days as the dye didn’t hold. The average garment would last 14 years – probably held together with filth. Fascinating stuff! Good thing they don’t reenact that fact.

We then walked back up the Thames via a short stopover on the HMS Belfast. This ship helped support the advancing allied troops during the D–Day landing and also helped sink some German battleship. I must say I was really impressed with this floating museum. You really got to feel what it was like living on board a war ship. They even secrete smells in the different rooms. The dentist smelt like a dentist – brought back bad memories and reminded me I am overdue for a visit and need to go as soon as I am back as my tooth is turning black. (Rather gross but no surprise since it is dead. Not looking forward to forking out another few grand for a new tooth. I’ll have to get a job!).

We got on a boat from Tower Pier to Westminster where we eventually managed to get on the train that would take us near Kensington Palace (dates from 1605 and was also built by Sir Christopher Wren). I must say this place didn’t really interest me. Princess Di lived here in a private apartment and continued to live here after her divorce. Her funeral cortege left here for her funeral at Westminster Abbey. However, there was no info on any of this just a display of some really bad dresses she wore. Some were actually shocking – 80’s styles naturally. We zipped through William III (William of Orange) state apartments and out into the gardens which turn into a park that eventually turns in Hyde Park. You can hire deck chairs covered in pigeon poo that surround the lakes. It was nice to walk through the royal parks imagining the history and people who have also walked these grounds.

Note: The bad dress pictured above was not worn by Di although some of hers were almost as tragic. This one dates from around the 1600s or 1700s.