London Farewell

We are finally here, our last day in London and there is so much still to see and do. We've decided to enjoy and not push too much, so we are off to Harrods quick smart - just as we remember - all very posh, great variety and all at a price. The Food Hall is great with plenty of weird and wonderful as well as expensive. 6 oysters for $36 or if cooked in any way $48. Again we cannot see the value - sure they are probably great but so are the dozen we get from Brunswick for $14 - and yet there are people sitting up to a dozen or more and some having roast chicken dinners for exorbitant prices - filled baguettes are well priced and there are queues for those. I don't know how they make money - over a billion last year.

Back on the frog n toad or the underground and off on another "London Walk" we have done about 10 of these walks out of a London Walking Guide - History and Mystery - and love them, they start at underground stations and give instructions on where to walk and then what to see and do, background history and mystery. They average a couple of hours walking  and are anywhere from 2-5k. A great way to get around a city and see some out of the way stuff as well as the usual touristy places from a different perspective.

So it's  Barbican to Charterhouse Square with some grisly history and lunch on the steps of an old house overlooking a locked park. On to the Smithfield Meatmarkets, closing down at this time of day, but they still smell of meat and the butchers are cleaning down the huge stalls and halls. St Bartholomews Church and crypt is a brilliant little side trip leading to the Watch House at Iron Gates - set up to thwart the body snatchers of the day.

Across the road to the old gin palace, The Viaduct Tavern, very old world. They have 20 different gins but we won't get far if Toni starts early. So on we go to the Old Bailey and then further to St Brides - tiered wedding cakes were inspired by this church which is squashed in between buildings and the bustle of the city. it has a graveyard with seats and a coffee vendor as well as old shady tress, all in a pocket handkerchief area.

We decide to tack on another walk that is based in the area and formed around Temple Bar  and Fleet Street. Amazing, the Temple area is where solicitors, barristers  and QC's have their chambers. Beautiful gardens, cafes, quiet areas and courtyards. Constructed by Christopher Wren, it is very stately and the Temple Church is readily identified from The Da Vinci Code movie. The Churchyard is quiet and a bit creepy - supposedly haunted.

Out of Temple is Fleet Street and we decide on a quick coffee - The Press Club Cafe - great coffee! Just after our cafe is the original Twining Store - it's about 2 metres wide and full of tea obviously but also has coffee because - Twining s originally dealt in coffee. Who'd have thunk it?

Along toward Oranges and Lemons - St Clements, is the Royal Courts of Justice - very Gothic. Just a few metres along is the area Sweeney Todd is said to have lived and worked in - and the Hen and Chicken Court nearby where he "worked" is decidedly creepy.

We wander home along the Victoria Embankment and Waterloo Bridge.

Out for tea at The 3 Stags we have a great night with brilliant food and a waiter from Innisfail, Queensland. A couple of pints with said food - smoked duck, crab and lobster risotto, a steak and an Eton Mess and we wend our way back to our favourite cafe Scoota Bar and after a great coffee we head wearily back towards home. On the way we spotted an urban fox, as bold as brass trotting across the road and into a garden. A surprise ending to our fabulous London sojourn.