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Day 4: June 13, 2024
We have managed to fit a wide range of activities into the last 24 hours! We took the Tube to St Paul’s Cathedral, first, today, and were stunned by its size, and its cupola/dome which we have since learned is the second largest dome in the world. A short walk away stands the Millennium Bridge where we checked out some incredible, ‘micro’ chewing gum art, and took some photos, before moving on to the Tate Modern art gallery. Members of the group visited exhibitions of modern art, or even had the opportunity to create some digital art of their own! Next, we visited a recreation of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre which is the only building in London to be constructed of wood and with a thatched roof, since the Great Fire of London, in 1666. Our guide there, Dwain, told us some really interesting nuggets of information about life and the theatre in Shakespeare’s time, as well as surprising us with some commonly used expressions today which derive directly from Shakespeare! We passed through yet more buzzing mural-lined alleyways and railway arches, home to cafés, restaurants and boutiques, en route to our lunch stop: the hip and happening Borough Market, where we all picked yummy food to eat from myriad food stalls and restaurants. A good walk to burn some of our lunch off led us across the River Thames, to Tower Pier, beneath the Tower of London, from where we enjoyed an amusing and informative cruise commentary from Ian, and his co-commentator… Steven ‘Seagull’! 😉 We disembarked beneath the British Airways London Eye for an unforgettable 30-minute ‘flight’ in one of 32 glass ‘pods’ - representing each of the London boroughs - soaring above the Houses of Parliament, and even spotting Buckingham Palace, across the river! We couldn’t resist taking a ride on a carousel, before catching the Tube to Oxford Circus, for a delicious meal of grilled chicken, fine chips and broccoli, followed by chocolate mousse. A Tube station closure saw us diverted through vibrant Soho, to Piccadilly Circus, and back to our hotel, to pack and prepare for our Eurostar voyage to Paris, France, in the morning. Bonne nuit! Et à demain! (Until tomorrow! 🇫🇷)