Walking to Greenwich...

On July 12, I took an extra long walk when I set off to Greenwich following the Thames Path. According to my iPhone, I walked 37,537 steps during the 29.8 kilometers.

This sign outside a pub telling kids not to climb the scaffolding made me laugh...

…and so did spotting King Charles looking down over Greenwich Market...

…which was charming rather than too touristy.

My destination was the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, which opened in 1902 crossing under the Thames. It is used by approximately 4,000 people per day. This was the southern entrance with 100 steps down... 

...to the 9-foot wide and 1,215-foot long pedestrian tunnel.

Despite cycling being prohibited, I was passed by several bikes and was shocked to see several rental bikes abandoned in the tunnel. 

This northern segment of the tunnel was damaged during the Blitz of World War II in 1940. It was repaired quickly since the tunnel was essential for war efforts by allowing workers to cross from their homes in the south to industry and docks in the north.

Rather than crossing back under, I walked along the northern Thames Path to make a giant loop back to Bermondsey allowing for nice views back towards Greenwich, including the Old Royal Naval College...

…Cutty Sark and southern entrance to the tunnel.
 

Art Along the Thames...

Queenhithe Mosaic along the north bank of the Thames was unveiled in 2014 to show the history of the area from Roman times until Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee.

While lovely, I was surprised to see a dolphin statue along the Thames at the foot of Tower Bridge.

I was also surprised to see hospital beds set up along Southbank, but failed to ask what was going on. 
 

Epic Art Adventure...

Over the summer, 56 six-foot tall Morphs were placed around London to help raise awareness and funds for young wheelchair users. I came across several of them in my explorations from Thomas’ flat. 

Morph and Friends Explore London

I Spy Morph

Mondrian Morph

Mr. Create

 

Staying in Bermondsey...

Before our five-night stay in Balham came to an end, Jessie and Sam offered to sublet their flat to us until the beginning of September starting after their return for four nights. It was great that we could leave our bigger bags behind in their basement when we moved into another hasher’s place. 

We’d seen Thomas at many hash weekends over the years, but barely knew him until we spent four nights with him in his 3rd story studio apartment in the historic Alaska Factory in Bermondsey in southeast London. The complex was built in the 1930s to replace the original seal fur factory from 1869. While it survived the Blitz of World War II, it couldn’t survive a downturn in fur sales and closed in the 1960s. 

It was impressive to see how it had been converted into apartments. 

I must admit I was a bit skeptical how three people could share a studio, however, there was a large living room...

…a bedroom behind a wall, which Thomas generously offered to us...

…a nice kitchen and bathroom plus a study where Thomas slept on an incredibly fancy inflatable bed. All the rooms were huge compared to where we had been staying. That first night we took Thomas out to thank him for hosting us. Our evenings always ended with long chats over some incredible rums and whiskeys from his global collection.

After the guys left for work, I set off to explore the area. Most of my walks included walking through the wharf district near Tower Bridge. Apparently this area housed the largest warehouse complex in London when it was built in 1873 to hold tea, coffee and spices. 

 

Sky Pool...

Our next stop was the Sky Pool at Embassy Gardens Apartments in Wandsworth. Unfortunately, it is only open to tenants and guests, but that didn’t stop us from seeing it from afar...

…and from underneath.

It was a bummer that we missed doing a drink stop below the pool just a few days earlier for the 4th of July Hash hared by an American, which was an especially apropos location since it’s in the shadow of the American Embassy.

 

Battersea Power Station...

During our Thames Walk with Carlin and Kent in November 2019, we passed an enormous construction site of an old coal-powered power station being converted into housing, offices and retail space (learn more about the history and construction on my previous blog post).

It was incredible to first see the finished project from the same vantage point. 

It’s definitely damn impressive, both outside...

…and inside...

…complete with old industrial elements. 

There were several sculptures sprinkled around the property. 

Our favorite was The Friendship Bench, depicting Rabbitwoman and Dogman, two opposites coming together to become best friends and soulmates. This touched us as hashers, since we’re hares and hounds, but also as opposites who found each other. 

This model of the building was quite cool with sections that opened. 

 

Meanwhile in Holland...

Leaving Holland was difficult for a lot of reasons, including having to say good-bye to sweet 11-year-old Kati who had lived with us for over 10 years. She hates loud noises, so bringing her to London would have been a nightmare for all of us. I tried to find someone to adopt her through a website that Sally found through a colleague to match pets with new owners. It was a fascinating process, especially meeting a woman blinded as a teenager during World War II that held my arm instead of using her cane as she led Kati and I on a walk around Clingendael Park. She liked Kati, but really wanted a long-haired dog instead. We were running out of options and were worried we would have to drop her off at a animal shelter (luckily Holland only has no-kill shelters), when Terri saved the day. She told my story at the AWC Book Club and one of the new members, whom I’ve never met, said she thought she knew the perfect couple. Muge had to leave her dog behind in Turkey when she got divorced and moved to Holland. Now she is engaged to Ejal and ready to love another dog. They came to meet Kati and wanted her, but were getting ready to go on holiday. I was so relieved when Suzanne, another AWC Member, came to the rescue to bridge that gap and took Kati just before our movers came. It’s clear from the photos that Muge has sent that they are now a happy family.

 

First Pub Crawl in London...

That evening we attended our first hash pub crawl, which also happened to be my first hash in London. Although calling it a hash was a bit of an exaggeration as there was no running, no checks and no circle. However, it was a chance to meet a few hashers and see some new parts of the city... 

…and a lovely sunset over the Thames.