A Variety of Hashes...

It was nice that Veronica had a hole in her schedule to hash with us while she was in town in late April. Here she is getting her down-down at London H3 in South Woodford.

I can’t remember what particular crime they committed this time, but Opee and Sweetheart always enjoy doing down-downs together.

The London H3 trail on May 11 in Norwood Junction featured a lot of colorful buildings...

…and some good advice.

Opee hared Black Death H3 on May 12 from Wapping and our neighbor Will joined us. The small pack got pretty lost as the trail went up and down the stairs and walkways of one of the larger apartment buildings, but we eventually found our way to the loop around the Tower of London.

The trail ended on the Thames Path with this view of Canary Wharf. Opee spoiled everyone with homemade chili...

…and cocktails for those that came back to our flat afterwards.

 

A Dog Hunt in Canary Wharf...

On May 8, we woke up to a surprising amount of fog, so much that it was difficult to even see the river.

Every Man Has Their Day

A few hours later there was no sign of fog, just nice blue skies. I walked down to Canary Wharf to take the Paws on the Wharf 5K Trail featuring sculptures of guide dogs painted by local artists.

While there were no dogs reflected in this sculpture, I have a hard time walking past it without taking at least one photo.

Jurassic Bark

Paws for Thought

This dog was in a great location as its colors matched perfectly with the surrounding area.

Bark to the Future

 

A Very Wet Hike...

On May 6, I met up with Camilla and Julia to go on a training hike for a hiking holiday we would be going on in June. Since we were heading south to Tunbridge Wells, traffic wasn’t as bad as when we’ve had to cross London to head north or west. 

Not only did our hike include several water crossings...

…and lots of mud

…but it poured for hours.

Luckily it didn’t rain the entire time and there was lots of pretty scenery. Unluckily the final leg of the trek included having to cross two busy roads, which was quite unnerving due to the fast speeds and lack of crosswalks. We eventually made it back to the car, changed into dry clothes and shoes and had a delicious pub meal at Abergavenny Arms. Five months after our hike, Camilla and Tristram moved to a farm not too far from that pub. 

 

Old Friends...

At the beginning of April, Veronica spent a weekend with Ellie and Fiona, two old friends from the BSN.

Later in the month, she met up with Lizzie, also from the BSN, in Wapping for coffee and then we invited Lizzie to join us for a Sunday roast at the Prospect of Whitby. Since we saw her in late April, she got married, the first of Veronica’s high school friends to take the plunge.

Ironically, I was asked to RA at that West London H3 trail in Kew Bridge, so I got to give a down-down to our visitors: Slippery Edge and On the Edge. They also hashed with us at London H3 that weekend and we also went to the Imperial Museum. 

After the hash that Saturday, Jimmy and I met up with some other old friends for a drink. We had last seen Curt, who we knew from the San Diego Hash, Veronique and Nils, who was just a toddler at the time, in 2013 at their house in Aix en Provence. Now at 12, he is completely bilingual in English and French. 

 

Between Visitors...

After Holly and Drake left, I headed to a special exhibit of Andy Warhol at Halycon Gallery on New Bond Street, London’s most upscale shopping street. My favorite part of the gallery was this room featuring work by Keith Haring rather than Warhol.

Other gallery visitors were quickly approached by employees to discuss purchase options. Perhaps my hash shoes scared them away?

You know you’re walking through a posh neighborhood when you pass a Rolls Royce dealership.

I eventually caught a Tube to Kew Bridge for West London H3’s trail. I arrived too early to meet Lisa and Mark, our visitors from Amsterdam, so I took a long walk along the Thames and one of its tributaries.

 

Another Day, Another Pub Crawl...

On Holly and Drake’s final full day in London, we took another long walk along the Thames, where we came across some painters. 

We saw some more art at the Tate, and then enjoyed wine with a view. 

I love crossing the Golden Jubilee Bridge with its views of the London Eye and Big Ben.

Our next stop was Tattershall Castle, a floating pub docked directly across from the London Eye. Built in 1934, it was used as a passenger and goods ferry until 1973. Its current pub opened in 2015.  

I always assumed it was really touristy, but after a local told me that she went there for drinks with colleagues, I figured it was worth trying. The location was great, drink prices were reasonable for London and appetizers were pretty good. 

Eventually we made our way back to our flat, where we had whisky with Jimmy...

…before heading to the Prospect of Whitby for dinner. 

It was a very fun three days with lots of walking, some drinking and plenty of laughing. So glad that they could spend time with us before their big trip north. 
 

London Eye..

Holly generously bought the three of us tickets for the London Eye. Luckily Drake enjoyed it as it turned out to be an expensive adventure for him as his Swiss Army Knife was confiscated; on the bright side, at least he wasn’t fined or arrested as the UK has very strict knife laws. 

The views were made better with the amazing blue skies.

Golden Jubilee Bridge with City of London in the Background

View from the Top

Overlooking Waterloo Station

Westminster Bridge, Parliament and Vauxhall

South London

That night Jimmy joined us for dinner and then Holly spoiled us all with tickets to see The Book of Mormon, which we all loved.