A Circus Party...

This year’s theme was Circus, so Opee wore his silk vest that he often wears while DJing, satin trousers and a jester’s hat.

I wore a sequined vest that we found at an antique shop on our last trip to The Hague with a lacy skirt. We once again failed to take a picture of the two of us together. 

Our Chauffeurs: Moulin Rouge and Wax My Plank

Our Upcoming Visitors: Dr. Flatus and Angel Babe

It’s hard to tell, but I’m in the back wearing a hat.

Once again, Rack of Lamb had the most creative outfit which she handcrafted. 

The following morning was the hangover trail. I appreciated that Opee stuck with me so I wouldn’t get lost. We had one big circle afterwards on the grounds of the hostel. 

That evening Jimmy was flying to Copenhagen for a conference, but first he came with me to the train station. He was very surprised when Veronica showed up, who was passing through Brussels and managed to book the seat next to me on the Eurostar. She stayed overnight and we went to a photography exhibit the following day before she headed back to Exeter.
 

Saturday Hashing in Eupen...

As usual, the fearless Ballbreakers, including Opee, set off earlier than the rest of us to allow enough time for them to run their crazy long trail. 

I started later with the Chickens to do the medium running trail, which was just a bit over 9.3 miles (15K).  

I really enjoyed the trail through misty fields...

…forest...

…and hills. That’s me holding onto the tree before scampering down the hill, miraculously without falling.

Opee and I met up at the drink stop...

…which was next to a dam.

I finally had Veronica set me up on Strava so I can track my runs regardless of how slow I am.

 

Pub Crawl at Belgian Nash Hash...

There was no party bus arranged to get hashers to Belgian Nash Hash in Eupen, but rather than travel by train, we caught a lift with Moulin Rouge and Wax My Plank after seeing their lovely new home. The views from the grounds of the hostel were very nice. 

Most years, the Friday night opening event is a pub crawl manned by hashers. This year was a very good trail through the charming town of Eupen, where the locals went out of their way to welcome us. 

Tuna + Tasty

Some of the strange things spotted on trail. 

 

Sunshine Along the Thames...

In a rare moment, we remembered to take a selfie as we walked along the Thames. 

The sun put on an interesting show at various times that evening. This photo was taken at 5:05 p.m. while we were further down the river.

This was taken at 6:37 p.m. from the barge community...

…this was taken 30 minutes later on our walk home...

…and this was taken two hours later as the buildings in Canary Wharf were reflecting the last drops of sunlight.
 

Floating Gardens...

After visiting the Brunel Museum, we continued along the Thames from Rotherhithe to Tower Bridge, where we happened upon an open house at a community started in 1985 living on adjoined river barges called the Tower Bridge Moorings at Downings Road. It was low tide as we walked across to the sustainable community of around 100 residents.

It was cool to see so many bikes...

…and the large floating garden. 

The views were pretty incredible.

The ArtsArk is a private performance space.

We were thrilled to get to enter one of the houseboats, but was surprised to learn that it tilts 9% during low tide. The tenants said they were unaware before moving in of the impact of living in a tilted house and that they were unlikely to stay. 

Here’s a view of the community as seen from across the river on our walk home. 

World’s First Tunnel Under a Navigable River...

Oops! Missed a few posts from May, so switching back to London and will post about Belgium Nash Hash later....

On May 19, Jimmy and I visited the Brunel Museum, housed in the Brunel Engine House which was part of the infrastructure for the Thames Tunnel, the world’s first tunnel built under a navigable river.

This tunnel is of particular interest to us since it is between our local station of Wapping on the northern side of the Thames and Rotherhithe on the southern side, so we use it frequently.

It opened in 1843 after 19 years of being dug out by hand! It was originally designed for horse-drawn carriages, but was mostly used for pedestrians until it was converted to a train tunnel in 1869. Today it is used for the Windrush Line on the Overground (which is obviously not always above ground).   

It’s nice that there’s a plaque on the wall at the station about this amazing achievement, but I’m disappointed that there’s no announcement when going under the river. 

 

Back to Kensington Park...

The following day I was back in Kensington Park to see some art at the Serpentine Galleries. Along the way, I came across several green parakeets...

….The Arch by Henry Moore...

…and the Round Pond...

….with Kensington Palace in the background.

I also passed by the Prince Albert Memorial, in the foreground, and Royal Albert Hall, in the background.