Open Sesame...

For the first time, we were on Tower Bridge when it opened. We enjoyed having a chat with the guy who pushes the buttons to close the gates and open the bridge. 

I just can’t resist taking photos from my favorite bridge.

Within view of Tower Bridge is another bridge that occasionally opens: a pedestrian drawbridge at the lock at St Katharine Docks. 

The lock is used to access Central London’s only harbor.

Not sure what hit this pole in Wapping, but we couldn’t pass up taking a photo.

It’s pretty common to come across fake flowers in London.

 

Hashing Along the Themes...

That evening I went to the West London H3 trail in Bermondsey on my own (no idea how Bermondsey qualifies as west). The views from the drink stop were spectacular.

I enjoyed the trail so much that it inspired me to run/walk the rest of the way home for a total of 7.75 miles (12.5 kilometers). I especially enjoyed dodging tourists as I ran across Tower Bridge

The moon wasn’t quite full, but put on a nice show.

 

A Long Walk with Ashlynn...

After Ashlynn learned that there was a place to swim at Hampstead Heath, she was determined to see it for herself. She was in charge of our route, which started with a walk down Brick Lane, where she enjoyed seeing a sculpture dedicated to her favorite vegetable. Ironically, she was stopped by a modeling agent and she thought it could be fun to do some modeling in London, but that contact went nowhere. 

Our 10.2-mile (16.4-kilometer) walk took us through Shoreditch...

…where we saw some cool street art....

…Angel...

…where we saw some interesting architecture...

…and some giant wings...

…and Camden...

…where we ate lunch along Regent’s Canal. 

It’s always nice to visit Hampstead Heath on a clear day.

 

Hanging with Ashlynn...

Just two days after Georgia left, Ashlynn arrived for three nights. After an appointment at the US Embassy...

…we headed to Brixton for lunch.

We found an amazing Japanese restaurant called Okan at Brixton Village.

We decided to walk the five miles back home crossing through Burgess Park. 

It was really nice to have Sophie join us for dinner at home that evening. 
 

Jimmy’s Adventures...

While I was hiking in Shropshire, Jimmy enjoyed attending his first Pride in London with a few hashers...

…where he saw the mayor marching in the parade.

From July 11-15, 2024, Jimmy had a great time in Wales with some hashers at Love Trails, a running festival that included a variety of trails (including a hash), yoga and dancing to DJs. Due to the heat and steepness of the climbs, his 27K trail run was possibly the most brutal he’d ever done. 

 

Final Bits with Georgia in London...

Although I’ve never eaten at the Trafalgar Tavern just outside of the gates of the Old Royal Naval College, I appreciate its nautical theme.

Rather than hopping back onto public transport from Greenwich, we walked under the Thames in the Greenwich Foot Tunnel.

On our way to the Islands Gardens DLR Station, we stopped along the river to admire the view of where we had just visited.  

We stopped in Canary Wharf, where we spotted Tandem Lovers (Rabbitwoman and Dogman) by Gillie and Marc on our walk back to Wapping.

And we had dinner that evening at the Prospect of Whitby. Georgia was really interested in having dessert to take back to our flat and was quite amazed when she was given a proper bowl rather than a takeaway box. She left the following morning and I did eventually get around to returning the bowl. I was really touched that Georgia made the effort to spend such quality time together and feel lucky to have such an amazing woman as my friend.
 

Old Royal Naval Coillege...

The next day I took Georgia to Greenwich to visit the Old Royal Naval College. Originally the site housed a palace from 1498 to 1696. Famed architect Christopher Wren was hired in 1696 to design the Royal Hospital for Seaman for elderly and injured veterans of the Royal Navy. At its peak, it served as a retirement home for 2,700 naval vets, eventually closing in 1869. 

From 1873 until 1998 it served as the Royal Naval College, providing courses for naval officers. After the school closed, it reopened as the Old Royal Naval College, later designated as an UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Most recently restored in 2019, the Painted Hall has 40,000 square feet (3,700 square meters) of Baroque walls and ceilings from 1726. 

Despite not remembering anything we learned from a very enthusiastic guide, I do know that we thoroughly enjoyed seeing this masterpiece. 

It was originally intended in the 18th century to be a dining room for the retirees, but became a tourist attraction and ended up only being used for dining on special occasions. 

The original Royal Hospital Chapel was built following Wren’s designs, but was gutted by fire in 1779. The remodeled chapel included nautical designs.