Southwark Walking Tour
On the last full tour day, we departed at 9:30 AM for a tour of Southwark.
We saw a Tudor-era ship restoration, crossed the Millennium bridge, and briefly went into the lobby of the Tate Modern in the old Bankside Power station.
The group tried to figure out what the numbers on the LED sign in the Tate Modern were about. We landed on it being the US national debt.
New Globe Theater Tour
Our tour guide at the Globe was a delight!
I really enjoyed hearing about the history of the original Globe theater, especially the stories about the origin of the materials used in the original building, and why it was built on the far side of the river from the City. I was hanging on every word!
It was awesome to sit inside the Globe theater and see what it looks like from the inside. I could imagine myself going to a crowded, dirty, rainy show in Elizabethan-era England.
There were also some interesting historical items, props, and costumes in the gift shop.
Borough Market
Then the group headed over to Borough Market, and we were free to explore and get lunch.
There were so many stalls selling spices, oils, fruits and vegetables, candy, meats, cheeses and breads.
I picked up another souvenir, some different flavors of fudge from a fudge stand.
Our afternoon was free to do our own thing.
Natural History Museum
I spent the afternoon taking in the Natural History museum.
Hintze Hall and the Treasures room were the best things I saw.
The Treasures room has Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, the skeleton of a dodo bird, the skull of a Barbary lion, and twenty other interesting items.
Hintze Hall has an audio guide narrated by Sir David Attenborough that describes each of the ten or so specimens on the ground floor, and some of the displays on the first level. Hintze Hall has several large fossils, displays of different insects, birds, coral, seaweed, and rock formations.
I also checked out the precious gemstones and interesting rock specimens.
Return to the British Museum
I decided to skip the goodbye dinner, even though I’m sure the food and company would both have been excellent.
I went back to the British museum to spend some more time looking at the Chinese and Korean collections, and the displays on early Christianity in Africa. Sadly, some of the floors were closed to visitors.
Dinner at Carnaby Street
I left about 7 PM, and found my way over to Carnaby Street. Carnaby Street was bustling with young people. The streets were lined with shops, and bars.
I got dinner at Mother Mash, a fabulous place serving bangers and mash. I had the chicken sausages and potatoes with cheddar, butter, and spring onions, hold the gravy. I got it takeaway. It was a little fattier than my usual fare, but I enjoyed it! I would have liked to try some of the other combinations.
Total steps: 17,040
Staycation No More 