Tag: Tourist attractions

~ Amazing Albania – A Visit to Gjirokastra Castle ~

After a delicious breakfast served by Anna, the daughter-in-law of the owner, we packed our bags and left them with her so we could visit the castle. Breakfasts in Albania are normally cakes, breads and pastries, but none offer gluten free options, which is perhaps a good thing because I would be piling on the pounds. There is always a great variety of fruit and yoghurt though plus freshly made omelettes, so I didn’t starve.

Of course it was another uphill slog, but what castle worth its salt is not at the top of a hill. Gjirokaster Castle has a fascinating and also rather grim history, especially so in Hoxha’s reign. King Zog ruled Albania from 1928 until he was ousted by Mussolini in 1939. Zog was also known as a cruel dictator. Hoxha reigned from 1944 until he was toppled in 1992. It was a long and terrible time for Albanian people as we found out by visiting the castle.

There was a resistance movement during Hoxha’s reign but any opposition to the harsh rules were met with severe retribution, including internal exile, long-term imprisonment and execution. During his forty-year reign, the Albanian leader banned religion, forbade travel and outlawed private property. 

A resistance Fighter
WWII canons

The castle is also known as “The Seven Windows Prison” of which there are five below. The guards used to go into these cells each morning and bang iron frames on the windows to check they were secure. The noise rang out over the villages below as a reminder there was no escape.

We opted also to have a walk around the museum which was an added cost, but the price was minimal and it seemed empty. In here we learnt so much more about the history and the horrors that went on, quite sobering to read. It was interesting to note that not much is written about Hoxha and what photo they did have, his face was scratched out.

A US plane shot down during WWII
View from the top

It is said that the castle was originally built in the 4th century, it is the largest castle in Albania. I’m always drawn to castles because of their history and Anthony enjoys a walk around a museum reading every word printed, always adding to his extensive knowledge.

Our next destination is along the coast, part of the Albanian Riviera. There are no highways across Albania – East to West only North to South – so there is much backtracking or I have simply not planned the route well. As Anthony has no clue about where we are headed next, he won’t realise, I just tell him the planned itinerary for that day, very exciting for him!

🗼Paris in a Day – Hop on, Hop off 🗼

Day One

With only three days in Paris, there’s no better way to see all the sights than on a hop on/hop off bus. Nowadays with many people travelling and the need to book online for tickets and a time slot, I decided not to do any major attractions but to just enjoy being in Paris.

My friend Rita met me at my hotel, after a decadent breakfast. I have to say I chose well as it’s a delightful hotel. A small boutique hotel with a lovely seating area at the front and a dining room in the basement.

Dining Area
Breakfast
Breakfast
Tiny bar
Wrought iron staircase

We first walked over to Notre Dame and saw the work in progress after the fire in 2019. There was so much to see, and I was stopping all the time to take photos. Some of the streets we walked down looked like they belonged to an old style Paris of the 1950’s, with cute window boxes and old fashioned pastry stores. Tranquil parks and men reading newspapers.

  • Mechanical sculpture – The Centaur
  • Is this Alfred Hitchcock?
  • So French!
  • Odette, a famous patiserie
  • Notre Dame
  • Square Rene Viviani

The Dame herself! With a crane in the background as the work still has a way to go yet.

Tuileries Garden

Before we hopped on a bus we stopped and had lunch in Tuileries Garden. My friend is a huge walker and I wasn’t sure if I could keep up with her pace which was super fast.

From the bus

College des Quatre-Nations
Palais Bourbon
Eiffel Tower
Trocadero Square
Eiffel Tower
Hotel des Invalides
Petit Palais
Palais Garnier
Arc de Triomphe

We did alight a few times, once to walk a little way down the Champs-Elysees and again to take a few shots of the Louvre. It was great fun being on top of the bus at the front and going around the famous Arc de Triomphe roundabout.

Louvre

By now it was late afternoon, meaning it was almost happy hour! So we jumped on the bus again and headed to Galerie Lafayette. Sadly not much time for shopping but to treat ourselves to a champagne in one of the many bars and restaurants they have.

Rooftop Views over Paris

The incredible neo-Byzatine-infused polychrome glass cupola created by master glassworker Jacques Gruber. It really was a sight to behold and I could have stood for ages looking up. It’s a place where you could easily spend half a day or more. Lunching, shopping, drinking and spending big bucks!

It was back to the hotel after this for a short rest before dinner. We ate at a place called Le Machon d’Henri but not before stopping at a magnificent church on the way.

Saint Sulpice Organ
From Saint Sulpice
Saint Sulpice Church

The Saint Sulpice Church’s claim to fame is the organ inside and also where some of The Da Vinci Code was filmed. The organ is supposedly the largest in the world with its 6,600 pipes.

Le Machon d’Henry

I think we had covered enough for one day, and even though we did use the bus I still clocked up an incredible 14,000 steps.

I hope you’ll stay with me for the rest of my trip to Paris and if you’ve got this far thank you for reading.

~ Melbourne Moments – July 2023 ~

After getting over our initial disappointment with the accommodation and realising we had to stay or spend more to move, we got on with enjoying Melbourne. There were lunches and dinners, mixing it up sometimes about who went out with whom, but mostly having fun family moments.

One thing I enjoy about Melbourne is the fantastic murals and artwork and the fabulous sculptures on display.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder“

These two paintings were next to the beautiful eye mural, so I looked up “My Dog Sighs” and realised that is the name of the painter. Click the link to find out more about this wonderful painter, who gave away his work free for ten years, but is now a world-wide renowned painter.

I had to cross the road to get the full impact of this mural, absolutely stunning.

Found in Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, Victoria

Quirky paintings on meter boxes

St Kilda, Victoria

There were many of these steel sculptures along the Yarra River, they look brilliant when lit up at night.

Walking around Melbourne and its suburbs is like being in a gigantic art museum, but outside. I much prefer looking at art outside than in a museum.

Views of the Yarra River

Lunchtime tipples

Below are five carved-wooden figureheads representing a dragon, woman, bird and man and lion.

They are placed where the river created a natural widening for the boats in the 19th century to turn around after unloading their wares.

Constellation Sculptures by Geoffrey Bartlett and Bruce Armstrong
Enterprize Landing

We finished our five day trip with a drive to a winery in Werribee, called Shadowfax. There wasn’t a table available inside so we made do with outside and a heater. This was good news for the munchkins as they had the run of the garden and we could see them from our table. The food was delicious and the wine was flowing.

Shadowfax Winery
“if only!”

Thanks for coming along for the trip to Melbourne with us!

~ Samosir Island – Day Two – A drive around the North ~

As planned with the one toothed man on the ferry our driver arrived at 9.30 am to show us around the island.

We opted just for the driver and not a guide as this was much extra, plus I had google maps enabled and could see where we were going. This was going to be handy as our driver could speak no English. This was something we found interesting that many of the people spoke very good English and others none at all. Maybe taught at a basic level at school, but the people who spoke it well said they had learnt from tourists and watching tv shows!

I had an itinerary written out by our man on the ferry which I handed to our driver, I couldn’t read his writing and I don’t think the driver could either! So we missed the first place completely, him waving his arms saying later later at my objections.

Our first stop was Huta Siallagan, an ancient Batak village. Huta Siallagan village was built in the reign of the first Huta leader, King Laga Siallagan, A number of descendants of King Siallagan still reside here today in Ambarita Village, where tombs of their ancestors can still be found in the area. North Sumatra is home to the largest number of Batak people.

Traditional Batak Houses
Stone Meeting Place

Another stone meeting place, this one including a long table for executions.

A King’s Grave

As usual the exit was through the obligatory gift shop and then out onto the street with more gift stalls selling trinkets made of wood (which we can’t bring back to Australia) and handmade blankets.

Our next stop was Batu Passa and Liang Sipogu, well worth stopping for.

Mr Driver having yet another smoke
Traditional wooden rowing boats

As we were walking back to the car we came across a cave and a lady weaving baskets inside. Anthony was flexible enough to crab walk in, it was quite far back. I’m not sure how she managed to see as I had to use the torch on my phone to get this photo. There was a contribution box at the entrance which we put something into.

The beach was next and it was the furthest northern point on Samosir, Pantai Batuhoda. Very much like a holiday destination, with cafes and beach chairs and umbrellas along the sand. Anthony decided to go for a swim, it was quite rocky and I could see that reef shoes were needed. So I was happy to sit and watch.

I swear it’s Anthony
Enjoying a fresh coconut
Pull up a seat and enjoy the view
A nod to the Dutch explorers
I could find no information about these stones!
A stallion made of rubber tyres

From here we drove up to the hot springs and then even further up into the mountains. To get to the hot springs you have to cross the Aek Tano Ponggol Bridge which links Samosir to the mainland. We could smell the hot springs way before we got there, the windows in the car were down as there was no air con, so we were blasted with hot smelly air! It was our intention to have a dip but I remember swimming in hot springs before and couldn’t get the smell of rotten eggs off my skin for ages, so we gave that a miss!

Aek Tano Ponggol Bridge

The drive to the top was extremely steep and the road very narrow. So many bends and not a smooth road, countless spots just gravel. We eventually came to a stop as I didn’t think the car could go any further.

Mr Driver (I never did get his name) wanted to continue down this track, but I had other ideas. I didn’t fancy reenacting scenes from The Italian Job. Anthony wanted to walk to the far peak, but sadly I had to put a stop to that too, there’s only so many hours in a day.

The Long and Winding Road

The surrounding scenery from all sides was breathtaking and the lake looked crystal clear. It was so silent up here with just the wind blowing my hair in all directions. We were reluctant to leave but time was ticking on.

Time for lunch and we had seen a couple of nice ones on the way up, overlooking the lake. It seems Mr D had other ideas and drove straight past even though I was asking him to stop and turn round! His ideas for lunch did not coincide with mine, after he drove through a dusty township at the bottom and kept pointing to dark and dismal places, which I vetoed. We eventually found somewhere on the beach, but I wasn’t happy at all. I still tipped him though!

We arrived back at our hotel around 4pm, in time to check out the hotel’s pool. Dinner that night was at Lynn’s place, called Tarian X-Iren Kitchen. It was a delicious home cooked meal. After we had finished eating she sat with us a while and told us a bit more about her life and she was also interested in ours. She offered me a ride to the hotel on the back of her bike, which I accepted! I haven’t been on a bike for over 30 years, little did I know I would be doing this again soon!

🥃 Delights of Dublin – Day Three – The Spirit of Dublin 🥃

“The Light Music of Whiskey Falling into a Glass – An Agreeable Interlude” – James Joyce

I always like to go on a Hop on Hop off bus whenever I’m in a new city, it’s a good way of seeing everything and hopping off whenever something takes your interest. So today that’s what we decided to do, I had a few places in mind I wanted to visit. Dublin Castle, Phoenix Park and the Guiness Store. We walked over to Dublin Castle but didn’t go inside and then onto the City Hall.

Dublin Castle
There’s always one!

City Hall

Dublin City Hall was built between 1769 and 1779 and was originally used as a financial centre by the merchants of Dublin. Twelve columns support the dome of the Rotunda and the mosaic floor depicts the Coat of Arms of Dublin. A truly breathtaking building.

After this we hopped on our bus and our first stop was Teeling’s Distillery, not somewhere we had planned on going but our driver said there was a lovely coffee shop there, so we decided on a quick stop.

While we were drinking our coffee a very dapper old gentleman came up to us and wished us a “top of the morning, ladies”. He said he hoped we would be going upstairs for a proper coffee, and then introduced himself as John Teeling, the man himself. When we said we were not whiskey drinkers (blasphemy, indeed) he insisted that we follow him immediately. With that we were whisked through the entrance, no ticket required and he proceeded to give us a private tour, we actually interrupted a fully paid up tour and our man introduced us all to everyone.

While he was giving us a very in depth talk of how the place started and the way whiskey is made, I took photos of the beautiful artwork adorning the walls.

“Whiskey is Liquid Sunshine” – George Bernard Shaw

Entering the distilling plant itself we were met with a very earthy aroma! We peeked inside the fermenting mixer and watched the grains being mashed.

Next up was the distillery room itself, where the whiskey is distilled in the vast copper pots. Mr. Teeling proudly showed us the three huge copper pots with brass name plates and lo and behold there was one name after me! Well not me personally but his granddaughter.

Moving on to the bar itself, I think Mr. Teeling’s favourite place, judging by his enthusiasm to get us up there and insisting that we have an Irish Coffee. As we sat at the bar watching the barman make us very extravagant coffees, I was hoping fervently that our man wouldn’t stand around and make us drink every drop.

The Perfect Pour

I managed a quarter, which was good going as I’ve never drank whiskey in my life.

We all agreed that this was a highlight of our trip, we’ve obviously still got that certain je ne sais quoi!

Phoenix Park was next up our our tour, but when we arrived the bus driver turned at the start of the park and drove back! Deciding it was far too long to make the trek to the entrance we had a quick walk and waited for the next bus.

Getting off at the Epic Centre we had a quick coffee stop and then proceeded to walk along the river, over the Sean O’Casey Bridge and back to our hotel.

Sean Heuston Bridge from the bus

Sculptures depicting the Great Famine – 1845 to 1852, a period of starvation and disease due to the potato blight. A truly terrible time to be alive.

Samuel Beckett Bridge

I hope you’ve enjoyed these three days in Dublin with me, I have many more photos but will post these another day! I think enough is enough at this stage. I’ll finish with one last quote:

“What Whiskey will not cure, there is no cure for” – Irish Proverb

Australian Country Towns – Capel, Western Australia

I’ve noticed on the last few occasions travelling through these small country towns that the Councils have been doing their best to spruce them up and bring them back to life. The efforts have been so worthwhile making these small towns worth a stop or even a night’s stay.

We recently stopped at Capel for a coffee break on our way back from Dunsborough and we had a lovely walk up and down the high street, reading signs, looking at murals and enjoying a coffee in a quirky cafe.

The Capel area was originally inhabited by the Wardandi Noongar people. It was then established as a town in 1897. Historically Capel was a farming area, mostly dairy and beef. Nowadays it is very popular for hobby farms, including alpacas.

There was a real sense of community in this small town with lots going on and there was not a leaf out of place.

Capel Library

Once upon a time in a town called Capel,
I looked through the branches and guest what I saw,
Hidden deep in the Tuart Forest there was a Eucalyptus
Under the bridge by the river there lived a …pultenaea skinneri (Skinner’s Pea)

A place to sit and while away a few moments and taking a rest from toiling in the fields

We didn’t dare venture inside, imagining a butcher with a meat cleaver dripping in blood and a rifle under his arm.

Artist – Erin Rafferty

Stepping back in time!

Mosaic Mural with phrases from the local primary school children

St. John’s Chapel, Higgins Bell Tower and Church Door

Mother Horse and Foal sculptures outside the vets

I imagine this event would be well attended and everyone knowing each other. It would be like one big party, such fun.

Well that’s all folks and I hope you’ve enjoyed this walk along Capel High Street with me. There was so much more to see but not enough time. I will definitely be stopping here again.

I’m linking this post to PPAC hosted by Marsha and Jo’s Monday Walk.

Rainy Afternoon Tour of Mangrove Swamps, Langkawi, Malaysia

One of the activities I wanted to do was a Mangrove Swamp tour, and on our last day at Tanjung Rhu we thought we would give it a go. At the end of the beach there was a small market with tour guide stalls so we walked over and bought tickets. The sky was becoming darker by the minute and I was thinking that this might not be a good idea, but too late our driver was there to make the quick drive to the start of the swamp.

The Mangrove Swamps are set in the Kilim Geoforest Park, which is now a UNESCO geopark.

A typical boat for the tour

We were met at the jetty by our man Maddy and there was just the two of us plus him on the boat. Good job as the tiny roof was just big enough for two and he was rather on the large size! We had brought umbrellas but when we opened them up we realised they were child’s umbrellas! Five minutes down the river my shorts were soaked, at least it wasn’t cold rain. All of a sudden the boat started put put puttering and I was like “oh ooh” and our man said no problem and lifted the lid of the engine up and started pumping away at the fuel line. I really did not fancy sitting on the banks waiting for help.

It was quite difficult to take photos as we were going fairly fast by now and the rain didn’t help either. Our man Maddy liked to sit on one side so the boat was fairly unbalanced! But I managed to take quite a few.

We headed along the river, through narrow tree lined channels, under tunnels and outside the other side again. The limestone cliffs towering above us covered in dripping ferns were a sight to behold. There were monkeys clambering over rocks along the muddy riverbanks who came down from rocks and trees to greet us, hoping for a crust or two.

The Mangrove Swamps in Langkawi mangroves provide an important sanctuary for a wide array of life. They are habitats for many wildlife species, including fish, crustaceans, eagles, monkeys and otters. The mangroves serve as a buffer zone, a transition from the sea to the land, and act as a coastal barrier. If another tsunami were ever to strike these mangroves would serve to protect the coastal villages.

Leg like tree roots
“Do you have a snack for me?”
Mother and Baby

We had to take it slow through this tunnel and it was nice to get out of the rain for a bit!

Looking back through the rain

We met these very jolly fisherman in their colourful long boat as we passed through a very narrow channel between huge limestone rocks. At one point I thought we might scrape their boat!

Our first stop was a floating fish farm where we could disembark and feed the fish. We said no to the fish feeding and just had a wander around. Quite tricky getting on and off the boat with man Maddy balancing at the front helping us off!

The luxury yachts above were in quite a dilapidated state and have been left unattended for two years during the Malaysian lockdown. Most have been abandoned now. We saw many of these dotted up and down the river.

Sting Rays

Back onto the boat again and our next stop was Kelam Cave, a limestone cave housing bats. I didn’t realise that bats also play a very important part in the world, they are also pollinators like bees. They are becoming endangered in South East Asia due to fruit farmers shooting them down as they think they are damaging the fruit trees. Bats are highly sought after for their medicinal properties.

There was a very small charge to enter the caves and they provided you with a torch. I must say we found it fascinating but very creepy. We had to crouch in many places to get under the stalactites and extremely low ceilings!

The next stop was to feed the eagles, I think my favourite part of the whole trip. It was only after reading about the birds here that feeding is not encouraged, but all the tours still do this. I could not get one good photo but took many videos.

They really did put on a fabulous show. It was wonderful to hear the eagles crying above and watching them swooping and diving for the food.

Local fisherman out at sea

In the background of this photo you can see Thailand. Our Man Maddy said we could go back via the open sea or along the waterways of the river. There was no way I would take the chance of the open sea in the sputtering boat we were in! So the waterways it was.

Gorilla Mountain

This limestone hill really does look like a gorilla.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of the Mangrove Swamps as much as we did. If you ever visit Langkawi be sure to look out for this tour.

Kilim Geoforest Park
Gua Kelawar Cave

I’ve also posted this as part of Friendly Friday – Green

A Family Trip to Melbourne – Part Four – Melbourne Zoo

Our last day had arrived and I had arranged a hire car or people carrier to be exact so we could all travel together. Of course it had to be the zoo and on Mother’s Day at that. I could tell Anthony wasn’t too excited about it, on the other hand it was all Lachie could talk about.

“We’re all going to the zoo”

I had pre-booked tickets online and when we arrived around 11.30, there was only a few people ahead of us. I didn’t realise the zoo was so large and when I looked at the map I knew we were in for a long day.

Melbourne Zoo is the oldest zoo in Australia, opened in October 1862. It houses more than 320 animal species from Australia and around the world.

The Epic Map

Following the map above it took around four hours to see most of the animals that were not hiding.

  • Ring tailed lemur
  • Bamboo forests

The butterfly house was amazing, with so many different species. If you stood still long enough one would be sure to land on you.

Trail of the Elephants

On the Main Trail

Lions and Tigers

Sleeping Tiger!

We watched in awe as this lion slowly approached the window and licked his lips hungrily while looking us straight in the eye!

A tale about the Peccary

As we approached the peccaries the keeper was just finishing off his talk and asked if anyone had any questions. My dear husband asked if they were peccaries and then proceeded to inform the keeper that they were highly prized for their leather hides, being the softest in the world. Indeed he owns a pair of gloves. I should have taken a photo of the keeper’s face as he explained to my husband that we were in a conservation environment and they were not for breeding! Anthony said well I thought you would be interested, said keeper firmly replied “no, I’m definitely not!”. Never one for being able to judge a situation correctly, that is my dear hubby.

Artwork and Murals

It was a wonderful mother’s day and everyone enjoyed it, even Anthony! There is so much to see and do and even after four hours we didn’t get to see everything. There are various food outlets spread around the zoo and many picnic areas. I loved the way it didn’t feel like you were in a zoo and all the animals had room to move about. The zoo is committed to fighting wildlife extinction and is becoming one of the world’s leading zoo based conservation organisations.

🐒 🐯 🦁 🦍 🐒 🐯 🦁 🦍 🐒 🐯 🦁 🦍 🐒 🐯 🦁 🦍 🐒 🐯 🦁 🦍

~ Passing through Plymouth, UK ~

After checking out of our cute B and B in Hope Cove,Devon and saying goodbye to our dear friends and also Storm Eunice we headed off to Plymouth. Not before walking straight into Storm Franklin though! Below is a little video selfie on the seashore trying to get to the car.



The drive is just under an hour to Plymouth and we had planned to spend the morning there before driving onto Bath for the night. I can’t say I ever remember going to Plymouth so didn’t have any expectations. We were both pleasantly surprised by this wonderful little town so full of history and quaint cobblestoned lanes brimming with pubs and shops.

There is a dramatic looking Royal Citadel in Plymouth where we would loved to have had a wander, but we didn’t have the time to take in all the glorious detail of this gothic piece of architecture. Built in the late 1660’s to defend the coastline against marauding ships and pirates.

Above are photos of the streets and alleyways that we walked through.

Old and quirky buildings

This mural fascinated me as I could see it would have been quite stunning when first painted. It is located where the The House that Jack Built is and it is over the entrance to a wonderful selection of shops and cafes. I did some research on this mural and apparently there was one underneath this one that caused quite an outcry, showing 88 naked bodies. The mural today depicts “The Last Judgment” and “Dante’s Inferno” by an artist called Robert Lenkiewicz who has since passed away.

  • G and T anyone?
  • The Book Cupboard
  • Artistic Street names

I really enjoyed walking up and down these streets that didn’t seem to have changed for hundreds of years. The brickwork of the houses were so unusual.

As it was another dreary day we headed back to the car and drove out to look at the lighthouse and Drake’s Island.

Smeaton’s Tower lighthouse, originally built on the Eddystone reef in 1759, but was taken down in early 1880’s due to erosion. Most of the structure was moved stone by stone to where it stands today. It stands 72 feet high and is open to the public on weekends.

Looking over the wall down below stands the Tinside Lido. An art-deco style structure built in 1935. Apparently voted in the top ten of Europe’s outdoor pools. Only open during the summer months and is fully accessible to people of all needs. I have to say I was surprised about this little nugget of information as to me it looks quite derelict and in need of major renovation!

Tinside Lido
Drake’s Island
Firestone Bay

Drake’s Island currently uninhabited and has been since 1989. It was to open again in 2020 as a luxury holiday resort but due to Covid this has been put on hold. There is a wealth of knowledge about this island available at Drake’s Island. I would love to visit one day and soak up hundreds of years of history.

Plymouth is definitely a place I would come back to and maybe spend a night or two, have a walk around the Citadel and enjoy dinner in one of the many restaurants we passed by.

Off to Bath next!

~ Across the Bridges of London ~

Our trip today into London was going to take us “across the water” to Borough Markets. It was a beautiful bright sunny day, perfect weather for pounding the pavements of London. From the station we walked down Fenchurch Street and across Philpot Lane onto King William Street and over London Bridge. Our first destination was Borough Markets.

Bloom Paradise by Jun T. Lai

These two very colourful sculptures are sitting just outside Fenchurch Street Station.
These ornamental works of art are part of Sculptures in the City and were commissioned to bring colour and life to the City. A wonderful contrast to the glass and steel monotone high rises that now line the streets of London.

The Walkie Talkie – Fenchurch Building

I’ve always wanted to go the top of this building to visit The Sky Garden. It’s a fairly difficult process though as I discovered. Although it’s free you have to book a time slot online and you also have to show a vaccination certificate. Although we’ve both been double jabbed and boostered, I couldn’t commit to a timeframe and I was also worried I would have no battery left on my phone to show our certificates. Something for another day then!

Tower Bridge

This building is where I had my first office job at 16. I thought I was the bee’s knees on £25 per week.

The glittering Shard in all its glory

It took us around half an hour to walk to Borough Markets. There were lots of different food stalls offering all kinds of cuisine. Seating was mainly outside only though and food was served in disposable boxes with wooden cutlery, plus it was very chilly. In the end we found a wonderful Spanish restaurant and had tapas.

Delicious delectables

I wanted to explore around for a while before my dear husband wanted to cross back over the water to head for the shops! He will be now be know as Mr. Shopper.

The top photo is a replica of the Golden Hinde, the galleon captained by Francis Drake in his circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580.  Not open on a Monday so just a look for us.

All that is left of Winchester Cathedral
Gruesome skeleton hanging outside Clink Prison
Colourful William!

A mural painted by an Australian painter, Jimmy C in 2016 to commemorate 400 years of Shakespeare.

We decided to cross the river at the Millennium Bridge as this was a pedestrian bridge.

In the background you can see Cannon Street Railway Bridge, London Bridge and in the far distance Tower Bridge.

Southwark Bridge opened in 1921. A beautiful arch bridge crossing over to Walbrook Wharf.

Millennium Bridge

A very elegant Millennium Bridge in the distance held up by giant steel supports, opened in June 2000. Behind this bridge is Blackfriars Bridge.

Shakespeare’s Globe Pub
Globe Theatre

Above are Cardinal Cap Alley and The Deanery. The Dean of Southwark Cathedral’s private residence and dates back to 1712.  Cardinal Cap Alley is an alley in Bankside. It used to lead to a brothel called The Cardinal’s Cap named because it had been owned by Henry Cardinal Beaufort, the Bishop of Winchester, who had paraded here wearing his red hat, after being appointed a cardinal by the Pope. Source: Wikipedia

Walking over Millennium Bridge towards St. Paul’s Cathedral and with The Shard behind us

I was intrigued by this “river furniture” as they are described and did some research. They are the old red pillars that supported the original Blackfriars Bridge in 1864. I think they are rather beautiful and add a touch of colour to the grey river.

From here we walked towards the Strand and up to Southampton Street where the Shopper had some shopping to do. A few streets more and we were in Covent Garden. Deciding enough was enough I suggested a pit stop for a quick pick me up. We had a coffee and a beer in a very grand place called Caffe Concerto. Adorned with crystal chandeliers and small elegant tables we sat and rested before moving on.

“Taxi”
Apple Market, Covent Garden
Murals and artwork around Covent Garden

Chinatown was not too far away so we walked over towards that area and thought “Chinese for Dinner”.

Deciding on a restaurant that looked good we walked to the door only to be told that the restaurant was next door. Anthony asked the security guard why he was standing there in an empty doorway and he said there was a cocktail bar on the top floor, five flights up called Opium! Well not one to turn away a cocktail before dinner we found ourselves heading up the dark and gloomy staircase. At the very top we opened a very ordinary looking door to a small dark lounge and three men waiting to take us to a table. We ended up sitting at the bar chatting with the bar staff and the owner!

A dry martini for 007 and a “Trip to Malaysia” for me

Thanks for coming on this journey with us and hope you are not as exhausted as I was at the end of the day. I think we walked approximately 20,000 steps in all.