Borough Market

Weee! A date with Jane and we get to have fun with her mum too. Before heading to our main purpose, to have tea, we passed the gorgeous Southwark Cathedral and took an introductory walk through Burough Market, London’s oldest food market. It was established on the south bank of the Thames when the Romans built the first London Bridge. It has occupied its present site for 250 years. This is a great place with the finest foods from all different lands - most of which I had no idea what it was. Jane and her mum, Mari (a as in father, e and in long e) clued me in. : ) I tasted some of the best cheese I'd ever put in my mouth and M almost drewled over the Turkish Delight! We must return. Outside the market was an adorable flower shop that reminded me of my dear friend, Michelle, who once owned and ran her own flower shop in Southern California. XO

Brahmah Tea & Coffee Museum

Brilliant! Brahmah Tea & Coffee Museum is the world's first museum devoted entirely to the history of tea and coffee. It houses the most fascinating pieces and satisfies all your senses. I hope to one day find a book about it, but the one Brahmah wrote is sadly no longer in print.

Here is a "Mustache Tea Cup" created to help the wax in mustaches stop melting in the hot tea. I'd have loved to see that!

This is a stand created to "self poor" tea.

I would love to own this violet and green tea set seen under the "self poor" set. It had several pieces still intact and it was as light as a feather. I love it's sea theme, and of course its colors!

Here's a fascinating bit about "Chinese Brick Tea" as quoted off the sign describing it:

"Brick tea has been made for a thousand years and was made principally for consumption by nomadic tribes roaming in Mongolia, Chinese Turkestan, Tibet, and Inner Mongolia. It was made in brick form for transportation far beyond the Great Wall.

Loose leaves, although light in weight, are too bulky for pack animals and they suffer from deterioration due to contrasting climate conditions over journeys lasting several months. The durability and convenience of brick tea meant that it was used as a medium of exchange in basic barter trade.

Brick tea can be either green or black. The leaf is steamed to make it pliable, then it is put into moulds to be compressed into the bricks, which usually takes about three weeks.

The Szechwan province was the biggest producer for Tibet, and Hankow supplied the Mongolian Russian Market."

K took the last pic of us enjoying tea at Brahmah Tea & Coffee Museum. It was so wonderful to sit and listen to Jane and Marie's stories. C and I are wearing tie-dye is because Jane told me it was a bit "hippy". Hippy is something we can do! : )

Southwark with Jane and Her Mum

After our wonderful, memorable time at Brahmah Tea and Coffee Museum, we took a walk. The first thing we saw through the window of an art studio was this gal painting ~ fun!










Next, Jane took us for a walk where we saw so many wonders, including London Bridge, the HMS Belfast, Fiona Banner Full Stop Slipstream Sculpture, and a photo opp view of Tower Bridge.














We walked across Tower Bridge (up three sets of stairs with two strollers/prams/buggies/push chairs to get to street level, walked across TB, then down three sets of stairs with two strollers/prams/buggies/push chairs to get back to street level) with amazement and wonder. It was great hearing from Jane and Marie (her mum) about the sites and their take on them. We didn't read their comments in any of the books we've read!













Before seeing a Beefeater, we stopped and marveled at the modern, unsightly Gerkin past the historical entry to the Tower of London. The two just don't seem to blend too well ~ "One of these things, is not like the other. One of these things, isn't the same. Can you guess which thing, is not like the other - before I finish this song?"



Everything was so gorgeous and the sun was out to make our adventure even better. The cobble stone streets, the crashing of the Thames on the steps, birds flying above, stories from the past, and our company made such a wonderful day.

Before heading back to the train station, we stopped in City Hall and looked at the photo exhibit of Polish Jews from the past. It was quite eye-opening and strangely beautiful to see how many from all over the world donated pictures of their ancestors.

Glen & Julie's last full day

Here we are walking to the "hop on, hop off" tour bus.
We got off when we were near Dave's office at Framestore.
Dave took his parents on a tour whilst the kids and I hung out in the lobby enjoying fizzy water, fruit, and writting notes.



















We left Framestore and walked to my new favorite place to eat in Soho, Hummus Brothers! When in Soho, you must eat here!
We loved every bite of our hard boiled eggs, tabouleh, hummus, toppings of grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and onions, and of course freshly made pita bread. I'm making myself hungry! We brought some back for K and M who needed to stay home and get well.

Of course, we celebrated Q's birthday again. : ) When the guys at Hummus Bros found out it was his birthday, they brought us complimentary fresh mint tea with a hint of ginger and desserts; malabi, chocolate brownie, and one with candles for Q!

Our next adventure was to go with Glen and Julie and help them find their Oxy reunion. It was so fun being with them on their first Tube experience. I thought Julie might pass out! Being on the Tube is the easy part; finding the right one can be rather stressful. Dave was concerned that we all wouldn't fit on the Tube, but we did! Look at his exhausted face compared to Glen's thrilled face.

It was so packed on the Tube that people had to get off to let others out, then they had to hope they could get back on again!
I was face to face with a gal who "Thank God!" did not have BO. Gee, I wonder if I did.
I have a feeling those who don't make it into Heaven will end up taking the Tube to Hell. Anywho, we finally got off and made our way up the escalator to street level. We were all happy to breathe again.Not only is it tight courters, but it's humid and hot, not my favorite combination.

Somehow, we found our destination, the Grenadier Pub.
It was hidden, tucked away in a neighborhood, and not easy to find in the dark of night. We came down the dark alley you see to the right of the red door. Glen and Julie made their connections, then we all walked back to the dreaded Underground to make our way to the places we call home.




We stopped to take a last picture with Ben, give hugs, say our sad good-byes, and continue on our train journey to Nunhead.

Dave woke up extra early to meet up with his parents before they left for the airport. We're missing them already.

London Eye

London Eye

Our amazing half hour aboard the London Eye where we saw so much of London:

Nunhead to Westminster

Before leaving for Westminster, we had a small birthday celebration for Q! I'd bought some indoor sparklers from Whittard of Chelsea that I thought would be fun, but Q wasn't too sure.


He was much more relaxed when it finally blew out!

Upon Glen and Julie's arrival last Thursday, they emptied a suitcase loaded with gifts for everyone! Anyone who knows them knows exactly what I'm talking about. It was like Christmas in January!
They were left with an empty suitcase, so they told us we could fill it with things we no longer needed and they'd take it back with them. Forty-four pounds later, Dave lugged it from our house to their hotel. : )

Popping out of the Underground, we could see the London Eye and Glen and Julie's Marriott Hotel.




Once we met up with Glen and Julie, we had a third birthday candle celebration and song for Q. (The fourth birthday celebration - one for each year - came when we took him to our traditional birthday spot, Nando's!) More sweets for my sweet boy. XO

M wasn't feeling well at all. We took his temp and he had a fever of 104. Obviously, he was staying in the room and I wasn't leaving his side. Off everyone went while M and I watched whatever we could find on the TV. We don't have a TV here in London, so it was a treat to watch British TV.

Canterbury to Westminster to Nunhead

Relaxed and looking forward to sitting on the train for our trip to Glen and Julie's hotel, we ate a warm breakfast before heading out. Today was Q's actual birthday! When the gals at the Castle House B&B found out, they brought him a candle, sang to him, and gave him gifts! He shared his sweets with us over the next few days and played with his car whilst we packed.
If I ever get to travel back to Canterbury, you will find me at the Canterbury House B&B. : )

As we walked through the main entry to Canterbury Village, I turned around and took this picture.

Dragging with us seven suitcases, two prams, and eight bodies, we made it to the train station that would take us straight away to the Waterloo train station. Otherwise, if we'd taken the train across the street from the B&B, we already knew by experience the several transfers and hikes (upstairs, downstairs, over the tracks, etc. ) we'd need to take. It was well worth the extra mile!






This is Waterloo Train Station.



Inside is a "Roll of Honor" listing the "names of the company's employees who gave their lives in the Great War" of 1914-1918. This partial list is only from employees Kennett through Ridgeway.

Here's on example of the many stairs we climb to get into and out of the underground system. If I climbed this every day, I'd be thinning like Dave. He gets a work out every day, whether he wants it or not!


The view of Big Ben is what Glen and Julie saw from their window! How cool is that? Of course, they also got to hear it 24/7 too.



K stayed with me and my migraine in Glen and Julie's comfy room, whilst everyone else took an amazing bus tour of London.


Here we are leaving for home in the dark of night. Big Ben shines brightly behind us as the street light shines on my family's sweet faces. We are standing on Westminster Bridge, crossing to get to the underground. The left pic is of Big Ben with a double decker bus in front of it - just in case you doubted if we were really in London or not. : )


This is our stop, Queen's Road station. Now, we get to take a cool walk home to our warm beds - hopefully to get enough rest to show Glen and Julie more of London tomorrow!