We had a leisurely breakfast and headed out into a very gloomy day for our London Bridge Walking Food Tour. We met our guide, Paul, at a bicycle shop in the Southwark borough of London along with a very nice family of three from the United States.  Paul led us to the beginning of the London Bridge and had us look at the Tower Bridge as he told us a little of the economics of London back in the 1600s.  London is made up of 32 boroughs and London, itself  just a very small section, just one square mile. He explained that the economy had been built on the fishing industry, so the first thing we tasted was a delicious smoked salmon bagel. We then walked to the borough market as Paul pointed out a few things along the way.  We entered  Borough Market and were given ten minutes to explore while he ordered the traditional fish and chips for all of us.  As he distributed these, he commented that he wouldn’t hold it against us if we used ketchup, but Brits used malt vinegar and salt. He found us a seating area while we ate, and he continued to educate us about London history. The fish and chips was  pretty good! ​

Next, he showed us George Inn,  a pub that used to be a courtyard between a house of ill-repute, and the stables of the coaching Inn.  This was where in Shakespeare’s beginning his acting troupe would perform for the people at the inn.  Nowadays, it is visited by people like Madonna and Beyonce.​

We went to a different section of Borough Market. Paul was introducing us to traditional sausage rolls from The Ginger Pig.  As Paul was handing them out, the sky opened up with rain so we had to stand shoulder to shoulder under the awning tasting the sausage rolls.  Some liked them, some did not.
​It was still raining, so Paul guided us to an area of the market where you could eat under a large covering.  He said the covering was quite new, having been installed during the pandemic so that everyone could still shop in the market.  We stopped at a corner of this area while he explained the importance of bees to the agriculture of England followed by a taste of honey mead wine. This went down very smoothly at 14% alcohol.  The rain began to subside as we continued our tour.

The next stop was in an old pub under a bridge, The Mug House.  It looked like a hole in the wall, the type of place you might not want to visit. We were seated at two tables where we were served a cheese plate and hard apple cider.  Apparently, apples are one of the main crops in England. This tasting ended with a sponge cake which was sweetened with dates and butterscotch sauce. This sticky toffee pudding was served with a side of clotted cream.  The food was delicious!  We were greeted by the sun as we left the pub.​

 The final stop of our tour was an area that used to be a wharf and had been filled in to become a courtyard.  He explained that the reason the waterfront building were call wharf is that it is an acronym for Ware House At River Front.  He left us with a goodbye treat of 6 filled donuts from a popular local pastry shop, Bread Ahead. ​

We then headed along the waterfront to the Tower Bridge.  As we neared the bridge, the wind picked up, and  the skies opened again with pelting rain.  The wind was so strong, Sandy felt like she could have been blown away.  Luckily, we were close enough to take refuge under the bridge with almost all of the other people on the waterfront.  ​

With the sun still shining, we visited the Tower of London. Once inside the group divided up.  I went with Linda C. and Sandy to see the Crown Jewels.  The jewels were spectacular!   I ran to the restroom at this point, so we ended up splitting up.   As I passed by a white building I saw two ravens on the railing. Linda C. learned that the legend of the ravens.  If the ravens should ever leave, the whole tower would collapse to dust.  There are supposed to be six ravens at any given time, but the raven keepers always keep two extra in case one of the original six dies. Linda C. also found out the the guards of the Tower of London live on the grounds with their families. The requirements to be a guard include being ex-military,  having served for 22 years with good conduct and live on a pension. ​

Here are a couple of things that happened.  Linda H. visited the White Tower and felt like she had been trapped because of the up, down, up, down of the stairs much like a maze.  Linda C. was hit in the head by the wing of a pigeon. I wandered so far that I had difficulty finding my way to our meeting point.  I flagged down a cab, and we headed back to the hotel.​

Dinner was back at the Artist Residence again. As we began to walk, it began to lightly rain. By the time we reached the restaurant, the rain had stopped and Sandy spotted a rainbow.

With dinner finished, we headed back to pack for transition day to the Lake District.

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