June 25-28 Touristy London

My first trip to London so the intention is to walk everywhere, using £8 london walks tours, and explore the city before the sporty (Sox, Wimbledon) portion of the london adventure begins. 

Tuesday arrived after a reasonable Norwegian Air flight to Gatwick and took train into Battersea area, walking over to my airbnb in chelsea.  After an unintended powernap, walked through brompton cemetary to the tube for Embankment station (near Trafalgar square).    Took the "somewhere else" tour along Thames and through the southbank area with Steve.  Saw old vic and national theatres, a cool 8th floor semi-public balcony overlooking the city, learned that cabbies are allowed to relieve themselves on the wheels of their cabs, and dickensian era 2 up 2 down houses.  Afterwards, hit the imperial war museum (free!), and walked back by parliament and 10 downing.  Tube back to chelsea for guiness, fish and chips at local pub.  Stayed awake till 9pm....14 miles walking - too scared to bike in narrow bike lanes on wrong side of the road.

Wednesday. The brits are funny - always apologizing, adding S's to words like math, and dropping them from sports. But they have been around a long time, and have much to show for it. Two tours today - one of Jewish London and the other of the British museum. Then saw "come from away" - the Canadian story of Gander, Newfoundland after September 11. Very poignant for me as it talks about how loss somehow made all these people better.
Jews have been here on and off since the 11th century, the time of william the conqueror, and then were expelled in 1290 as they were owed money by the king. They resettled London in the1600s, establishing the bevis marks shul (oldest in UK, home of moses montefiore) in 1701. And it is unchanged (ark, bimah, benches, most candelabras) inside, except for electric lights, and plumbing I'd imagine. These jews moved out of city in the mid 19th century, and then jewish immigrants settled in poorer east end around same time as lower east side of nyc. They lived in poverty and terrible pollution (ie London fog) where half of kids under 5 died and lifespan was 27. There were 150 shuls in the area, but only 3 are left. Ended tour with salt beef reuben - alas from hipster old spatfields market as all the old delis are gone.

The British museum is 250 years old and is filled with relics, like the Rosetta stone, huge asyyrian panels, pharaonic statues, greek friezes (half the parthenon contents are here) and roman temples "borrowed" from ancient civilizations around the world in the 1800s. Think they may want them back?
Also saw the Gherkin building, the tower of London, and the mostly defunct petticoat lane (now middlesex st). 11 miles.

Thursday. At my airbnb host recommendation, started out the day taking the double decker bus into the city, seeing many parks in chelsea - but its slow in traffic so hopped off and onto the very reliable tube. So nice to have a working, extensive subway system! Walked by St Paul's (skipped seeing the inside for £20) and did a walk of the squate mile instead-. Learned about roman times, the great fire of 1666 (and the rebuilding, with the same street pattern), st dunstan's "church" (ruined in 1941, now a garden), Lloyd's and its "Brazil'-esque building, leadenhall market dating to roman times, the site of London's first coffeehouse in 1652, the royal exchange/bank of England site, and the guildhall (oldest building in city, and site of roman amphitheater), Picked up cheap last minute ticket for starry messenger, with Matthew Broderick, then did quick walkthrough of national portrait gallery, before taking nap in st james park. When you have a lot to do, always take the nap first! Walked around Buckingham palace (can't go in) and found the maple leaf pub, which had decent smoked meat poutine, for dinner before the show. 12 miles. Still aftaid to bike. Todays funny thing about UK - Pub names are either 2 random nouns, or some noun/adjective combo: walrus & carpenter, George & Vulture, silk & grain, ship & shovel, old shade, silver cross, red fox.

Friday. As someone who usually spends about 45 minutes in a museum, London's all free model works well for me. Went to the Victoria & Albert museum and was impressed by the "cast chamber' and courtyard, then the (crowded!) Natural history museum - and was done in under 90 minutes with both. Including a coffee. Then rented a santander bike and explored hyde park. In the afternoon did a music tour - in an area of about a block around Denmark st/former saville theatre. 50 years of rock was created - bowie, clapton, led zeppelin, stones, beatles, the who, sex pistols, etc...got another park nap and ended day with pub tour in knightsbridge area, which was mostly a tour of expensive key-parks and mews in the area. 17 miles.