Mind the gap...

Griffin guarding entrance to The City

Today was a very chilled Sunday in central London. To make things interesting, several tube lines were either completely, or partially, closed for the day. So it took me 3 attempts to get to London Bridge first thing - fortunately I'm a quick learner, and it only took me one attempt to get back home!

Upside was that I stumbled across the Monument (at Monument!) and discovered that it commemorates the Great Fire of London... I always wondered where that station got its name from, and now I know :-)

A tavern here for 800 years!

Rick Steves guide book led me on a very pleasant early morning stroll along the South Bank, ending up at the Tate Modern. I love that place. The audacity of some of the works makes me chuckle:

"These detritus piles
  We come pay homage to
  In temples wrought of glass

  We who believe may be deceived
  As those who ply their wares
  All lost, indeed chastise"

Picasso - a favorite

Oh well, whatever rocks your boat! My limit is about 90 minutes of the stuff, so fortunately I had arranged to meet Dean and Sarah-Jane for lunch. We had a great time catching up again, dining on a terrace overlooking the Thames.

From South Bank I zoomed across to Covant Garden, where I loitered for some considerable time. Great music, interesting street performers, slightly off-key opera singers, and huge crowds - a great atmosphere indeed!