Over the next two days, Shane and I took a three-part walk that took us from the South Bank to Kensington Palace. Robert Wright calls this "London's Greatest Walk," and it is a good one with plenty of classic sights to see along the way. It's also a long walk, and as the weather was pretty grim during our first day of it, we were icy cold along the Thames.
We began on the south end of the London Bridge, and visited Southwark Cathedral, where we found a memorial to Shakespeare. We didn't spend a lot of time here, so this is yet another cathedral I'd like to revisit, perhaps for a musical performance. Just beyond the Cathedral, near the Thames, is a replication of Sir Francis Drake's The Golden Hind. I was surprised at how small the vessel was--it certainly didn't look large enough to circumnavigate the world with much comfort or reassurance. Here's a picture of me being very chilly in front of it:
The walk took us past The Globe Theatre, alongside the Tate modern, and past the various buildings that are part of the South Bank Arts Centre (The Royal National Theatre, the National Film Theatre, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and the Royal Festival Hall). Many people think these are amongst the ugliest examples of London architecture. I don't have a strong opinion one way or another, but I liked the way that graffiti artists and skateboarders had taken over the lower level of Queen Elizabeth Hall. I couldn't help but wonder what she thinks of this. Is she amused?
We went past the London Eye (which is always impressive to look up at from underneath its massive supports) and County Hall. At that point, we crossed the river over the Westminster Bridge. We concluded this portion of the walk at dusk, and I took some fairly good pictures of Big Ben all lit up, just after sunset:
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