First stop was the Borough Markets, Monmouth Cafe, where we met up with Man from Mars’ mate from Exchange—Miss Neurologist. She’s from Amsterdam and was in Man from Mars’ group when were we studying in Canada. Her boyfriend is finding a job here in London and they’re making the long distance relationship thing happen with the help of fortnightly train trips and skype. It makes Man from Mars’ and my efforts seem like child’s play.
After a speedy coffee and a creepy man who always seemed to be looking straight down the barrel of my camera whenever we took a photo (see below), we indulged in some literature and history, visiting the Shakespeare Globe and getting the chance to sit in the stands of the outdoor theatre. It’s a replica of the original and an incredible structure. We got to see the rehearsals for a play that’s going to be performed in a couple of weeks, costumes that honour the materials and intricate requirements of the 17th Century, and inspected original manuscripts and costume lists that were drafted in Shakespeare’s time.
[Catching up with Miss Neurosurgeon. Creepy Man Pic #1:]
[Catching up with Miss Neurosurgeon- Creepy Man Pic #2:]
[The outdoor stage:]
[Shakespeare- who signed the pages of his will differently each time- as Shackspeare, Shakespeare and Shakspere:]
Afterwards, we had a quick lunch at EAT which specialises in fresh, easy food (a chain, but a really good one at that) before heading to the Brunel Tunnel. It was engineered by Marcus Brunel and was the first underground tunnel to be built under a navigable body of water (the Thames). We popped into a cute little museum, run by a 70 something year old man, with kind eyes and a passion to all things Thames tunnel related- “It’s the eighth wonder of the world!” he declared, kind eyes all sparkling, and the 2 pound entry fee eagerly being accepted. We were encouraged to watch a 50 minute long video in the downstairs room that had been arranged with 6 fold out chairs and an old school television and even though it was a purely informative video (the kind you could get from the ABC store), we obliged because frankly, he was lovely and his passion was infectious. What was there not to love about this tiny, homely museum lovingly constructed in the suburb of Rotherhithe?
[The tiny video room on the Marcus Brunel:]
[The Brunel Museum in the middle of suburbia:]
[Man from Mars and I and the London Eye:]
[Man from Mars being the Best Tourist Ever:]
[Big Ben:]
[Big Ben and Me:]
[At dinner:]
Tomorrow, the Eurostar and Paris!
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