London Walk #2: The City (East)

Last night after dinner, a group of us completed the walk in the City, which goes by many historic sites, like the Tower of London. It wasn't the best idea to go so late in the evening. It was freezing cold because of the wind. Also, I was the group leader this time, and that didn't go so well. This had to be the trickiest walk to follow. The map in the book was very confusing and I felt pretty stupid leading the group in the wrong direction a couple times. Thank goodness for their patience and all the help I received. We worked together to find the right path. It was also harder, because the Tower Hill tube stop was closed, so we had to start in the middle of the path, which meant that the written direction were not applicable for most of the walk. BUT, we made it through and had a great time anyway. The walking group today was Kristen, Taylor, Andrea, Nick, Molly, Amy, Kaylie, and Laura.

London never ceases to amaze me. Every day, I just look around me and above me and marvel at the incredible architecture. I get chills when I think about how very old everything is. In 1080, construction of the Tower of London was well under way. That is almost 1,000 years ago! Even more incredible is London Wall, across the river from the Tower of London. The Romans built it as a defense sometime in between 190 and 225. It blows my mind.

We also walked along monument street where there is a 202 ft tall stone designed by Christopher Wren between 1671 and 1677. This commemoration to the Great Fire of London is the tallest isolated stone column in the world!

The Great fire began at the baker's house on Pudding Street, which we also walked by.

Me and the Roman Emperor Trajan (A.D. 98 -117) with London Wall behind us.

This is St. Michaels Church, I think...We passed a lot of beautiful churches.