We are going to tell the story of our second trip to London. We are back after 16 years with much more experience and much better organisation.
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12th February
The flight is scheduled to depart at 12.10 from Malaga. We arrive in good time at the airport’s long-stay car park, park and take the courtesy bus to the terminal.
We go through security and sit down for a coffee. At that moment I realise that we have left our lunch sandwiches in the car. We get off to a good start.
The flight leaves on time. It’s the first time we’ve flown British Airways and the first impression is good. Punctuality, comfortable seats and legroom. Plus, you get a complimentary biscuit.
At around 13.45 British time we land at Gatwick Airport. England greets us with cloudy skies (of course) and a light drizzle. And very cold.
We made our way to the airport train station and took the Thameslink to London Bridge station. The ticket cost us £13.80 (16.67€).
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There we took the Jubilee tube line to our hotel station: Canning Town.
The hotel we chose is the Ibis Canning Town. It is a bit far away but about 20 minutes by underground or DLR train from the centre. It is one of the best value for money hotels we saw and we looked at about 60 hotels in the city. Rooms small but not cramped, with an outside window. The price123€ per night.
The hotel is newly built and very modern. The reception is in the cafeteria and we mistook the receptionists for two young hotel guests who were sitting with their laptops. Very informal.
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We left our things at the hotel and with no time to lose we set off before nightfall. But we had a problem. We still hadn’t eaten and it was getting late.
And the sandwiches in the boot of the car, with their serrano ham and tomato…
Next to the hotel door there was a place of a famous fast food chain, but it was only for take-away. So we ate at the door standing up. At least it wasn’t expensive: £11.68 (14€) for the two of us.
We took the DLR train and headed for the centre. We get off at the Tower Gateway stop and walk to Aldgate Pump.
Aldgate Pump is an old drinking fountain located at the junction of Aldgate High Street with Fenchurch Street and Leadenhall Street in the City of London.
There was a well here as early as the 13th century, and it also appears on 16th and 17th century maps of the city.
It was supplied by one of London’s many underground streams. Its water was praised for being bright, sparkling and fresh, and pleasant tasting. It was later discovered that these qualities came from decaying organic matter from the surrounding cemeteries and the leaching of calcium from the bones of the dead.
In 1876 the New River Company changed the supply to tap water. It is no longer in use today.
From here we approach the nearby St Andrew Undershaft Church. This was the site of a former 12th century church. The present building dates from 1532.
The church survived the Great Fire of 1666. In 1992 its large stained glass windows were destroyed in the IRA bombing of the Baltic Exchange.
Directly opposite is a building that caught our attention. It was because it was both curious and ugly. It is Lloyd’s of London. It is a British insurance market and serves as a meeting place for financial and insurance companies.
We continue our walk and, by chance, we come across Leadenhall Market. It is a covered market located in Gracechurch Street.
Built in the 14th century, it is one of the oldest markets in London. Originally a meat, game and poultry market, it stands on what was once the centre of Roman London.
The Lamb Tavern, dating from 1780, is a traditional meeting place for insurance workers. Many of them work at Lloyd’s of London.
That night, the tavern was packed to the rafters with tinkers having a good pint.
The ornate roof structure, painted in green, maroon and cream, and the cobbled floors of the current structure, designed in 1881 by Sir Horace Jones, make Leadenhall Market a tourist attraction.
We continue on our way towards the Tower of London. Soon we arrive at All Hallows by the Tower. It is an early medieval Anglican church on Byward Street. It was formerly dedicated to All Saints (All Hallows) and the Virgin Mary.
It is said to be the oldest church in the City of London, founded in 675. Recent research has challenged these claims, however.
The church survived the Great Fire of London in 1666. But it was badly damaged during the bombing of World War II. After reconstruction, it was reopened in 1957.
Its proximity to the Tower of London meant that it acquired royal connections. Edward IV converted one of its chapels into a royal chapel. Decapitated victims of executions from the Tower were sent to be temporarily buried here.
The church has a museum in its crypt, which contains parts of a Roman pavement discovered beneath the church in 1926. Exhibits focus on the history of the church and the City of London.
Right next door is the famous Tower of London. Although officially Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Tower Fortress of London. It is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames.
It was founded in late 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest. The White Tower is the namesake of the entire castle. It was built by William the Conqueror in 1078 and was initially a resentful symbol of oppression inflicted on London by the new Norman ruling class.
It was also used as a prison from 1100 (Ranulf Flambard) until 1952. Although that was not its primary purpose.
The Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat.
There were several phases of expansion, principally under Kings Richard I, Henry III and Edward I in the 12th and 13th centuries. The general layout established in the late 13th century remains despite later activity on the site.
As we visited it during our first trip in 2009, we were not going to visit it this time.
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We made a detour around the Tower site and headed across the beautiful Tower Bridge. It is a combination of a bascule, suspension and, until 1960, cantilever bridge. It was built between 1886 and 1894 by John Wolfe Barry with the help of Henry Marc Brunel. The design was by Horace Jones.
It is one of five London bridges owned and maintained by the City Bridge Foundation, a charitable trust founded in 1282.
From the bridge we have good views of both banks of the river. You can also go inside and see how the bridge’s lifting system worked from its construction until 1976. First by means of a steam engine and later by an electronic system.
On the upper walkways we can also find photos of the most emblematic bridges in the world.
We finish crossing the bridge and head for one of London’s ‘secret’ places, the Horsleydown steps. They are stairs, a bit dangerous for clumsy people like me, that go down to the ‘beach’ of London.
It is the bank of the River Thames from where we have a different perspective of Tower Bridge.
We walk back up the stairs and take a stroll along the banks of the Thames. We quietly enjoy the views and the modern London architecture. Now, it’s getting cold enough to change your wig.
Nearby is The Old London City Hall, the former London Town Hall. It was the headquarters of the Greater London Authority between July 2002 and December 2021. The reason was the high cost of renting the building.
We also find here the HMS Belfast. She is a Town class light cruiser built for the Royal Navy. It is now permanently moored as a museum ship in the River Thames. It is managed by the Imperial War Museum.
A little further along is Hay’s Galleria, a mixed-use building housing offices, restaurants, shops and housing.
Originally a warehouse and associated wharf (Hay’s Wharf) for the Port of London, it was redeveloped in the 1980s.
We cross the gallery and make our way to Southwark Cathedral. Although its formal name is the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie.
It is the mother church of the Diocese of Southwark. It has been a place of Christian worship for over 1,000 years. The church was not elevated to cathedral status until the creation of the Diocese of Southwark in 1905.
Between 1106 and 1538, it was the church of an Augustinian priory, Southwark Priory, dedicated in honour of the Virgin Mary. After the dissolution of the monasteries, it became a parish church.
The church belonged to the Diocese of Winchester until 1877, when the parish of St Saviour’s, along with other parishes in south London, was transferred to the Diocese of Rochester.
The present building retains the basic form of the Gothic structure built between 1220 and 1420. The nave, however, is a late 19th century reconstruction.
When we visited it, the bells began to ring. They could have gone on for about half an hour. The truth is that it was slightly overwhelming.
Just behind the cathedral is Borough Market, one of the largest and oldest food markets in London. There was a market here as early as the 11th century.
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The current buildings were built in the 1850s, and today the market mainly sells food specialities to the general public.
The bad news is that at the time we visited, except for the odd pub, the rest of the premises were closed.
We continued our walk to The Golden Hinde, a galleon captained by the corsair Francis Drake on his round-the-world voyage between 1577 and 1580. Originally named Pelican, it was renamed by Drake in 1578. It was in honour of his patron, Sir Christopher Hatton, whose coat of arms was a golden hind.
What we see on display today is a reproduction. It can be visited by means of an entertaining dramatised visit.
As we continued on our way we came across something we hadn’t expected. A place that I have not seen in guidebooks and I found it curious. It is the ruins of Winchester Palace.
This was a 12th century episcopal palace that served as the London residence of the bishops of Winchester.
Remains of the demolished palace survive on the site today, listed as a Grade II Historic Monument and in the care of English Heritage.
We continue our stroll along the banks of the Thames at leisure until we reach Shakespeare’s Globe. This was a theatre built in 1599 and associated with William Shakespeare. It was built by Shakespeare’s company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
It was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. In June 1614 a second Globe Theatre was built on the same site, which remained open until the closure of London’s theatres in 1642.
The current building is a reproduction that opened in 1997. It is about 230 metres from the site of the original theatre.
Next to it is the Tate Modern art gallery. It is housed in the former Bankside Power Station built between 1947 and 1963 by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott.
The power station closed in 1981 and was opened as a museum in 2000. Its current appearance is due to a renovation by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron.
To finish the day, as we were already quite tired, we crossed the Millennium Bridge, a pedestrian suspension bridge that crosses the Thames towards St. Paul’s Cathedral. We will talk about the cathedral a little later as we have tickets for the next day.
What we did note, however, is that very close by is a fountain that we found really beautiful. It is The St Lawrence and Mary Magdalene Drinking Fountain. It is a fountain located on the eastern side of Carter Lane Gardens. It was designed by the architect John Robinson and sculpted by Joseph Durham.
It was installed next to the church of St Lawrence the Jew in 1866. In the 1970s it was dismantled and stored in a vault in the City of London for fifteen years. The pieces were later moved to a barn on a farm in Epping.
The fountain was reassembled in its present location in 2010.
As it was getting a bit late, we decided to look for somewhere to buy something for dinner. We went to an Asian food chain called Itsu, which is located all over London. They have sushi, pokes and some takeaway food on trays, but you can also order hot dishes.
As it was 20 minutes before closing time, they told us that we could only take ready-made food from the fridge. In addition, because it was the last minute, everything was 50% off.
The whole dinner cost us 11.95£ (14.40€). We grabbed the food, some chopsticks and went back to the hotel for dinner.
A bit of relaxation after dinner, and then sleep, as the next day was going to be quite intense.
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13th February
As we had gone to bed early and were very tired, we got up quite early. We had a cup of one of those dirty soluble coffees they leave in the room as a courtesy and we set off on our way. We have a ticket for St Paul’s Cathedral at 10am.
We take the DLR train to Bank station. On leaving the station we stop at a small supermarket to buy some breakfast and continue on our way.
We arrived at the cathedral, but as it was very early in the morning, we went for a walk around the cathedral.
To the north of the cathedral is Temple Bar London, the gateway to the City of London. It was commissioned by King Charles II from the architect Sir Christopher Wren. It was built between 1669 and 1672.
It was originally located at the west end of Fleet Street and was relocated to its present site in 2004.
On the other side of the gate is Paternoster Square. This is a historic old square, renamed from Newgate Market around 1872.
The area was formerly called Paternoster Row and was the centre of London’s publishing trade. It was devastated by air raids during World War II. It is now home to the London Stock Exchange, which moved there from Threadneedle Street in 2004.
At the centre of the square is Paternoster Square Column, designed by William Whitfield’s firm Whitfield Partners. It also serves as a ventilation shaft for a service road running under the square.
Now it’s 10am and we’re off to the front door of the cathedral.
St. Paul’s Cathedral, formerly the Cathedral Church of St. Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral, seat of the Bishopric of London. Its dedication in honour of the Apostle Paul dates back to the original church, founded in 604.
This former cathedral, in the Gothic style, was destroyed during the Great Fire of London in 1666. The present cathedral, completed in 1710, was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren.
The cathedral is one of London’s most famous and recognisable landmarks. Its dome, surrounded by the spires of the Wren churches, was the tallest building in the city between 1710 and 1963. It is the second largest church in the UK after Liverpool.
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Services held at St Paul’s include the funerals of Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. Also the peace services for the end of the First and Second World Wars or the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer.
The entrance fee was £26 (31.36€) and includes an audio guide. The visit lasts about 2 hours and we can visit the nave, go up to the dome and down to the crypt.
The central nave is enormous. It has many remarkable elements such as the beautiful mosaics in the lower part of the dome and the black and white frescoes in the upper part.
After touring the nave, we plucked up our courage (and desire) and climbed the 257 steps to the Whispering Gallery in the dome.
In this gallery, 30 metres high, there are spectacular acoustics. If you speak to the wall, the person on the other side hears you perfectly. The sound is so good that when I did the test, I looked to the side thinking that Sara was right next to me.
It’s similar to what happens in New York Central Station but it’s even clearer. If you want to know everything about New York, don’t forget to visit our link with complete information and travel diary.
By the way, it is strictly forbidden to take photos and videos.
Without thinking too much about it, we decided to climb the 119 steps that separated us from here to the terrace of the dome. From here we have spectacular 360º views of the city. The truth is that it is well worth the effort.
The views are wonderful, but it was very cold up there. So after turning around we decided to go down and not climb the 150 steps that separated us from the last terrace. This part was very narrow and with very high steps.
Once on the ship again, we went down a little further to the crypt. Some illustrious figures from British history are buried here. For example: Admiral Lord Nelson, Duke Lord Wellington or the discoverer of penicillin, Sir Alexander Fleming.
We took the opportunity to rest a bit in the cafeteria that was in the crypt, having a coffee. It is curious to have a hot coffee surrounded by tombs… The price of the coffee also left us dead: £4.20 (5€).
After a well-deserved rest, we left the cathedral and headed for the nearby Reflection Garden. This is a small garden whose main attraction is a central pond in which St Paul’s Cathedral is perfectly reflected.
As this visit did not keep us too long, we quickly set off for the next point. Another of the visits we had scheduled with tickets.
The venue in question is the London Mithraeum and we had tickets for 13.30. Also known as the Temple of Mithra is a Roman mithraeum which was discovered in Walbrook during the construction of a building in 1954.
It was originally thought to be an early church, but it was not. It was built in the mid-3rd century and dedicated to Mithras, a solar deity, guardian of contracts, order and friendship.
During excavations white marble images of Minerva, Mercury, Mithras and Serapis from the 3rd century were found.
The visit begins with a small light and sound show that lasts a few minutes. Afterwards, you are free to visit the place and take your own photos.
By the way, the visit is free, but you have to get a ticket.
As it was getting close to lunchtime, we started to consider various possibilities. In the end we decided on an Egyptian fast food place called Koshari Street. It was very, very tasty and not very expensive. Two courses, a starter and a drink, £26.65 (32€).
This was the small plate and the truth is that I ended up completely full.
We’ll leave it here for the moment. We don’t want the entry to be too long.