November - Rememberance

 It has been three weeks since I last posted on my blog so I have some catching-up to do!  I have decided to do two posts, as there are so many photos, starting with our day trip to London at the beginning of November.

The reason for our visit was to see the poppies at The Tower of London.  888,246 ceramic poppies had been planted in the moat to remember those fallen during WWI. 

 We were lucky enough to arrive mid morning and walked straight to the edge of the moat, but the crowds soon grew.

The mass of poppies was quite spectacular!

 We spent some time just taking it all in.

Nearby is All Hallows by the Tower - the oldest church in the City of London.

Towards the back of the church is the oldest surviving Saxon arch in the City of London, dating from 675AD.

In the crypt is a small museum of fascinating artifacts,

including this tessellated floor from a Roman domestic house, late 2nd century.

The upper part of this Anglo-Saxon wheel head cross dates from 900AD and was discovered under the church after it was hit by a WW2 bomb.

This is the crow's nest from Shackleton's ship Quest, used on his last Antarctic expedition in 1921/2.

The columbrian chapel.

This altar is thought to have originated from the Chapel of Richard Coeur de Lion in the Templar Church of Athlit.

St Francis Chapel

Oratory of St Clare

with the Lamp of the Magnificat, the symbol of the Toc H Women's Association.

It never ceases to amaze me how much history is right under our noses when in London.  We have passed by this church many times and this was the first time we had gone inside.

Next we walked along the Thames path.  As you can see it was a very grey day, which I think was very atmospheric (pun not intended)!

 We crossed over London Bridge

 and walked along the South Bank of the Thames.  Some of you might recognise The Mudlark pub as it has been used as a film location, most recently for Bridget Jones's Diary: The Edge of Reason, Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Harry Potter & the Prison of Azkaban.

 We then looked inside Southwark Cathedral.

 There was a wedding ceremony taking place at the high altar.

 Continuing our walk we passed the ruins of Winchester Palace.

The Clink, which is now a museum.

Southwark Bridge.

 Passing under Southwark Bridge, there are large slate panels depicting the historical Frost Fairs.

 The reconstructed Globe Theatre.

 Millennium Bridge.

 Vauxhall Bridge.

 I then dragged my long-suffering Husband to I Knit London,

 then we headed back over the Thames in search of Beadworks, which took us through Covent Garden.

 We were surprised to see the Christmas decorations were up already

 and there was even a Christmas tree!  We plan a return trip here as it was getting late that day.

 The rain finally arrived early evening as we headed back over the Thames.

 Even in the rain, walking beside the Thames is one of my favourite things to do when in London.

 Our destination was the Tate Modern.

Reborn Sounds of Childhood Dreams 1, Ibrahim El-Salahi

 Metamorphosis of Narcissus, Salvador Dalí

 Even though I was hobbling by this time (I have had plantar fasciitis in both feet since April!), I wanted to walk back to the Tower of London, before we caught the Tube back to our car.

I love the London skyline at night.

 We crossed the Millennium Bridge

 and continued our walk along the North Bank, past the Shard

 for one last view of the poppies.