Hello from London!

  

Yesterday was our last day on tour and we explored the South Bank area, across the Thames from the government buildings.  We stopped at the reconstructed Globe Theatre which is built as close as possible to what it would have been in Shakespeare's time.  They had to follow modern building codes but it is cool still.  Circular with the center open to the air   They sell tickets to the "groundlings" as they would have 400  years ago.  I can just imagine the "experience" of watching a play standing in a cold rainstorm.  No thanks!  

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We wandered a bit more on the South Bank, poking in and out of streets with a  brief stop at the Tate Modern atrium.   Our last group stop of the tour was at the awesome Borough Market!  This is an enormous food market located directly under the Tube tracks so you can see the girders shake and hear the rumblings overhead.  Many booths sold exotic smelling prepared foods from all parts of the world.  One section had booths for any kind of ingredient you would want (and many I had never heard of!  Who knew there were so many types of mushrooms, cheeses, vegetables, and eggs??).  The displays were spectacularly beautiful with colors and textures.  It was really a multisensory experience.  There were so many tempting food choices I had a hard time deciding what to have for lunch.  I watched my Pad Thai being made and savored it while enjoying the uniqueness of the market. 

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Last night was the farewell dinner for the tour.  These are always sad for me because it means the end of a great experience.  Jeanie was really a jewel for the week, it was such a pleasure listening her soft British voice in my ear.  She was so upbeat and I will always think of her chuckles and good tips when I think of London.  I actually wrote a poem that I read to the group at dinner, recapping the trip.  Just a bit of sentimentality and fun. 

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Tomorrow we will have breakfast provided but each of us will scatter to either our daily lives or further travel.  I have a couple more days here yet to find my own adventures.  

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Martha