Rolling back the tape of this trip, I want to talk about my solo river walk across the Thames. On Sunday, May 28, I began my free day with some fluffy Japanese pancakes from a restaurant just a couple streets up from my accommodations. Then for the main activity of the day, I took the tube down to Westminster. It was really cool to see the iconic clock tower up close. Fun fact: Big Ben is the bell inside the clock tower not the clock itself. At this point, I crossed the Thames to the south side and just began walking. I passed the very crowded former county hall turned aquarium and Shrek’s adventure as well as the famous London Eye as I headed west along the South Bank. Past this area, the crowds thinned out. There were lots of family orientated activities along the river for the weekend. I found a multi-purpose building which caught my attention with a bookstore and luckily it held a bathroom (or toilets as they say here, across the pond) so I could comfortably continue my journey, that had no destination in mind. Right before I came across the National Theatre, I discovered tables of books for sale. I spent a little time perusing before I continued walking. I loved getting another look at the National Theatre; it is such a unique building, not necessarily conventionally beautiful but I love the design, nonetheless. Further on, I came upon the Tate Modern (which I wrote about a couple days ago), the millennium bridge, and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre where I had seen A Midsummer’s Nights Dream the day before.
I continued my wandering of the Thames until I came to Borough Market. Borough Market is a large market that unlike Spitalfields Market is dedicated solely to food and drink. Spitalfields is another market in London (there are many) which we visited earlier in the trip. It had a lot of the larger food stalls located centrally and lots of stalls selling nonedible products. At Spitalfields, I had a pork sandwich on a brioche bun from a stall claiming to have the best bagels in London and a deconstructed apple crumble topped with phenomenal hot custard.
Borough Market was absolutely packed with people. It is not clearly laid out so it was difficult to navigate the sea of people. Although I knew there were probably many delicious foods throughout the market, I had one goal: the viral chocolate pot strawberries. I circled the market three times vainly attempting to navigate the waves of people. At one point, I saw people push past me with the coveted chocolate gems but was too afraid they were native Londoners or non-English speakers to ask where they had found the treasure. After much searching, I finally found the fruit that had been shared across social media! I watched as the workers grabbed a cup of pre-sliced strawberries and twirled it in the continuous stream of chocolate. Then, I grabbed a wooden spoon and skewed the top strawberry. Let me tell you, aesthetics are not the only hype to this treat. The strawberries were gloriously juicy and complemented nicely by the chocolate. Although, the one negative I will say is that I would not be digging into that chocolate by itself, a little too milky on its own for my dark chocolate loving tastebuds.
On the 31st of May (also known as my dad’s birthday!), I went back to a much less crowded Borough Market with the rest of my theatre cohort. It was much easier to look around this time. There is a whole section seemingly dedicated to pastries and bread and dessert. I had hoped to try a sandwich shop located across an alley from the market’s set up; however, it is apparently closed on Wednesday! Overwhelmed with the many options for various cuisines and slow influx of people looking for lunch, I opted for a stand next to the alluring treats. Here, I purchased mac & cheese with fried chicken. The mac & cheese was definitely good but not leagues above the Annie’s I cook up at home. The fried chicken on the other hand was absolutely amazing. And together! I knew I had made the right choice for lunch. I had falsely believed that on my first trip to this market I had taken a lot of photographs… This is only technically true as I took many of my strawberries hoping to get the perfect shot composition.
I hope I get another chance to look around Borough Market especially to by some sweet treats. Although there is no way I am going back on a Sunday!
Circling back to Sunday, after securing my strawberries, I walked to the Shard which is a large glass building. On the way, I happened to stumble by King’s College which has a lovely courtyard. The Shard was a quick stop for me and while a less conventional tourist stop, one I had on my list for a couple years. “Why?” you may be asking. Because in The Bells of St. John, the Doctor (Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor to be exact) drives an antigravity motorbike up the side of the 310 M building (1017 ft). I even timed my visit to this location for the day after rewatching this series 7 episode.
I did not take the tube back to Russel Square quite yet. Instead, I headed farther west out to Canary Wharf so I could enjoy a nice rive bus back to Westminster. While I was in the underground, my nose choose this time to start spouting blood. Thankfully, a kind stranger offered me gauze as we waited on the train platform. Canary Wharf was a nice area but a bit difficult to navigate. Coming from the tube, I felt like I kept getting pointed to the National Railway station or back to the tube stop I came out of. I ended up making it to the pier at a perfect time to basically just walk onto a boat. I enjoyed a relaxing ride back to Westminster before heading back the way I came for my solo date around London’s South Bank area.
I am so glad I got the opportunity to take time and do some solo exploration of London! It was such a magical time that feels like the adventure I dreamed of at thirteen years old.
Theatre in London U of A 
Lovely account of your solo trip–inspiring me to suggest to Tim we take a similar one!
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