I woke up this morning with two strange men in my room! And I didn’t even catch their names 😉
Hostel living is so interesting. They’d checked in after me and given my early morning return home we’d not spoken or even laid eyes on each other in daylight. One is still fast asleep and has not even moving. The other is awake and in the final stages of packing. I must say it’s nice to not have to set an alarm. I’m in no hurry or on any timeline so I enjoy a bit of a lie in before heading for some breakfast. It’s busy there this morning with little seating available but I’m only one person so I find a spot and enjoy breakfast while starting to blog.

I’m pleased that the hostel is able to keep my bag while I spend my last day in the city. I sit outside a coffee shop in the sunshine on Strand amongst the busy peak hour time. I see puppies and people on their way to work, as well as runners and tourists stopping and asking locals for directions.
Dad is soon to arrive into town for our day together. So I finish up what I’m writing and head down to Charing Cross station to meet dad. There’s a great chain of Japanese stores called “itsu” which is where I stop for a snack while I am waiting for dad to arrive.
When he arrives we head to Leister Square to see if we can see a matinee at the theatre. We’re so disappointed to hear there’s no matinees on Friday’s so we decide to find somewhere to have a coffee to regroup and replan our day!
We head to Soho and enjoy a coffee and decide that we will take on the tube, have lunch with my cousin at the ‘Hannah’ restaurant, and head out to see Tower Bridge and St Paul’s Cathedral.
While we were having coffee I saw on Facebook back home that a work friend of mine is finishing up work and out at farewell drinks. I call immediately cause it’s not something I knew about. It was great to speak to a couple of my work family before finishing up my coffee.
Before we head out for the day I take dad to Primark as I recognize the surroundings. My sense of direction has certainly improved and after finding dad a new jacket in there we head for the tube.

---

It was a cool and very easy experience using the tube. It’s relatively easy to work out. And their ticketing system allows you to just use your own credit card or debit card as long as it has a chip, paywave. Although they also have the Oyster Card which is the equivalent to our Opal Cards in NSW. But just using your own card is all you need and makes it so simple indeed.
We decide to make our way to lunch as we’d organized to meet Jai at 1pm so we jumped on a couple of trains and found ourselves exactly where we needed to be.

Hannah Japanese restaurant was calling us and before long Jai shows up and we make our way in. The restaurant is small and we are seated at the bench together. The menu has some amazing sounding meals. Some I recognized and some not.

It takes a little while to have our orders taken but once we do the chef actually comes to note what we’re wanting to eat. Dad orders tempura prawns, but the chef needs to clarify which ones cause apparently there are 3 kinds. After some discussion dad asks for the one ‘without rice’.

The food is exquisitely presented. Which isn’t surprising. Dads is placed in front of him and he stops the chef and sai “oh I wanted the one without the rice”. The chef smiles and politely explains that they are pebbles, purely for display. Jai and I crack up, perhaps a sign that my dad needs to wear his glasses so much more than he does.

Dad is in fine form today as he realizes a bowl next to his empty plate and said “what is this for?” Jai kindly explains it’s the dipping sauce for the prawns. This time dad bursts out laughing, cause he’d wondered why his meal was so bland. Seems he’d not even noticed the bowl sitting there all along.
We’ve told the staff earlier why we’ve eaten here (for my name’s sake and that dad and I were sharing an early birthday for me). So when its nearly time to go,
The chef sends over to us some complimentary desserts. A lovely touch and a great way to end our time there.

We leave the restaurant and all head across the Westminster Bridge. Jai works for government there and the best station to get up to London Tower and Tower Bridge. It’s so simple to find our way with staff giving directions making sure all the tourists know where to go.
It’s so interesting to see along the skyline the combination of traditional and modern architecture as we pass London Tower with the Shard in the background.

Tower Bridge (often mistakenly called London Bridge) is an iconic sight.

We walk across the other side of the Thames and stop for a quick comfort stop but also a lovely bar called Botanical Bar and there’s an Elderflower Sparkling wine that tickles my fancy. When it arrives it’s so refreshing. The weather is incredible today so it’s lovely to be outside and being next to the Thames with Tower Bridge as the backdrop.

Dads done some research about our next stop, St Paul’s Cathedral. Apparently if you go while ‘Eversong’ is on there’s no entry fee. Eversong is a church service and we arrive just before it’s about to start. The architecture is absolutely amazing but because it’s time for the service there’s to be no photos taken…..whoopsy…..too late.

We find a seat and start to see a procession of choir/altar boys and men (and one woman) walk out in their gowns and traditional collars. It was then that something unexpected happened. I was overcome with sickness. It wasn’t what I ate, but for some reason seeing this tradition and sights of the gowns and the young boys reminded me of the current (and ongoing) investigation into institutional sexual abuse. I suddenly wanted to vomit, I couldn’t concentrate on the beautiful sounds of them singing.
Dad must have realized something was up as my body language and face screamed “I am NOT impressed “. I tell him I’ve got to get out of there, so the next time the priest gets the congregation to stand we use that as an opportunity to move out.
I was utterly gobsmacked by my response to that. It came out of nowhere, but I’ve often had strong views and values of people in situations where people are taken advantage of or who are disempowered. I’m grateful to have never been in that situation myself but have so much empathy for those that have.

We make our way back to the tube and decide to have some dinner in town. I’m amazed this day has already passed so quickly.
We stop in Chinatown for some dumplings before picking up my bag from the hostel and heading toward the station. Our beautiful friend Paul is planning to pick us up from the station at the other end. It’s such a fast train but was stopped and quizzed by the ticket checker as to why I’ve got a ticket return for Winchester and not Andover. Apparently he was very indignant that I’d gotten the wrong ticket, despite simply being given this advice at the ticket office. The ticket prices are all the same so I’m not sure why a short lecture is being given to me.
He eventually conceded defeat and moved on and we were soon at Andover. Paul is already waiting there for us to arrive and flashes his lights at us so we can find him.
We drive back through the windy roads back home and Paul quickly pops a bottle of wine to share while we sit and chat about my time away.

Ian had been picked up earlier to be taken to his ‘royal’ commitments of being interviewed for BBC so we won’t be seeing him again until Saturday night. So I enjoy some wine and the company of Henry and George as well. It’s not long before I need to call it a night. Tomorrow is the Royal Wedding. Paul has a special spread for us. Can’t wait.