Cruising down memory lane

On our final day in London, Garry and I took advantage of the unseasonally sunny weather. We checked out of our Airbnb apartment, put our bags into storage, and made our way to the Thames via Embankment Station. We then walked along the riverfront, past the bas relief Battle of Britain memorial, as far as Westminster.

On a whim, we decided to book a cruise down the Thames. We honestly can't recall ever doing this while living in the UK. The boat took us from Westminster to the Tower of London, passing the London Eye, the Royal Festival Hall, the Tate Modern, and The Shard, among other sights. It was the perfect end to an incredible week of remarkably good weather. I still can't believe we sat on the boat's open-air top deck in late January soaking up the sights under blue skies. 

After disembarking, we took a walk past the Tower of London, the old Roman Wall, and up Minories Road to check out Garry's old office building. I've often wondered why the section of wall from Roman times remains standing near Tower Station. A plaque near the wall finally solved the mystery.  Until the 1950s this section of the wall had been incorporated into the structure of a building that stood here for centuries. 

We finished our trip down memory lane with a walk across Tower Bridge, then made our way along the Thames as far as London Bridge Station. Along the way, we spotted several quirky animal sculptures from the Sculpture duo, Gillie And Marc. This included a gang of African wild animals on a bicycle made for ten, plus an appearance by two familiar characters, Rabbitwoman and Dogman, riding a moped with an exhilarated Zebra. 

These sculptures are part of a temporary exhibit of 11 sculptures scattered around central London. Each is designed to draw attention to the plight of animals whose habitats are dwindling in the face of human encroachment. It runs from November 2023 until September 2024. Earlier in the week we'd spotted Rabbitwoman and Dogman commuting to work in a motorbike and sidecar outside Spitalfields Market.

Once we reached London Bridge Station, it was time to head back to Paddington and transfer to Heathrow for our flight to Nuremberg. We had just enough time for a quick meal in the First Class Lounge before it was time to board. Our flight departed early and arrived ahead of schedule. As a result, we checked into our hotel in Nuremberg shortly before 11:00pm.