Day 6

Tower Bridge.

So we woke up Saturday, 7/24, and checked out of our hotel (the Crown Plaza, paid for by Jared's work, so can't complain), left our bags with the concierge, and went on an unsuccessful quest for a traditional English breakfast. After coming to the conclusion that nothing is open on a Saturday morning in the Temple area (it is pretty much an exclusively commercial area), we decided we'd walk to the Tower Bridge and Tower of London. I had been to the Tower of London several years ago, but thought Jared might like it and that it might be worth visiting again. Well, after seeing the line of tourists waiting to get in, we decided that seeing it from the outside was going to be enough for us this time..

Outside the Tower of London.

Tower Bridge again.

So, by then we were starving and it was lunchtime, so we crossed the Tower Bridge and headed to Butler's Wharf. Butler's Whalf is a lovely area in the shadows of the Bridge on the South Bank. I had good memories of eating there with my Aunt and Uncle one of the times I visited them in London, so we decided to grab some lunch from the area.

Jared at Butler's Wharf.

We didn't want to go for a big sit-down lunch, so found a little cafe and grabbed some yummy chicken salad sandwiches for take away. We walked down the River a bit and found a little park with a great view of the Tower Bridge.

We found a nice sunny spot and enjoyed our sandwiches with this lovely view.

After we finished eating, we headed back toward the hotel, walking by St. Paul's Cathedral, and the London Fire Monument on the way. We collected our bags from the hotel, and headed to the Tube to go to Richmond. When we arrived we walked the 3 minutes to our hotel, The Richmond Inn, and checked-in. I was so excited to start showing Jared around the town, so we dropped our bags and headed out to explore. I gave him a walking tour, walking by my Aunt and Uncle's old house, The Gap I used to work at, and then took him to the Richmond Green. The Green is a big park in the middle of town where cricket is played on weekends and locals drink pints of beer while picnicking and watching the matches. We ordered pints of cider at "The Cricketer" Pub and walked over to the Green to relax in the sun. It was another beautiful day, so we soaked up the sun and relaxed while enjoying our pints. After we had our fill of cricket, we decided to walk down to the River, so I could show Jared the beautiful Richmond Riverfront. Tired from our day of walking, we decided to head back to the hotel and relax for a bit, before dinner.

A power-nap and change of shoes later (my feet were completely covered with blisters from my week of walking... I brought sandals that are completely comfortable for everyday life, but apparently are not all that comfortable when worn for 6 mile walks) and we were ready for dinner. I took Jared to another one of my favorite Richmond spots, "The White Horse" pub, which has a great outdoor garden area full of flowers and abutting a playground where my little cousin used to play while we drank (I was beginning to see a trend in my favorite pubs in Richmond, that they are all quite 'kid friendly' since I was always going with my Aunt and Uncle who had a two and a half year old at the time). We enjoyed a Pimm's Cup at The White Horse (the ultimate English summer drink), before heading back to the River for dinner. The Richmond Riverfront may be my favorite part of town, and there are lots of little pubs with great views, right on the water. We headed to the "Pitcher and Piano" and stalked a table on their mobbed patio. We had burgers for dinner while enjoying pints and a fantastic view. Jared had not been in love with London all week like I am, but upon arriving in Richmond said, "Now I know why you love it here so much. I could definitely live here." Wouldn't that be nice...