The dicey September London weather held out for a group of us that went bicycling throughout East London. Our nine miles began in the Banksy Tunnel, a tunnel "authorized" for graffiti so those who have a mad desire to paint on street walls can do so here without being arrested. Periodically, the walls are whitewashed so that a brand new canvas is available for budding artists. (Banksy is a well-known British graffiti artist.)
Now, I don't suppose you were thinking that a group of us just went out on our own bicycling through East London! No way for me - I'd be scared to death I'd get run over by a double-decker bus. This is Chris, our very patient and knowledgeable guide from Breakaway Bicycles, who expertly guided us through off-the-beaten track streets and alleyways of what was once a darker, seedier part of London.
The Monument was designed in the 1600s by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London in 1666. In the mid-1800s, a cage was built around the top because there were several suicides that took place - in fact, even more suicides than there were official deaths from the fire, which was only five.
This is the ultra modern Lloyds of London, otherwise called "the inside out" building. They insure, amongst other things, Mariah Carey's legs and Tom Jones' chest hairs! What could possibly happen to the latter?!
I love the juxtaposition of the "Gherkin," the modern building in the background against the old church in the foreground.
Pedaling on, we reached Leadenhall Market, which has been a marketplace since the 14th century. For Harry Potter fans, some of the filming was done here - this is where Harry bought his magic wand.
The butcher used to display his products on these meat hooks. It makes me think of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol.
Spitalfield's Market is an old Victorian Market and now is a great market for just about anything - from antiques to art to high fashion. But no shopping for us today as we continued our journey to
Brick Lane, where supposedly the best curry houses in London are. Over the last few hundred years, Brick Lane has been called home by many immigrants and is now home to a large Bangladeshi community.
Legend has it that Mary Kelly, Jack the Ripper's final victim, walked out of The Ten Bells in the early hours of morning in 1888. The next morning, her mutilated body was discovered across the road. They say the pub is haunted...... But, not a pint for us this morning as we had more places to discover like
the Whitechapel Bell Foundry - the oldest manufacturer in England. It dates back to 1570 and has been in business since then. It's famous for the iconic Big Ben in London and for the Liberty Bell in America. In 1976, some Americans protested and in jest, requested that the Liberty Bell be returned to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry because it had a crack in it. The Foundry said they would accept the return but only if it was in it's original packaging!
These canals used to link the massive docks of the River Thames to big cities north of London. Now, there are quiet, peaceful paths along the canals for walkers and cyclists like us.
St. Katherine's Docks is now a leisure area boasting a marina, housing and this pub, The Dicken's Inn.
Just a short rest before crossing the Tower Bridge to the south side of the River Thames.
Along the river, we passed Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and, after returning our bicycles, ended up at
The Anchor & Hope pub for a well-deserved lunch!
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