I was a bit worried after having had to rush home early the night before, with a sick stomach - but I was much improved yesterday, and no such emergencies arose. Curiously, although Funzing said I didn't need to print anything out, London for a Tenner or Less said I did - so I did, for safety. It was a late enough start that I could take buses all the way, so I availed of that cool Hopper fare again - all hail our wonderful mayor, again! The route with less walking involved the 344 to Elephant & Castle and the 100 from there - it was to stop just past our meeting point, at Exit 2 of St. Paul's Station (beside Caffe Nero).
A delightfully easy journey - I was glad I'd left enough time though, it usually takes a bit longer than estimated. And it was nice and dark well before I got there. Sure enough, I alighted just past where I needed to be, and as I walked back, saw a crowd of people standing near the Tube entrance - and saw the "Mystery Walks" sign that the guide had said he'd bring. (He does have a website, but it's really underdeveloped - you're better off looking on Funzing.)
So much for not needing to print anything - despite having all our names, he insisted on having a voucher! (Mind you, with his thick Cockney accent, it took me four goes to figure out what he was talking about.) He was happy with my confirmation email - well, he'd have had to be! I didn't mention that Funzing had specifically said we didn't have to print anything. When another couple arrived, he mentioned Groupon - I guess those would be the vouchers in question. In fact, I just checked, and they're cheaper there - bugger!
Anyway, there were five of us with him in total - as he said, it was nice to have a small group. Two more had been supposed to come, but didn't show, despite him waiting nearly 10 minutes past time, and didn't contact him - don't you just hate that? I know stuff happens, but the fact that they didn't let him know they weren't coming inconvenienced not only him, but the five of us who were also waiting to get going..
A nice full moon set us on our way. Now, I had covered a lot of this ground previously, but the guide was a knowledgeable one, and did tell me some things I hadn't known before. We went at a decent pace - brisk, but not too much so, and he was very conscientious about not going too fast for people, and for that matter, about never crossing unless the pedestrian light was green. He'd also brought laminated articles, complete with pictures, and a tablet to show us more photos.
He stopped at Amen Corner, beside where the clergy of St. Paul's live in Amen Court, to give us some history.. while he was talking, we had the interesting distraction of a pizza delivery man on a motorbike, who was a bit phased by the barrier across the lane. After a bit of inspection, he lifted it, looked at it very dubiously as he passed under, made his delivery, and dutifully lowered it again after himself as he left..
Upon entering the church of St. Andrew-by-the-Wardrobe for a look at what is reputedly the oldest bell in London, we were greeted by gorgeous singing. Our guide left the ghostly talk for outside though - apparently the Church doesn't approve. Now, one of the interesting facts that he imparted to us is that the reason for all the little alleys around St. Paul's is that the height of the surrounding buildings was limited so as not to block the view of St. Paul's - well, they got around that by creating lots of little alleyways that you could see it from - so you can be sure of seeing it from every alleyway in the area!
More photos here.
I had to laugh when I got a message halfway through that the event had been cancelled - typical of London for a Tenner or Less, who seem to be trying to hide the hundreds of events they're posting, after the fact. Probably trying to stay under the radar, as Meetup doesn't consider themselves a commercial entity. I laughed again later when London for a Tenner or Less emailed me to say they hoped I'd enjoyed the (cancelled) event, and would I like to leave a review..
St. Bride's and the church of St. Bartholomew the Great featured, as they have done before, and with good reason - both historical and picturesque, and the latter with its own ghost. Interestingly, as we stopped at the William Wallace memorial, I noticed Scottish flags and flowers - apparently, they were left on the anniversary of his execution, a few weeks ago.
My only quibble with the content came right at the end, when we made the obligatory stop at Greyfriars Church, where Queen Isabella is buried, and which she's supposed to haunt. Now, this guy claims to be a historical consultant, who's worked on many documentaries - so why oh why did he tell us that she was married to her father-in-law, Edward I, when in actual fact she was married to Edward II? What was that nonsense about her only surviving her husband by three days? And what was that about Jane Grey being buried there? Maybe I got the wrong person. Maybe he should read up on his royalty - I don't think it's his strong suit.
So, good walk, despite the fact that I'd heard a good bit of it before - occupational hazard. And a pity about that annoying mistake at the end. But he's a good tour guide, all told. And so home.. I'd forgotten how impressive St. Paul's actually is (I really don't get into town enough these days):
That's a 17 at the stop. By the time I got there, it had left, and I was to discover that it would have done me as well as the 15 that Google Maps had advised me to take. Never mind, a 15 wasn't long in coming. I got off at Monument, back around the corner, and was just in time for a 344 to take me all the way home. Nice one! Too late to blog though, with me in Guildford today.
Tonight? Best thing Meetup is suggesting is a Korean Music Festival at the British Museum. Yes, I was at a Korean concert before, it was very nice, and this sounds interesting. Advertised by London Art, Comedy and Culture Lovers, who charge £3, so I'd go on my own, as usual. However, I've had a long week, could do with a decent meal, need to do a shop, and the weather is miserable. So I think I'll pass.
Tomorrow, Helen is coming to town and we're doing the annual Open House, where buildings are open to the public, for one weekend only, that aren't normally open. All we have to do is decide which of the hundreds of buildings available we want to visit! At least the weather's supposed to improve..
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