London Town

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G'day folks, after a very pleasant flight courtesy of Gulf Air I have arrived in the wonderful city of London. Home of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament (and a few other things).

The weather for my first two days has been quite pleasant. Saturday morning was warm and sunny, a little cloudy in the afternoon, followed by evening rain, but I have no right to complain as I am very happy to be in city where the vibrant present meets the historical past.

OK, enough of the postcard stuff. As many of you may be aware, I love my coffee and I have sampled quite a few already in my short time here and I must say the quality has been excellent. Strangely there is lack of Starbucks in this part of London which is refreshing.

So which part of London am I in? Im on the southern bank of the Thames, also known as Bankside in a suburb called Borough.

Borough and the area around Borough High Street was the centre of London’s brewing industry from the 17th century onwards.

The Hop Exchange, opened in 1867 and designed by R.H Moore, stands on Southwark Street in Borough with carvings above the main entrance showing hop gatherers at work.

I spent the morning wandering in and around the Southbank of the Thames, strolled through the wonderful Borough Market which houses a cornucopia of fresh fruit, vegetable and other fantastic food stalls. If only Sydney had a market to compare to this place. Its heaven for food lovers.

I am currently relaxing on a sofa switching channels between the cricket and football whilst juggling the Sunday times and a keyboard (my typing isn't too bad considering!)

Tea is ready so I must leave, but I will be back soon with more updates

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