I’d planned on taking my coffee down to the garden this morning, but it was raining. Ah, well. I felt like I wanted a nap anyway. And the coffee was still delicious. =)

After the rain had cleared, I headed off to the Royal Exchange by way of St. Magnus the Martyr.

Very handsome atmospheric church. They were piping in recorded monks chanting, which irritated me. In the large echoed space, I’ll admit I did wonder for a few seconds, and I followed the sound … to a circa 1974 speaker.

As is frequently the case in this neighborhood, the original church was founded in the 1100s, built of wood, and was later replaced with a stone version. The portico served as both the entrance to the church, and the entrance to the medieval London Bridge. The stone church was destroyed by what? Yes, of course. The Great Fire of London. It was rebuilt in stone to a design by Sir Christopher Wren, who must’ve been a very tired man in 1667.

In 1831, the new London Bridge was opened further upstream and the medieval bridge demolished. The medieval bridge was a sight to behold — It was covered with homes and businesses hanging off both sides. There is a model of what the medieval bridge looked like inside St. Magnus.

I grabbed a cab up to Fortnum & Mason at the Royal Exchange for my lunch reservation. I hesitate to call it a posh classical-looking shopping mall, because there really aren’t that many stores, and it was entirely filled with tourists. Office workers came and went from upstairs.

The original was opened by Queen Elizabeth I in 1571 … Great Fire, etc, etc, rebuilt, burned down again, new one opened by Queen Victoria in 1844.

My lunch was okay. Bit too much food for me, but it was decent. I believe my tiny sandwiches were coronation chicken, a fancy egg salad, salt beef with tarragon something, and cucumber with cream cheese. Pastry sweets arrived as well as scones with clotted cream & jam. I didn’t eat much of the sweets, but I had one scone and tasted the others.

It was neither the best nor the worst Afternoon Tea I’ve ever had. It was fine, the staff was fine. Honestly, I expected more out of Fortnum & Mason.

I stopped at the neighborhood Sainsbury’s for some drinks and such, which was coincidentally the former site of Lloyd’s Coffee House — the 1600s forerunner of Lloyds of London as well as the original stock exchange.

On my walk, I encountered this sculpture — some sort of weird winged-lion-native-maiden-without-arms standing on a ball. I don’t know what it is, but I’m sure it’s some sort of obnoxious colonial thing.

And suddenly, it’s already after six and I’m sleepy. I haven’t decided what I’ll do tomorrow. Maybe a nice long boat ride on the Clippers, maybe the St. Martin’s in the Fields area.

Have a good sleep!