London Throwback: Borough Market, London Bridge & Tower Bridge

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I took a long time piecing all the pictures to tell a photo story for this post as the photos for that day were 1) jumbled up in two cameras with 2) different timing and 3) not set according to London's time zone. Photos with strong bluish tone were taken using kh's underwater camera which was used as our spare camera during the trip.

Continuing from Part 1 of London Day 2 which chronicled our walk along the River Thames, this is Part 2 of London Day 2. As the title suggests, this post features the Borough Market and more sights along the River Thames.







Day 2: Borough Market (19 December)


It was my first time at an English market and boy do I LURVE it! From books and films, and friends' recommendation, I knew I would love visiting an English market. I could agree no more to the quote below. Borough Market is indeed a vibrant place filled with friendly stall holders.




Time and weather did not permit us to visit Camden Market and Covent Garden during this trip. Borough Market was the only market we visited in London. It wasn't on our mental To-Do list and we happened to stumble upon it during our River Thames walk. What a gem we had stumbled upon!




The crowd at Borough Market with the Christmassy decoration got me all excited.




It was such a neat market with adequate signage at each turn.




These market folks had certainly caught up with time. I don't think any of our local market folks would be on Twitter.




Furness Fish Markets was a really interesting fish stall that held our attention for a good few minutes.




These ducks probably just died. They looked... well... fresh.




What big mouth you have!




The focus of this photo wasn't the slabs of fresh fish...




... but the puffer fish.




The Vietnamese chicken curry smelled so good on a cold day.




We wondered how "proper" these Proper Fish and Chips were.




Kh exclaimed at the price tag for a hair cut; £14 for a hair cut is about a SGD$30. While, SGD$30 is reasonable for a wash, cut and blow for ladies in Singapore, Kh cuts his hair for SGD$4.50.




I like to see rows of recycling bins. They ought to have more recycling bins in Singapore.




This stall totally caught our eye. Beef, mushrooms and potatoes are savoury foods that our growling belly would most certainly welcome.




We had not had anything to eat since our full brunch at the hotel and the thought of beef stew was tantalizing our taste buds.




The greedy hubby refused to share with me.




Look at his unwilling face and my greedy face. The stew was simply gratifying!




I could die of sugar overload with meringue as huge as these.




These looked like Portuguese egg tarts that we have in Singapore too. We did not know what "Nata" was and felt so handicapped without a data plan for my iPhone to Google "nata" on the spot. It turned out that they were really Portuguese egg tarts.




I don't know if you are the type to crave for savoury foods instead of sweet foods when hungry but kh and I sure are the savoury type when hungry. Being uninitiated, kh and I thought that mince pies were savoury minced meat pies and were thrilled to be sinking our teeth into minced meat.




Amidst all the sweetness that this stall offered, we thought that we could have some savoury pies.




We were completely disappointed when we bit onto what tasted like fruit pies. From that day onwards, we had the misconception that mince pies were fruit pies till I just Googled them (while crafting this post) and realized that they ought to contain minced meat but are overall sweet due to the fruits filling.




Everywhere kh goes, he needs to have his daily dose of coffee. Likewise while on a holiday.




He decided to try some authentic London coffee at an authentic London market. According to him, it was not bad.




A stall with the header "drunk cheese" really appealed to us. We are cheese lovers and we like any food with alcohol in them. Hence drunk cheese is a perfect marriage of the two.




This stall sold Italian gourmet cheese.




After mulling over which cheese to choose, we bought Basajo which is a creamy paste blue cheese made of sheep raw milk aged in fine Passito wine.




I needed a balance of cheese texture and so for hard cheese, we bought Testun. Testun is an ancient Italian mountain cheese made from a mix of sheep’s and goats’ milk but in this case, a mix of goat's and cow's milk. This hard cheese is packed in “grape must” resulting from the production of Barolo wine, infusing the cheese with an amazing, decadent, vinous flavour.




Besides all the fresh food stalls we encountered, there were also stalls selling dry produce and non-food products.




The stall selling honey and other produce had cute bags on sale to go with their products.




We walked past Southwark Catheral as we strolled away from the main bustling area of Borough Market.




It isn't as magnificent as St Paul's Cathedral which we saw earlier in the day of course but it has its own charm too.




Jubilee Market wasn't as bustling as Borough Market.





One of the major sounds heard were the Christmas carols.




Upon googling, I could not find the Jubilee Market that is near Borough Market. Instead, I kept getting results of the Jubilee Market at Covent Garden.




I reckon that this Jubilee Market is part of Borough Market. Could any English readers or Londoners please enlighten me?




Trotters.




Besides depicting how empty Jubilee Market was, this picture had another story.
In the movie You Are the Apple of my Eye - 那些年，我們一起追的女孩, there was a train scene where the lead male character Ke Teng told the lead female character Shen Jia Yi that he wanted to take a photo of her with the train in the background flashing past. She hurriedly ran to the spot and posed. When she walked back to him, he nonchalantly told her that he did not snap any picture. That was exactly what kh did! He took this picture when I was preparing to walk back to him with the train gone. FYI, the white bar behind me to the top left of the picture was the train track.




Finally with the train!








Day 2: It's Raining, It's Pouring. (19 December)


To seek refuge from the drizzle which had gotten heavier, we wandered into somewhere with shelter and found ourselves in a rather deserted "mall".




A Petanque pitch indoors?




Kh wondered about the men who visited this pub.




I was always thrilled by red phone booths.




Imitating Clarke Kent.








Day 2: London Bridge, Tower Bridge and Other Sights (19 December)

Going from the left of the map, you could trace our paths from the areas around Southwark Bridge, London Bridge and finally Tower Bridge.




Southwark Bridge is an arch bridge in London for traffic linking the district of Southwark and the City across the River Thames. It looked pretty nondescript to me.




Walking away from Southwark Bridge, the next bridge would be London Bridge. People often mistake the Tower Bridge for London Bridge. In fact, if you key in "London Bridge" on Google and click on images, you would see loads of photos of Tower Bridge. This often befuddles many. After all, the song "London Bridge is Falling Down" features images of the Tower Bridge which had been ingrained in the minds of many when they were mere kids.




"London Bridge refers to several historical bridges that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. This replaced a 19th-century stone-arched bridge, which in turn superseded a 600-year-old medieval structure. This was preceded by a succession of timber bridges, the first built by the Roman founders of London." -- Wikipedia

An icon of London called for Chi Cats appearance to stamp their paws.




London Bridge looks as modern as this.




No towers by the side which would collapse as per the song.




This London Bridge wouldn't fall down.




This is the Tower Bridge in the background. Tower Bridge (built 1886–1894) is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London which crosses the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name, and has become an iconic symbol of London. It certainly looks more like a London Bridge than London Bridge itself.

All geared up to cross Tower Bridge.




"The high-level open air walkways between the towers gained an unpleasant reputation as a haunt for prostitutes and pickpockets; as they were only accessible by stairs they were seldom used by regular pedestrians, and were closed in 1910. In 1982 they were reopened as part of the Tower Bridge Exhibition, a display housed in the bridge's twin towers, the high-level walkways and the Victorian engine rooms. The exhibition charges an admission fee. It uses films, photos and interactive displays to explain why and how Tower Bridge was built. Visitors can access the original steam engines that once powered the bridge bascules, housed in a building close to the south end of the bridge." -- Wikipedia

Standing right at the opening of the bascule.




A little quote on bridges.




Other than bridges, we also found a quiet and beautiful little alley...




... and a forgotten flight of stairs.




I just thought that the red doors and windows of The Anchor were rather eye-catching.



We were thrilled to see Nando's in London!




The Clink was a notorious prison in Southwark which functioned from the 12th century until 1780.




A ship out of nowhere.




Old Thameside Inn looked like just the type of inn I would love to unwind at. Such a charming little place from the outside. I'm getting hungry reading the reviews of the restaurant.




London Bridge Hospital.




An interesting connector!




The connector led to the London Bridge City Pier.




The London Dungeon which we had no time for.




A unique architectural design.




Kh was reunited with his dinosaur's egg.



We wondered what the glass buildings located on the River Thames in the London Borough of Southwark were.




It is London's City Hall which forms part of a larger development called More London, including offices and shops.




Tower Bridge by night.




There was a small exhibition area of the Tower of London which really whetted my appetite for our impending visit there the next day!




Featured here are some exhibits related to the Tower of London like the replica of a Tudor axe, the crown jewels...




... an old cannon, a dog baiting collar and the royal mint.




I'm fascinated by all the stories of Queen Ann Boelyn. I believe that she was a tragic heroine who had been wrongly accused and executed. Instead of being executed with a traditional axe, Queen Ann Boelyn requested to be executed with a sword and got her last wish granted.




Tower of London by night.




A KFC outlet in such a quaint underground place seemed to stick out like a sore thumb.




After a whole day of walking in the rain, I was craving for something warm and soupy. A shop assistant recommended Wagamama.




Chi cats were exhausted from a long day in the rain too and needed some booze to warm themselves.




Satisfying ramen dinner at Wagamama!




I love eating and drinking soupy foods on a cold winter day. The yakitori was blah! We really couldn't expect much from a Japanese franchise in a western country.




Chi Cats conquered Borough Market, London Bridge and Tower Bridge that day.




Day 3 would feature our visit to Tower of London. I personally love that attraction a lot. One of London's most famous landmarks, the historic Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.





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