London - Last Post

Okay I promise this is the absolute last post about London.  I have fabric bags all cut out that I am keen to sew and since I didn't get out of bed until nearly 8 am today and have been here at the computer, pretty much from getting up - it's now mid-day would you believe - I need to go get busy.  I woke up at my usual time of shortly before 6 am but was clearly still tired because I simply couldn't drag myself out of bed and I almost NEVER lie in!  I think my two very busy days in London may finally have caught up with me huh?

Jilly and I included in our adventure our very first ever experience of a youth hostel which I thought I'd share with you.  We had tried to get one closer to London, or so we thought, but we couldn't have been more happily situated than this one.  It was called Thameside YHA and was in the Rotherhithe area, not far from Bermondsey which was beautifully green and, we discovered, was also part of the Jubilee Greenway.  It was just 10 minutes walk to the nearest tube station where we found we could be anywhere in the capital within minutes!

We chose to have a temporary membership rather than join which allows you to use youth hostels but membership is pretty reasonable and with youth hostels the world over it's worth consideration.

You can find more information about the Jubilee Greenway here and once on it all you need to do is look out for these frosted glass paving slab markers.  it was this route that took us along side the Thames river and winding through all those fab industrial buildings and eventually lots of quaint shops.

These were our views as we approached the youth hostel - this one on the right with the outskirts of the city visable over the tree tops as we approached.

It was from about this area that we discovered the many pretty walks and green areas along the river Thames.  We felt very safe and secure and were surrounded by lovely neighbourhoods strewn with trees, many of which were as a result of an outstanding man named Dr Salter and his 'daydream' project.  He was also founder of Guy's hospital and set up an early form of health service 20 years before the NHS.  He chose to make this place his home and community and served it well (much to the annoyance of his professional colleagues) and at great personal loss but thank heaven for individuals such as this, that have helped shape so much of what is good in our world today.  It was these neighbourhoods that incorporated the wharves with their huge warehouses and industrial buildings that I admired so much and I'm sure provided much needed work for the men and women who lived surrounding them. 

This whole area seemed to have undergone updating and transformation but Jilly and I stumbled across a scene of statues in a pretty little area beside the Thames that paid tribute to this truly remarkable man.  Whilst web surfing I ran across a blog entry - it seems we weren't the only ones who happened upon this walk and had taken the time to read about this amazing man - clearly one who, if you ever had cause to doubt, would restore all faith in humanity.  I am sharing the link here in the hope you'll stop by and find out more.  Jilly and I were both deeply moved by his story so I hope you will be too.

As to the youth hostel itself - well we have nothing to compare it to - this being our first experience.  I have to admit the sleeping quarters were very basic and by mistake I must have booked us into a 'single sex dorm room' rather than a private room.  Not sure how I did that? It didn't matter as we were the only two people in the room, which surprised me for the time of year but it mean't we had the privacy we wanted.  I couldn't help feeling if it under-went a much needed update it would be a gem in the crown of youth hostels and could be much more in demand.

Part of the 'ethos' of youth hostels is to bring travellers together and it certainly did that.  We found ourselves chatting with several visitors to our country, even sharing breakfast in the communial kitchen with two very young girls touring Europe.  Perhaps they seemed so young because Jilly and I were much older but we felt them very brave to be travelling alone. 

Jilly and I had decided to spend our money on the attractions we wanted to see - not the accommodation and we also 'self catered' where possible, choosing to eat out only when we needed to.  Our young companions helped show us how several things worked as well as sharing their experiences with us.  They didn't rate the sleeping quarters at Thameside very highly in comparison to other hostels they'd experienced so I think we'll reserve judgement until we've experienced at least one more. 

On the first evening I found myself demonstrating a 'can opener' to a group of Italians.  Are they really so different?  But it felt good to be part of a community however brief or small.  I'm pretty sure Jilly and I would choose to stay there again just for location alone and the staff couldn't have been more helpful, but it has to be said it was overdue a bit of an internal 'face lift'.  Maybe a private room next time perhaps?

We decided before setting out to the city again on day 2, to cook our own breakfast in the self catering kitchen at the hostel even though there was both a bar/cafe and a restaurant but shortly before we checked out to head home later that day one traveller told us about the fab £4.95 'pretty much all you can eat' breakfast she'd had there.  I'm pretty sure it's designed to set travellers up for the day.  Her only disappointment was that she was meeting a friend for lunch and had eaten so much at breakfast she could only manage a cup of tea LOL.  Worse still lunch was her friend's treat.  How funny!

And lastly I'm sharing a quick picture of one of the pleasant green spots we found rest in when we needed a sit down for just 10 or 15 minutes before continuing on our journey.  There are hidden gems like this dotted all over the capital which just makes you appreciate London even more.  It never ceases to amaze me that so much is available for exploration and discovery in this rather large, often noisy and very busy city  - some of the best of which are NOT the usual attractions but pretty tranquil havens (especially for weary feet) such as this.

I may not be having a 'real' vacation this year and yes, I may have missed out on youth camp too (been there and done that tho') but I've had 2 of the best days of my life exploring my birthplace with my dearest of friends, Jilly and the many wonderful discoveries we've made and moments shared will stay with me forever.  She patiently endured my bossing her around and making her face her fears (London Underground Escalators) several times with far more love than I deserved - all of which makes me love her even more. You can't even begin to put a price on that now can you!  I am truly blessed to have you as my friend and I've had a blast!



Blessings

Suezie