When In London
Walking and sketching on a sunny day
On Monday I had an errand in London but before that I had a bit of time so I decided I would do a bit of sketching in the area between Fenchurch Street Station and Monument. Since my day of sketching the Wren churches in The City last year, I have become absolutely enamoured with this part of London. I am not religious but I am fascinated with all those churches. There are so many of them, and so close together. Some of them are literally a stone’s throw apart.
This part of London is full of lanes and courts and narrow streets and nothing even remotely resembling an orderly grid. Which means that you can turn a corner and suddenly be met with a glimpse of St Paul’s. Or any of the other churches.
I am excited about how the churches have become landmarks when I am in this part of London. I used to find London very confusing. But not so much anymore! Recently, I was walking across London Bridge towards The City and I was stopped in my tracks when I looked up and realised that I could recognise several of the church towers. They can be a bit difficult to spot in amongst all the much taller office buildings but if you know where to look, you will see quite a few. One stands out in particular and that is St Bride’s with it’s recognisable tower that has supposedly inspired the tiered wedding cake. Before the modern buildings rose up, the skyline was very different, and the church towers and spires rose above the other buildings. Just take a look at this painting of The River Thames by Canaletto from the 1740s.
As a tourist in London, or any major city, you of course want to see All The Sights, but maybe ignoring a couple of Famous Places and instead spending quality time with one area may make for some very special memories and make the place yours in a way a whistle-stop sightseeing tour might not. I’m going to keep that in mind on future holidays.
And I’m not even remotely done exploring this area of London so I wouldn’t be surprised if I talk about this again at some point. Ye be warned. ;-)
Is there a city/part of a city that holds a special place in your heart/imagination?
I hope you have a lovely weekend!
x Carina
Things I Am Enjoying
Reading: Rome: Eternal City* by Ferdinand Addis.
Listening: Life’s Too Good by The Sugarcubes.
Following: @anything_traditionalua on Instagram
Eating: Since I was in London this week, I had to stop by the temporarily completely plant based Burger King in Leicester Square and have a vegan Whopper. I’ve not had a Whopper since I became vegan 10 years ago! :-)
*bookshop.org affiliate link