Chelsea and Westminster

Our day began with some excitement. We hear sirens constantly from our flat, but this morning they were going crazy. We looked out the window and saw smoke billowing from a buildings west of us. we learned tonight that a candle had started the fire, and that two people had to be rescued. They interviewed an American staying in an airbnb in the burning building, and I must say that our clogged plumbing was better than a fire!

Today was our last day in London and we went our separate ways, Stephen and Ann to the South Bank and we to Kensington High Street, Chelsea and Westminster. We walked along King's Road from Sloan Square to the Physic Garden. The garden was established in 1673 by The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London as a place to grow medicinal plants and herbs. Except for a physic garden in Oxford, it is the oldest in England. Sir Hans Sloane, a high-society/royal physician was an early benefactor.

We walked along the Chelsea Embankment and caught a bus back to Sloane Square where we joined the District Line to Westminster. We shared a small picnic with the pigeons on Parliament Square before visiting Westminster Abbey. We caught a 148 bus back to Notting Hill where we reconnected with the Taylor-Woodburys for supper at The Mall Tavern, a lively gastropub just down on the bend from where we often caught busses that go down Kensington Church Street.

 A screengrab of the fire from a news video (our building is

the large one on the left)

 Smoke engulfing Campden Hill

 A quick stop at M&S for Kris to buy a replacement for her

worn-out leather gloves

 High Street Kensington Station

 Sloane Square

 An intriguing Art-Deco apartment building that put me in

mind of Masie's flat in the Masie Dobbs novels

 The Chelsea Physic Garden

 The four-acre plot is surrounded by wonderful Victorian houses

 A bright burst of fall color

 Beautiful tulip tree blossoms

 "A prettyish little wilderness"

 Sir Hans Sloane

 The Chelsea Embankment on the Thames

 Christopher Wren's Chelsea Royal Hospital -- still used by

army pensioners

 Apple is turning the iconic Battersea Power Station into their

UK headquarters, which makes me super happy -- only 1 1/4 of the 

 four smoke stacks are still up while they are being rebuilt

I love the diversity in London

 Parliament with the Shard in the far distance

 Ham, cheese, and pickle

 Westminster Abbey

 Forbidden photos are the sweetest (if I paid, I'm

gonna get my photo!)

 The arcade

 The Chapter House

 The cloister, towers, and butresses

The Mall Tavern (that's Kensington Church Street ahead)

Another nice window seat

 The SKT/DAT England group

 Me: lamb shank with colecannon (cabbage and potatoes)

 Kris: Beef rib and coleslaw

Final evening walk back to the flat

This was another terrific trip and we are sad to leave, but all good things come to an end. We are off tomorrow for home. So this all for now.

OXO

D.