The second mug that came home with me all the way from 221b Baker Street! ‘‘Tis a dainty thing, but I couldn’t resist. #mugoftheday #SherlockHolmesMuseum #LondonBaby2025

Metal knights helmet with a golden cross to highlight the nose piece and eye slits. The inside is metal. So I guess depending on what you put in the drinking vessel, it could work as either a stein or a mug. 🤷‍♀️

Mug? Stein? For today’s purposes it’s a mug. The #TowerofLondon had some good ones, but this one didn’t come home with me. Definitely worth sharing, though. #mugoftheday #LondonBaby2025

You ready for a new #mugoftheday?? Picked up this bad boy from the #TowerOfLondon when I was there last week. It’s a pretty solid mug & too bad ass for me to pass up, so it came home with me. #LondonBaby2025

Souvenir mug from Stonehenge featuring the stones and bunnies.

Souvenir mug from Stonehenge featuring the stones and bunnies. The inside of the mug has some designs and says “Stonehenge”.

Haven’t done of these in awhile. To be expected, there’s lots of cute mugs out there, but I can’t bring them all home. This one was cute enough to share, but not enough to entice me to bring it home. #mugoftheday #Stonehenge #LondonBaby2025

Excuse me. I climbed 311 steps. I even have a certificate to prove it. Yay me. #LondonBaby2025 #GreatFireOfLondonMonument

Street view of the Monument to the Great Fire of London designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

Text plaque on the monument that reads: THE MONUMENT THE MONUMENT, DESIGNED BY ROBERT HOOKE FRS IN CONSULTATION WITH SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN, WAS BUILT 1671-1677 ON THE SITE OF ST MARGARET FISH STREET HILL, TO COMMEMORATE THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON 1666. THE FIRE BURNT FROM 2 TO 5 SEPTEMBER, DEVASTATING TWO-THIRDS OF THE CITY, AND DESTROYED 13,200 HOUSES, 87 CHURCHES, AND 52 LIVERY COMPANY HALLS. THE MONUMENT, A FREESTANDING FLUTED DORIC COLUMN TOPPED BY A FLAMING COPPER URN, IS 6IM/202FT IN HEIGHT, BEING EQUAL TO THE DISTANCE WESTWARD FROM THE SITE OF THE BAKERY IN PUDDING LANE WHERE THE FIRE BROKE OUT. ITS CENTRAL SHAFT ORIGINALLY HOUSED LENSES FOR A ZENITH TELESCOPE, AND ITS BALCONY, REACHED BY AN INTERNAL SPIRAL STAIRCASE OF 311 STEPS, AFFORDS PANORAMIC VIEWS OF THE CITY, THE ALLEGORICAL SCULPTURE ON THE PEDESTAL ABOVE WAS EXECUTED BY CAIUS GABRIEL CIBBER AND SHOWS CHARLES II COMING TO ASSIST THE SLUMPED FIGURE OF THE CITY OF LONDON. THE MONUMENT IS GRADE I LISTED AND A SCHEDULED MONUMENT. ST MAGNUS THE MARTYR STREET WHICH LED TO THE MEDIEVAL LONDON BRIDGE. FISH STREET HILL, TO THE SOUTH, LEADS TO ST MAGNUS THE MARTYR, A WREN CHURCH, ALONGSIDE WHICH IS THE ANCIENT WWW.THEMONUMENT.ORG.UK

Top view from the Monument. You can see the Tower of London on the left and Tower Bridge to the right.

My stupid out-of-shape-ass and blistered feet just hiked up the 302 stairs to the Monument of the Great Fire of London before dinner.

Holy fuck.

But what a view. #LondonBaby2025 #GreatFireMonument

Ignoring the bird shit, a quintessential English view of the hilly countryside.

The Patchwork Quilts- land divided up by hedgerows. Very green and pretty.

The Patchwork Quilts on the way into Bath. Right outside The Cotswolds where I was yesterday. #Bath #LondonBaby2025

Brief interlude: Currently on the bus for Bath & Stonehenge & I get to hear how basically all 21 of us on the tour are suckers because it really doesn’t cost that much to do Stonehenge on your own. 🙄

So for anyone wanting to do Stonehenge, it only ~£27 to go on your own. #LondonBaby2025

Canons on the second deck of the Holden Hinde.

ENGLISH HERITAGE # WINCHESTER PALACE The Great Hall These ruins are all that remain of the palace of the powerful Bishops of Winchester; one of the largest and most important buildings in medieval London. Founded in the /2th century by Bishop Henry de Blois, brother of King Stephen. The Palace was built to comfortably house the bishops when staying in London on royal or administrative business. These visible remains were part of the Great Hall, which formerly stood alongside the south bank of the Thames. To your right is the gable wall. It has a magnificent rose window, and doors which led to the buttery, pantry and kitchen. Goods such as wine could be stored in a vaulted cellar below the hall, with a passage co the river wharf. The rest of the palace was arranged around two courtyards housing many buildings, including a prison, brew-house and butchery. As the Bishop's private retreat from the stresses of medieval governance, che palace also had a tennis court, bowling alley and pleasure gardens. Below. View of London from 1647 by Wenceslas Hollar, showing the palace from Southwark Cathedral cower. A known error in Hollar's drawing was that The Hope cheatre was mislabelled as The Globe. Wikimedia Commons Gardens and orchard The Globe Theatre The Hope Theatre (labelled The Globe) Stables The palace remained in use until the 17ch century, when it was divided into tenement housing and warehouses. The ruins were rediscovered in the 19ch century Above: The interior of the Great Hall as it may have appeared in the I5th century. The hall would have been lavishly decorated, and was often used to entertain royal guests, such as James I of Scotland and Joan Beaufort, who held their wedding feast here in 1424. Illustration by Liam Wales © Historic England Lodgings Range Chapel Winchester Palace GREAT HALL

Ruins of Winchester Palace.

The ruins of Winchester Palace that haven’t been incorporated into a “newer” building.

1) Canons! #TheGoldenHinde
2-4) The remains of Winchester Palace. #WinchesterPalace #LondonBaby2025

Don’t ask me which is bow or stern, I took this from the front of the boat (bow?)

Don’t ask me which is bow or stern, I took this from the back of the boat (stern?)

Photo of the hold below.

Weapons! Spears and the pointy spike thingies.

Spent Friday on the Southbank with @kittensceilidh.bsky.social! We did the Golden Hinde, a replica of Sir Francis Drake’s ship. #GoldenHinde #LondonBaby2025