Walking Tour of the City of London

Two Sundays ago (2-Sep) we went on a walking tour with Dr. O'Boyle. He is quite an interesting fellow and was an animated tour guide. He took us around the historical City of London.
First, we saw the dragon. Historically, the inner City of London acted autonomously and was ruled by its own Lord Mayor. It's emblem was a dragon, and all entrances to the city were marked by some sign of the dragon. When the Queen wants to enter the city proper, even today, she must stop at the dragon and ask permission from the Lord Mayor.

Later, we visited the spot where William Wallace was hung, drawn, and quartered. It used to be just outside the city walls, as executions were not allowed in the city proper, but now it is in the heart of London. Incidentally, it is also now the location of the meat market in town and is right next to St. Bartholomew's Church and Hospital, both founded in 1123 and are still going strong. The church is now a tourist spot and the hospital is a leading oncology research post, as well as being a real hospital.

We also walked by some historic pubs. Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is the oldest pub in London. It opened in 1667 after the great fire destroyed much of the city. They have done minimal remodeling since then and have a beautiful interior. I haven't been there yet but want to get there soon, especially since I've heard they have pints for £1.78, a real steal around these parts. The Tipperary was the first pub to serve Guinness in England.

We also passed by St. Paul's Cathedral, where we want to go to evensong, the only time you can get in and see it all without paying through the nose. On the outside it is a very impressive building.
We then passed over the Millennium Bridge, a sight in itself. It is the only strictly horizontal suspension bridge in the world. When it was first unveiled it apparently wobbled 8-10 feet. It would only wobble about 2 inches due to the wind, but that wobbling would cause everyone on the bridge to stagger in step to catch their balance, which only aggravated the problem. Oops!

We ended the tour near the Globe Theatre, where hopefully we will soon be attending a performance of 'The Merchant of Venice' in the closest possible manner to how Shakespeare wrote and performed the plays.
After the tour was over Dr. O'Boyle invited us to a nearby pub and we had a good time. I'm glad for this opportunity and hope to both see the sights in more detail and get to know these interesting professors a bit better.