Lunch at The Grapes

Our last day in London was the sunniest yet. I can hardly believe how warm it is for November. We decided that we should take advantage of the weather and go for a riverside walk, so we dropped off our luggage at Ally & Cat’s new flat first (they had both taken Friday off work so that they could work in the flat) and set off down the Thames walk way towards London City. We had a great time and the views of the river were beautiful. We have walked that route before, with Cat in the summer, so it was pleasingly familiar. We had a reviving coffee at St Katharine’s Dock and then crossed the river to the South Bank. At London Bridge we decided to jump on a boat back down the river; we passed Ally and Cat’s flat again and phoned them - they came out onto their balcony and waved to us! We got off the ferry at Canary Wharf, which is less than 20 minutes walk from the flat, and will be a great place for them to access many restaurants and pubs. We met Ally and Cat for lunch at their “local” The Grapes, an old and historic pub in Narrow Street, Limehouse. There has been a pub on the site for five hundred years although the current building dates from the 1720s, which is still pretty old! It’s currently owned by top luvvie Sir Ian McKellen and Gandalf’s staff is displayed behind the bar! I liked the atmosphere, it’s not fancy at all but the staff are very friendly and it feels well used and loved. After lunch we walked to the flat to retrieve our luggage, picking up a coffee on the way, and James helped Ally to remove an archway in their hall. We are now back at Gatwick Airport in good time for our flight, and rather sad to be leaving London after such a great week.