Stevie in the sunshine: a perfect summer weekend in London

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Last night was something I’d been looking forward to for months – Stevie Wonder performing his classic ‘Songs In The Key of Life’ album live in Hyde Park. And Stevie did not disappoint playing for over 3 1/2 hours with a fantastic medley of his hits and other album tracks. It was great to hear some of my favourites including ‘Knocks Me Off My Feet’, ‘I Wish’ and ‘As’ but my stand-out track of the night was the joyful, Latin-infused ‘Another Star’. It was also great to hear Stevie paying tribute to his friend Prince before leaving us wanting even more with a great version of ‘Superstitious’.

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After such a great night and needing to clear my head a little, I decided to walk from Tower Bridge to Waterloo via the South Bank. While my mum was alive we often met up every summer to do this route in reverse and there was always something new to see, with weekend entertainment from street dance to musicians along the way.

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It had been a couple of years since I walked this way but I was soon wondering why I’d left it so long. Not far from Tower Bridge is Butler’s Wharf, where this street, Shad Thames can be found. I used to have a friend who lived here, although not overlooking the river.

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Next I wandered past More London and City Hall. Many new buildings have sprung up next to City Hall since I last visited. There is an open-air performance space here as well as this colourful summer pop-up BBQ and bar but it was still a little early for lunch.

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Hays Galleria is a converted wharf which used to be home to tea clippers bringing spices from across the world. Now it’s home to restaurants, bars and small shops.

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Walk on past the replica of the Golden Hinde and you’ll come across the 12th-century Winchester Palace on Clink St, looking very out-of-place amongst the more modern buildings.

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You’ll also find this light installation in the roof of a tunnel a little further on.

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This is the replica of Shakespeare’s Globe theatre – I’ve never been but it’s on my list to see a performance here one day.

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Nearing the end of my journey I stopped at Gabriel’s Wharf for a bite to eat and a quick look in a couple of shops. Bonus points to the shop playing ‘Another Star’ by Stevie, a happy reminder of last night!

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This viewpoint is just before you arrive on the South Bank ‘proper’, looking out over St Paul’s and also some of the City’s skyscrapers – I’ll leave it up to you if they are add something to the scene or are a little ugly…

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Sadly the ‘Disappearing Rooms’ fountains at the South Bank are closed for maintenance on Mondays otherwise I would have included a photo here. I did come across hundreds of students graduating from university in and around the Royal Festival Hall – it really is summer!

 

I’m linking this post up with the weekly travel blog hop, #wanderfulwednesday. Find the hosts at the sites below and join in every Wednesday at 8am GMT. 

Marcella : www.whatawonderfulworld.co

Lauren : www.laurenonlocation.com

Van : www.snowintromso.com

Isabel : www.thesunnysideofthis.com

3 Comments Add yours

  1. I saw the concert on Snapchat and it seemed to be a really lovely evening! Good for you that you got to go :)

  2. Rachel ¦¦ A Nesting Nomad says:

    What a lovely day for a walk, you saw so much cool stuff! I do love that bit of London but I haven’t seen half the things you mention, so I think I need to go back for another walk! Hays Galleria looks really pretty, and I’m a big fan of a ruin. Thanks for the walk inspiration!

    1. Claire says:

      Thanks Rachel, it’s a great place for a walk!

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