I was on my way to one of all the same restaurants in the City. It’s raining a lot today, a classic British day. I picked a sandwich, something to drink and start looking for a table – as usual, they were all occupied. Then, I found a place to sit near two ladies and asked if I could sit there. As they said “yes”, a woman came from nowhere and said she was queuing and the place was hers, while talking on the mobile.

And I started my search for a free table again when the lady talking on the mobile came to me and invited me to sit with her. So I did. What was unexpected is that she started chatting with me – quite uncommon in London, people share lunch tables and say not a word.

She asked “are you from Poland?” I don’t know why everyone thinks I am Polish - she was not the first one to ask. I said “no, I am from Italy”. Then she started speaking Italian and said she’d been to Rome.

What a nice chat we had! I was telling her I lived in Brazil all my life when she picked a piece of paper and started singing Corcovado, which lyrics were in the paper. She actually sings pretty nice. What a wonderful voice! She is Yuki Umiguchi and gave me her card so I can go and see her singing some evening at Olivers’ or Café Posk.

I had to leave and go back to work, still raining. Before going back to the Office, I entered in the St. Mary-le-Bow church, off Cheapside. My project of taking pictures of the City during my lunchtime must go on!

The original church had been there since before the Normans arrived, and under that name. It is famous for the Bow bells. A medieval version of the church had been destroyed in 1091 by one of the earliest recorded tornadoes in Britain. Then, the church of St. Mary-le-Bow was destroyed again in the Great Fire, in 1666 and rebuilt in 1671-1673. The bells were destroyed again in 1941 in The Blitz, before they were replaced in 1961.

According to tradition, a true Cockney is someone born within earshot of the Bow Bells as early as 1600. Cockney is an expression for working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End. In the past, the bells could also be heard from as far away as Highgate! Nowadays, the modern traffic noise makes it unlikely that many people would be born within earshot of the bells anymore.

The crypt of St. Mary-Le-Bow is from the 11th-century and if you go downstairs you will find a vegetarian restaurant, The Place Below – I have plans to go there someday.

St. Mary-le-Bow church, off Cheapside.

The crypt.

St Alban’s was a church in Wood Street. Only its tower now remains.

This is how my week started. A beautiful day, I bought my lunch in the supermarket and went to the Postman’s park again. In the way to the park, I stopped at this lonely tower in the middle of modern buildings and made some pictures with my new mobile phone.

It’s quite funny to work in the City and at the same time, being a kind of tourist, taking pictures in my lunchtime.

Back to the lonely tower…. it dated back to 793, the church was completely destroyed in the Great Fire of London then rebuilt in 1685 in the Gothic style. The building was partially destroyed in 1940 during the Blitz, leaving only the tower.

Lonely tower.

Only its tower now remains.

The church was rebuilt it in 1685 in the Gothic style.

This week was so busy… I am glad it’s Friday!

Unfortunately I couldn’t post pictures from the City in the last two days because I had some business and personnal affairs during lunch time.

But today I finally went to the place I was looking forward to go! The Postman’s park!

Graveyard of Christ Church Greyfriars, Postman’s park.

It is located between King Edward Street, Little Britain and Angel Street and it’s got my attention because the park features in the film Closer, one of my favs.

Remember Natalie Portman’s character (I love her!) real name on the movie was not Alice? She takes her pseudonym Alice from one of the painted tiles located in this park.

Alice and Dan (Jude Law’s character) were on the way to his office after she left hospital, when they stop by Postman’s park, and he asked for her name. She was staring at the tiles and saw Alice was a girl who saved 3 children from a burning house - at the cost of her own life… and so she said her name was Alice. Beautiful, isn’t it?

The memorial in the park was created to celebrate the heroism of people who may otherwise have been forgotten. I think it’s very poetic!

The park Dan and Alice walk through is Postman’s Park in London.

Postman’s Park was created in 1880!

Celebrating the heroism of people who may otherwise have been forgotten, such Alice Ayres.

Today I was very determined about where to go for lunch: Pudding Lane. I was looking forward to see where the Great Fire began, in a bakehouse in 1666.

“Puddings” was a medieval word for entrails and organs (argh). The name is because of the puddings which would fall from the carts coming down the Lane from the butchers in Eastcheap as they headed for the waste barges on the Thames.

There are a few places to sit, and lots of people from the city were there, most of them reading a book in their lunchtime, some were eating something. After a few minutes in there, it started rainning (yes, this is London!) and people vanished. I was still there, finishing my croissant and taking pictures for the blog.

Where the Great Fire began.

Then I walked towards Eastcheap. In medieval times it was the City’s main meat market, with butchers’ stalls lining both sides of the street. I found a very original building at 33-35 Eastcheap.

33-35 Eastcheap is “One of the maddest displays in London of Victorian Gothic”, it was a vinegar warehouse in the past.

33-35 Eastcheap.

Keep walking, I reached the Gracechurch St and one of my favourite places in the city - Leadenhall Market. It dates back to the fourteenth century!

Leadnhall Market.

Back to Cornhill, there is a beautiful church, St Michael’s Church Cornhill. According to them they are “real Anglicans, they use the Authorised (King James) version of the Bible (1611) and the Book of Common Prayer (1662).” Cool.
The medieval structure was lost in the Great Fire of London. The Gothic-styled porch (1858-1860) facing Cornhill is a Victorian addition.

St Michael’s Church Cornhill.

Finally, I was once again close to the Royal Exchange, end of my lunchtime… Founded in 1565 to act as a centre of commerce for the city. The original building was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. It is now a luxurious shopping centre.

Royal Exchange.

Now I’ve decided to take pictures of The City during my lunch time. The City is only one square mile (2.6 km²) in area and it is full of hidden beautiful places.

I work close to Cheapside. A cheap was a market in old English. Because of my interest on the place, I am discovering lot’s of curiosities and history of the City.

The Guildhall is very close to my work as well, so I use to go there in my lunch time and watch people passing by. The Guildhall is the official seat of the Lord Mayor of London. Most of the building dates back to 1440, and the exterior walls survived the Great Fire, and the Blitz.

Last Friday there was a bunch of students in the Guildhall, wearing Tudor uniforms, from Christ’s Hospital School (popularly known as The Bluecoat School). People from work said the Queen was visiting the Guildhall. I investigated and figured out it was not the Queen but the Lord Mayor of the City of London who was there to welcome the Old Blues.

Enought of text, I am posting the pictures from my lunch time, most of them from The City. I will do my best to post once in a day.

Enjoy!

I was in the Royal Exchange having lunch in the outside (I am not that posh).

Guildhall, very beautiful architecture!

Adam’s Court. The City is full of hidden places, one more beautiful than other.