This is the Marble Arch Mound. Or was. It's in the process of being dismantled. It was erected in 2021 as a tourist attraction to try to entice people downtown again during/after the pandemic. It was supposed to be an artificial hill with a scenic platform on top for looking out over central London. It was a massive and expensive failure. At first they tried charging people to go up but the view was actually blocked by tall trees across the road and the turf covering the mound dried up and shrank. Anywho. So they stopped charging but people still didn't go up and it ended up being a huge target of jokes and finger pointing. Oh well.

This is a most beautiful bookshop. All bookshops are wonderful and London is packed with them but THIS is something else. It's the first Daunt Bookshop, a chain of stores specializing in travel books but they carry every genre. I could spend much too much time and money in there. I behaved very well and only bought 2 books.

I took a tour of Westminster Abbey today. It was very good. Our guide was hilarious and knew all sorts of wonderful and scandalous stories, none of which I can remember, but I thoroughly enjoyed. I knew it would be a good tour when I saw the above at the entrance to the Abbey. Some priest has a sense of humor. I am soon off to the pub on the corner. Grace has been in this apartment for 3 years but as that coincided with Covid and closures and such I have yet had the chance to try the place out. I love British pubs. xxoo me