Up With The Lark,

the London Dungeon beckons,

all dressed up and ready to go,

Diana as lovely as ever wondering what the day will bring,

first stop after a brisk walk, New Beckenham station as the 9.34 to London Bridge pulls in,

we arrived about 10.00, the London Dungeon is right next door, built under the railway arches,

the sign says it all, in case you do not know the dungeon shows tortures and many of the unpleasant things of times past,

some of the delights you will see inside, at this point I am not sure if Diana knew what was happening!

whilst waiting, there were about 20 or so people in front of us, one of the tour buses pulled up, must try to remember to get one of these,

the full tour lasts about two and a half hours, the sign above the door should read be late at your peril!

from the 20 or so people in front of us at 10.00,

look how long we would have to have waited if we arrived now! I asked Diana what she thought of it, 'a bit scary dairy, but the ride at the end was the best,' she really screamed when we were on that one!

we crossed the road as by now we were a bit peckish,

and found Vivat Bacchus, a nice menu, Diana had a pasta rice dish,

I settled for the smoked haddock,

replenished we made our way down to the waterfront,

there was this huge sculptor in the center of the walkway,

not really sure about the history of it, it seemed very Jabberwocky/Time Bandits, just my view,

then H.M.S. Belfast came into view, HMS Belfast is the last big-gun armoured warship from the Second World War in Europe, she is a 11,200 ton cruiser mounting fifteen 6-inch guns with a top speed exceeding 35 knots, the Admiralty's requirement called for a 9,000 ton cruiser, sufficiently armoured to withstand a direct hit from an 8-inch shell, capable of 32 knots and mounting twelve 6-inch guns, she had a crew of up to 950 men,

Diana takes center stage,

we bought the accompanying booklet, above, it looked to good to miss,

this is a cut away as you go up to the ticket office, but you are also given this cut away as you go on board,

first stop the life preserver,

Diana and the ships bell,

a plaque commemorating the donation of the ships bell at her paying off into reserve,

the silver bell, donated by the citizens of Belfast in 1948,

then the real tour below decks begins, first the kitchens,

'spud bashing' as my father would say,

then to the engine spaces,

Diana was a little unsure down here, as was I, looking down was a bit scary to say the least,

there was so much equipment down here, salt water had to be boiled to provide fresh water for the boilers, that was before you even heated it up to make steam,

part of the ships workshop, once at sea the ship had to be entirely self sufficient,

the companionways look OK here but are incredibly steep,

'Hello sailor!',

how to send morse code by light,

it was quite a struggle sometimes getting over these door ways,

then back into daylight,

the guns at this elevation could send a 6" shell over 12 miles,

the Union Jack flies whilst Diana sits on one of the huge anchors,

a gimballed compass on the bridge,

Diana with Tower Bridge in the background,

strike the pose!

OK me as well!

the stern of the Belfast, with the 'pineapple' building behind, it is actually called the Swiss Re Tower,

after being totally exhausted a quiet drink in the Horniman, Diana tried a cider but did not like it,

but the pub had a good range of beers, the booklet above was on every table,

the pub looks very nice, named after a tea merchant, Horimans, there is also a museum that he founded and built,

another few beers,

the chandeliers looked really nice,

a few more beers, the good news was that you could try before you buy,

there was a huge clock over the bar,

showing local and world time,

then after a long day, home,

a couple of months ago the gardeners had just planted the front garden, the plants seemed very small then,

but what a difference two months makes,

then to Beckenmam for a fish and chip supper,

Steve very kindly offered to drive, I do not think Diana and myself could walk another step!

'Cheers!' from all of us,

a quick visit to Waitrose for a few things then onto the balcony for a V & S, then rest those weary legs.