I have a few hours in London still before we get in a car and travel three hours to Christchurch, on the southern coast of England. I received a tip last night about a church on the other side of London Bridge that was damaged in the Great London Fire and WW I or II. No steeple, a bit overgrown but one can walk through it. Sounds photogenic and interesting! I shall go find it.

I cross the London Bridge and it is suppposed to be “right there”. Hmmm. Can’t see it, let’s walk around and see if I can spot it. I walk along the Thames Riverwalk a bit and see a sign for the Monument. Maybe that is it. Let’s go see what that is all about.

The Monument is a large obelisk that is a tribute to the Great Fire of London, which gutted most of medieval London in 1666. You can go inside for 18 pounds. I’ll pass, but take a moment to reflect. Now where is this church? I ask a few people, I ask Google. Nothing. I go back over the bridge closer to the hotel. Time is running out. I’m feeling lunch at the Borough Market and then back to the hotel to ship off.

I’m a sit-down-to-eat kind of girl, so I head to “Fish”, winner of the 2017 Best Fish and Chips of London. Good enough for me! I am seated in a lovely glassed-in space against the wall so I can see all the action. They have a huge menu. It’s gotta be fish and chips, for sure. Being from New England, I naturally gravitate to haddock but the waiter recommends halibut and a nice Sauvignon Blanc, so I take his advice.

It is relaxing except for the nearby construction. The sound of a tile saw is pretty prevalent. I can tune it out, though. I had young children at one time, after all, I can ignore almost anything. The fish and chips arrive quickly and they look beautiful! The fish looks light and crispy, as do the chips. You can tell by the color the frying oil is clean. It is served with tartar sauce, 1/2 lemon, ketchup, malt vinegar and mushy peas.

Let’s talk about mushy peas. As far as I know, they a phenomenon singular to England, but I could be wrong. The other night at the Garrison Pub, Bob had fresh baby peas with a light mash and they were sweet and delicious, though not traditional. The ones I am having today are definitely of the dried split pea variety, almost like a thick, chunky pea soup. I love pea soup, but they look and taste... filling. I try them and then move on. The halibut is delicious. But I like haddock or cod better. I like the flake. But this is very good! https://www.fishboroughmarket.com.

After lunch I head back to the hotel past the Southwark Cathedral. It has lovely gardens, and... wait!!! Could this be the church she was talking about? Her description gave me a vision of something much more burnt out and decrepit, but this kinda fits the bill. And it is at the end of London Bridge... my end. I snap a few pictures, but need to move on as the van comes in 30 minutes. Can’t be late. I am such an idiot. I check out Southwark Cathedral online and the interior looks amazing. https://cathedral.southwark.anglican.org.

The drive to Christchurch is a little under 3 hours, and one of them is spent leaving the city. We finally get to the highway and the landscape becomes more rural. The countryside looks a bit like New England, but there is ivy growing up some of the trees that we don’t have and some of their pine trees are cooler. We stop for a quick break and then get back on the road. Dean (Bob's business associate) and I calculate this trip will total 26,660 miles. Chew on that. There are not a lot of landmarks that I can see, but of course, I am sitting backwards facing the rear of the van. I did pick up a guidebook at the rest area and there are tons of places to see in the south - Kew Gardens, lots of other historic gardens and castles. They are just not near Christchurch, and we are there for less than 24 hours. I will explore the village, walk on the beach and enjoy the hotel. Maybe read a book as the guys are off to tour a warehouse upon arrival. I have been invited to the business dinner and am strongly considering alternate plans. We’ll see.

We are a half hour from the sea coast when we reach the New Forest area. The road is narrow and barely fits two cars. A car comes towards us and the driver pulls over so we can both get by. Then, the sound of metal hitting a hard object. The front bumper of our van gets caught on a wooden post and when the driver backs up, it comes off. In the middle of the road. The driver is having a stress fit. He hops out, waves the other cars around us. The whole bumper is literally on the ground. After trying to put it on for a few minutes, Dean hops in and saves the day, but the plastic piece that goes under the bumper will not re-attach. The driver puts in behind the seat and we are off once more.

Upon arriving at the hotel, I take a look around while the guys check in. The Christchurch Harbor Hotel and Spa is situated directly on Christchurch harbor (hence the name). The common spaces are well-decorated and the outdoor spaces well-manicured. There is an adjacent restaurant besides the hotel restaurant and bar where I believe we are dining tonight. Pretty sure I am not blowing it off, I have major FOMO. We check into the nice albeit small room, try and find space for our luggage and within minutes, Bob and Dean are off to their appointment.

What to do? I decide to grab a cab to the center of Christchurch and take a look around. I start at the Priory. It is a large and beautiful church surrounded by gardens and graves. Unfortunately,it is closed and the sun is falling. In viewing their web site, the interior is amazing and would totally be worth a visit. There is more to see in Christchurch, though. I would like to get a few pictures of the ruins before the sun sets, so they are my next stop. https://www.christchurchpriory.org.

The Constable's House was built within the courtyard of Christchurch Castle in 1160. The walls and chimney, made of Purbeck marble, are still standing. It is pretty cool to stand in it and imagine life in 1160. Lots of slots in the walls for shooting arrows at invaders and peasants, I imagine.

After more walking around town, I stop at the hotel’s sister property, The King’s Arms Hotel for a look around. It is nice, but the harbor location has it beat by a mile. This is primarily a tourist town, and come June there is a huge influx of visitors. I can’t picture this as the streets are SO NARROW now and the cabbie had a hard time getting me around in low season. It is quaint and well located. Exploring the southern coast of England in the summer could be fun. Time to cabbie it back to the Harbor Hotel and get ready for dinner. I have no idea what time dinner is, but I will be ready. I am getting hungry.

We eat at the restaurant adjacent to the hotel named "Jetty". It has a cool modern exterior and interior. The guys have ordered some appetizers and wine. I've got a trio of fish here, there used to be four items but two fish croquettes have already been eaten. Next, an amuse bouchée of cauliflower and fennel soup which is delightful! For an appetizer I have tuna three ways. There is a cone atop the tuna tartare filled with wasabi avocado ice cream. Shut it! It is surprisingly delicious! For my entree I choose a filet mignon with red wine sauce, new potatoes and sautéed greens. Usually I consider filet mignon to be a vehicle for sauce, but not this one -- it is very flavorful and moist all on its own. Probably the best filet I've ever had. Dessert is a chocolate fondant cake with toasted marshmallow, peanuts and vanilla ice cream (it comes with peanut butter but I substituted). Bob did not order dessert but proceeded to scarf down 3/4 of mine. Our dinner 4th ordered "Ice cream in the sand", a really inventive dessert pcitured below. After-dinner drinks for some in the group included Sauternes and an Armagnac flight. What an amazing meal!! Certainly the best of the trip so far. Do you hear me London? Little Christchurch is kicking your restaurant ass!!

Tomorrow we leave Christchurch at 8:30 am for a 1:00pm flight to Vienna, Austria. 2.5 hours in the air, no problem, but again, less than 24 hours in one spot. And this is the easy part of trip. The hard part is next week. I am trying to live in the moment.

[http://www.themonument.info[https://www.christchurch-harbour-hotel.co.uk][1][https://www.thejetty.co.uk][2][https://cathedral.southwark.anglican.org][3][0]]

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