Rainy days in London and cloudy skies for Shakespeare

We are now in Stratford-Upon-Avon, having left London by train early Saturday morning under dark gray skies.  We arrived in SUA under rain clouds, walked a half mile to our B&B, dropped off our bags and briskly walked into town for the matinee performance of "All's Well That Ends Well" that was outstanding.  One theme of the play is the role of the military in men's lives -- the calling, the camaraderie, the escape from civilian reality (in this case, an involuntary marriage). This production was set in current times.  It is always amazing (although eerily so) how true in today's world rings the words of Shakespeare! 

Today it's cool, windy, overcast with intermittent showers.  We've opted to spend a quiet afternoon at the B&B.  We take a train bright and early Monday morning for Penrith where we'll meet up with Ben, our Mt Travel Sobek guide, and the two couples who make up our walking group.  Understand that thunderstorms and windy conditions are forecast for St Bees and Ennerdale on Monday and Tuesday.  

Before it gets lost by our coast-to-coast adventure, I should relay that we found London to be an interesting city.  We took a four-hour walking tour with Joe Morris, the owner of City Detours.  Joe guided us around Westminster up Fleet Street to St Paul's Cathedral via alleyways, showing us sights unseen by most tourists.  We learned why the story of Sweeney Todd is unlikely to be true; why the Roman bath was more likely a Tudor structure (it's the bricks); and that the underground portion of the Bank of England is larger than London's tallest office tower (40+ floors).  There are as many coffee shops as tearooms.  Starbucks is everywhere as are McD's and Subway.  

This is St Paul's taken from the terrace of a nearby modern mall.  Olde and new are side by side.

With both eagerness to get underway and trepidation about what's to come, we will commence our C2C walk on Tuesday!