Dear reader, what do Terry Pratchett, Lord of the Rings and the Lucky Man have in common. The answer magical fantasy in the East End of London, so we discovered.
But first a walk around the docks and a peek at the narrow boats.
We were in the Limehouse region of London. The weather was sunny and warm. The populace were out absorbing the solar energy whilst they could.
During our stroll we came across this boat made to be a Trucker of Terry Pratchet fame and called the Great A'tuin
and a lock (just because its the epitome of British canal systems.)
We strolled on to The Grapes (a pub) which was dog friendly indicated by a bowl but we didn't see any.
What we did see was Gandalf's staff from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This is no mock up or copy. This is the real deal. How?
The tenant of this pub is Sir Ian McKellen. What better way to use film memorabilia than display it behind a bar for all to enjoy. I was surprised at the height. Hard to show you in a picture but looks about 7 foot tall.
We had a drink and bowl of chips then moved on to explore further.
Next stop The Narrow. A bar and restaurant sitting alongside the Thames. Quite the place in the know given its popularity at 6 pm on a Saturday afternoon. Although the weather would have helped.
I enjoyed my first Aperol or two of the year talking to my friend and Mr Him with a backdrop akin to the opening scenes of Lucky Man.
Mr Him should have nicked Gandalf's staff for use on his meandering walkabouts so that when someone complains about whether he knows the way or not, he could quote "Not all those who wander are lost" and look the part.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the pub outing, complete with a drink! The weather looks fabulous!
ReplyDeleteColour me jealous. That looks like a wonderful outing.
ReplyDeleteLooks idyllic, especially the arty aperol shot. Must try that bevvie some time soon. What a pleasant day you had. Interesting Gandalf stuff. Love Debra's comment!
ReplyDeleteNothing like a wonderful pub crawl on a Saturday, sure sounds perfect. (its been a few years since we have done that) and love the picture of the Great A'tuin. what an amazing boat?
ReplyDeleteWhat fabbo weather we have had - I too was in London by the river last weekend, on the South Bank, along by Tower Bridge.
ReplyDeleteFabulous images, Anna. What a great day you had.
ReplyDeleteFunny, I'm reading Dodger, I think that was his last book. xx