Chapter 02 · Thursday, October 8, 2026
London Landmarks and Riverside Views
We started the day in St. James's Park under a clear autumn sky, walked past Big Ben, and crossed the river to spend time at the COVID Memorial Wall before heading back to South Kensington for pie, fish and chips, and a pint at a pub Hazel approved of.
GV39+94 London, UK
“That one hits differently in person.”
Started the morning in St. James's Park, which was in great shape — clear blue sky, leaves down on the paths, fountains going on the lake. From there we walked over to the Houses of Parliament for the obligatory Big Ben selfie, then crossed the river and stopped at the COVID Memorial Wall. That one hits differently in person. Hundreds of red hearts painted by hand, names written inside them. We stood there for a bit. Ended the day at a pub in South Kensington — pie and mash, fish and chips, a pint. The table had coins set under the glass top, which Hazel thought was pretty cool.
COVID Memorial Wall
The wall along the South Bank near St Thomas' Hospital was painted by bereaved families starting in March 2021. It stretches around 500 metres and contains over 150,000 hand-painted hearts — one for each UK COVID death at the time it began.
“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
— Samuel Johnson, quoted in Boswell's Life of Johnson (1791)
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