Honningsvag and the North Cape

Fishing Harbor near Honningsvag Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

HONNINGSVAG's POPULATION is 2250, and though its primary industry is fishing, it has also become a significant tourist destination, as "the gateway" to the North Cape. While there are a couple other very small towns north of Honningsvag, it is really the northernmost community with any real port facilities. We arrived in the port at 10:00 a.m., and shortly were able to disembark. Our meeting place for the tour we had booked was literally steps from the ship area, so getting there was easy.

I don't know this guy, but he is clearly excited about being at the northernmost point in Europe 😆
North Cape Visitor Center - Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

IT MAY have gone downhill from there. I guess I have to qualify that statement, though (and explain "may"). Over the years we have been doing cruises around the world, we have had mostly very good luck with high quality, well-organized tours. But most of ours have been private tours with participant numbers between 4 and 12. We have observed that as those numbers get larger, the tour quality tends to go south - no matter where in the world you are. As we began our planning for the Nortwegian Fjords cruise nearly a year in advance, I was struck by how few private excursions seemed to be available. Partly, I am sure, because these destinations were so far north and often in very small areas. It did seem there would be more available in the more populous cities in the southern part of Norway. We only found a couple and they seemed to us to be uniformly expensive. The North Cape Tours all seem to be run by the same company and although they did have some smaller ones available, they again seemed awfully expensive for the experience offered. Ours was a large busload. We did get up to the North Cape Visitor Center, and we can say we saw the northernmost land spot in Europe, so there is that. It wasn't a terrible experience.

North Cape Visitor Center - Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

BUT IT wasn't really as advertised. Unfortunately, there was a certain level of hyperbole in their advertisement. "A visit at a Sami family with traditional Sami outfits and a reindeer.'" There was a house along the road, and across the road, a Tee-Pee, a chained up reindeer, and a tent with "souvenirs." When the bus stopped and unloaded a guy came walking across the road from the house. He was dress in apparently native garb. He walked over and stood with the reindeer what a crowd of tourists shot selfies with him." So, yeah. It was a stop. But a visit with a family, and the implication of reindeer plural? Not so well executed. Or, "A visit to a picturesque fishing village with its harbour and fishing boats." Right. The bus drove into the parking lot of the the harbour, and never even stopped, as the narrator described the fishing village and pointed out the boats. 😒 That's a "visit?" "View stops overlooking fjords, ocean and the monumental North Cape Cliff." Nope. No stops. None. We stopped at the reindeer selfie op, and at the North Cape Visitor Center. No place else. And finally, "Sightseeing through the arctic town of Honningsvag with its sights and attractions." Well. if driving down a couple of the streets, pointing out the church and park as we drove by is "sightseeing" then I guess I have to give them that. All in all: Underwhelming. But such as it is, it appears to be the only "game in town," so if you want to see the sights, that's your choice.

This was the "traditional Sami family with reindeer" stop. I did a bunch of retouching of this image to try to give it some semblance of what could have been scenic natural surroundings. In reallity, he was tethered. He was not the one being used in the selfies. But he sure looks like he could be majestic there. Instead, I felt kind of sorry for him
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

I DON'T want to dissuade people from going to Honningsvag - or from taking a trip up to the North Cape Visitor Center. It is one of those things where you want to check it off your list. We did and we don't regret that. But just don't set your expectations too high. And in fairness, maybe I did do just that. It was not a particularly expensive excursion, and maybe I was being unrealistic with my expectations based on the reading of their advertising, rather than my perception of what might be realistic in that price range.

The Picturesque Fishing Harbor we "visited" - somewhere between Nordkap and Honningsvag
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

WE ALSO thought the little town of Honningsvag was, itself, kind of cool. We found the local "craft brewery." It was appropriately "rustic" for its size and for the size and nature of the town (and really felt more like just a local bar). That was actually fun. The bartender was friendly and we enjoyed the stop. I also liked the harbor and fishing boats and made a few images I liked. And Heather pointed out an image I very likely would have missed that was part of the brew pub and was really a great find! In all, it may have been one of our better stops on the cruise, ironically. We still had one more ahead of us, after another "at sea" day. It would prove to be perhaps the most enjoyable of any of them - with some of my better picture opportunities. Next up: Trondheim.

Honningsvag, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

THOUGH OFTEN more travelog than photography these days, this is a photography blog. And in that context, I will say this was a pretty successful outing. Colors. Reflections. Marine subjects. Whimsical images. I did find some pretty nice ones.

Tromso and The Huskies

Huskies - Tromso, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

FOLLOWING OUR adventures in Flam, the next day, Saturday, was a day at sea. We were headed well north, up into The North Sea, and the Arctic Circle. By Sunday, when we reached Tromso, we were closing in on as far north as we could get - but not quite. We scheduled our only ship-sponsored excursion of the trip for this day. Our only organized excursions for the entire cruise were a trip on the Flam Railway,  and an independently sponsored excursion up into the North Cape (Nordkap) - the furthest North one can travel by land in Europe; above the Arctic Circle. And today's ship-based excursion, which was a trip to a facility where they birth, raise, and train sled dogs. They are all a type of Husky breed, bred to withstand the cold weather and harsh environment, as well as their seemingly endless energy for running and pulling. They absolutely love to run.

Tromso, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

ALTHOUGH I was hopeful for some good photo opportunities, the facility - perhaps disappointingly - did not really lend itself to good photography. All the dogs were either in fenced enclosures or on leads. Understandably, as they might otherwise run, and things would certainly be out of control. Lest the images I included here mislead you, the dogs did not appear to be under poor conditions. The accomodations were clean and well maintained, the dogs all appeared happy and enthusiastic. They get regular exercise during the day, also. There were several busloads of people, so it was crowded. I really hadn't had high expectations. The dogs, though, were very friendly, if a little frenetic. One of the things you will want to be prepared for if you do make one of these visits, though, is the dogs are not particularly clean - they are not bathed regularly and they smell. Not that they are dirty (as you can see from the photos, they seem healthy and well-kept), but they need to keep a certain amount of their natural body oils, in order to ward off the cold. It will get on your hands and clothes. In a way much like being on a livestock farm. As I like to say, "first world" problems.

Tromso Harbor, Tromso, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

BUT COMING into the port at Tromso did present some of the best photography opportunities of the trip. The morning light was really beautiful, and there were a few nice scenes with snow-capped mountains and fishing boats. These northern countries can be dreary - with lots of cloud cover, rain, and cold temperatures. I have noticed that one of the things they do to make things more cheery is to paint their buildings and boats in bright colors. That makes it nice for us photographers. So thanks Norway, for that! 😃

Tromso Harbor; Tromso, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

SURPRISINGLY, TROMSO is the 12th largest city in Norway, with nearly 80,000 inhabitants. We didn't really spend much time in the city, though we did stop at a museum and see a movie after our visit to the Huskies. We did a "drive-by" of the famous Ice Cathedral, but I never really go a great shot of it.

Those eyes! - Tromso, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025

Flam and the Picturesque Flam Railway

View from the Celebrity Apex; berthed in Flam, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

FLAM IS perhaps one of Norway's most iconic spots. A recreational haven for residents of Scandinavia, there are wonderful camping, hiking, biking, skiing and fishing locations up in the mountains around Flam. Once a tiny little agricultural village deep in the end of the Aurlands Fjord, its scenic and recreational offerings have transformed it in modern years into a primary tourism destination. There are approaching a half million visitors to Flam each year. It is one of the sought after destinations by tourists and particularly by cruise ships. The keystone is probably the Flam scenic railroad, which also serves as part of a transportation hub for other rails and locations in the fjords. Norway considers itself one of the more "green" nations of the world, and in keeping with that philosophy, they impose guidelines and standards for the impact that tourism has on the natural environment. In no industry is this more the case than the cruise ship industry. Over the past few years, we have read that Norway will be banning large cruise ships from the fjords. This is not entirely correct, though they have announced much tighter standards for certain  fuel-powered large cruise ships. Originally targeted to begin in 2026, these restrictions would essentially exclude many of the large cruise ships in the cruise industry. When we booked our cruise, it was with this deadline in mind, believing that it would be our last chance to visit the fjords on our favorite Celebrity Cruise ships (or any competitors, for that matter). Shortly after our confirmed booking, they announced that the deadline for newer, stricter, standards would be moved to 2032. But I have not doubt it is coming. Honestly, once we decided to book it, especially with the chance to cruise with Todd and Heather, we wouldn't have changed it for the world. Flam was rainy for the most part, but we were also indoors (on the train, in buildings, etc.) for most of the day.

Flam Cruise Port - Flam, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

THE PERMANENT population of Flam is somewhere from 300 - 500 people. Many, if not most, of them today service the tourism trade. There is one very nice resort in the village and then a few very small establishments and campgrounds. There are a couple restaurants that service the entire area. We made reservations in one of the "Viking" restaurants, knowing that with the influx of cruise passengers, it might be hard to get a table.

Flam countryside from the Flam Railway - Flam, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

LIKE SO many of the cruise ports these days, there was a certain "Disney" feel. The train platforms were crowded with 100s of passengers waiting to get on board for the approximately 30 minute ride up a steep mountain and through several tunnels on the narrow gauge train. There was a large store at the port/train entrance that was so crowded it reminded me of the Friday after Thanksgiving in a Best Buy Store or the local mall. It was packed full of what I can only characterize as "trinkets" and I have very serious doubts that they were locally made. Putting the commercialism aspect aside, however, there is no doubt that this is one of the most beautiful - and picturesque - places in our world.

Flam countryside from the Flam Railway - Flam, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

AND ALSO in spite of commercialism, there are always opportunities for the photographer (though it sometimes requires leaning to isolate compositions). My worst case has always been shooting from a moving vehicle through glass windows. You have to shoot fast and understand that you are going to "waste" a lot of frames as you quickly move past your subject. There is always glare and reflections to deal with through the vehicle windows. But with some patience, it is possible to get some reasonably nice imges. The Flam scenery from the train is beautiful, and the local famers and landowners have accomodated us by painting their homes and buildings in bright colors that stand out in the lush, green landscape. Our day in Flam was a rainy, mainly dreary day. But that also made for clouds and fog, which always ads interest to images, in my view. I got a couple that I liked.

Flam Countryside from the Flam Railway - Flam, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

Norway at Last

Alesund, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025

MONDAY AND Tuesday were a bit of a blur for me. A 90 minute ride to the port from our hotel. Check in and boarding was Celebrity's usual quick and efficient process except for the luggage dropoff. That area was a 3-ring circus. I don't remember it being that way back in 2021, but then we were at Princess Cruises terminal, and it was during Covid-19, so things were very regimented. Anyway, we were basically quickly boarded, obtained our room keys, and found our way to the Magic Carpet Bar. Let's get this show started! We were pretty familiar with the ship by now. This was my wife's and my 4th time on Apex, and Todd and Heather's second.

Alesund, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025

SOMEWHERE ALONG the way, I began to feel the effects of the cold that Heather had gotten on our last day in London. By dinner time, it was full on. I medicated, went to bed, and begged off of our first shore excursion. Sadly, because it was Bruges, which is a beautiful place. Fortunately, we had been there back in 2020, and it is small enough that we had really seen most of it. It was the only repeat for me, and was as good as any one to miss. The following day was an "at sea" day, giving me a pretty good period to just relax and recover.

The City of Alesund from our Cruise Ship deck
Copyright Andy Richards 2025

ON THURSDAY, as we docked in Alesund, Norway, I was (mostly) back among the human race. There have been some cruises where I have taken hundreds of photos during our excursions. And then there have been some where I have taken very few. This cruise was one of the latter, for the most part, which will probably make this post seem relatively shorter. Much like my takeaway from Iceland, I would say that the primary draw of the fjords of Norway are the natural beauty of the environment. Except for Trondheim (our last stop and a very fun city), most of my images here were made from the ship, or from high vantage points at the ports.

Alesund, from Aksla (the highest point in the city)
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

BY NOW, we had seen a lot of the kind of scenery we saw on this cruise, beginning way back in 2010 along Alaska's Inside Passage, and then again in the fjords of Iceland. Each of these 3 spots had their differences. In Alaska, we never saw any evidence of human occupation on land except close to the towns we stopped in. In Iceland, it was almost the same, but not being as vast, there were the occasional fishing boats and cottages and villages from time to time. The Norwegian Fjiords showed more evidence of habitation. Still pretty desolate though. Norway and iceland were more "green" than Alaska, but that probably was a function of the time of year.

Another view from Aksla - Alesund, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025

NORWAY, SWEDEN and Finland are the countries that make up the Scandinavian Peninsula and together cover the vast majority of the north shore of the Baltic Sea. Except along the seacoasts, they are relatively sparsely populated. But they did seem to have a couple cities that were more populous than what we saw in either the Alaskan Inside Passage, or in Iceland. Alesund, for example, has a population of nearly 70,000; over double the population of Juneau (the most populous city on the Inside Passage by a magnitude). The metropolitan region in and around Reykjavik, Iceland, on the other hand, approaches 250,000. But that is where everyone lives in Iceland. You won't find anything close to that outside the Reykjavik area. Akureyri's population was about 20,000 and Isofordjur aobut 4,000. Trondheim, Norway was over 200,000. Tromso was nearly 80,000. However as we got further north, those populatiun numbers really dwindled. Honingsvag, our most northern port, was only around 2,000.

Alesund, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025

IN THE fjords and northern areas of Norway, it seems that the primary industry is fishing, with other types of agriculture being important, but lagging well behind fishing. Tourism, as seems to be true worldwide, has grown to be another significant economic piece for Norway.

Restaurant sign in Alesund, Norway
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

A FUNNY little anecdote: Just before we all left the U.S. for London, Todd confided to us that Fish & Chips, possibly the most popular meal in the British Isles, was something that just doesn't work for him. My first lunch in London at the Olde Thameside, was fish & chips and it was delicious. Of course, I had to send Todd a photo. 😋 I wanted to let him know we had found a great place for us to get fish & chips. Whenever we went anywhere and I saw evidence of them during the trip, I made sure to point them out. With that, some readers here know I like to collect images of "eclectic" signs. When I saw the sign above, I knew it was a must-have image. I love the passive-aggressive confidence the sign exudes! Probably. 😏

Is Your Composition "Tight" Enough? A Reprise on a (very) old Post from the Early Days Here

[As I post this, we are just two days away from our somewhat traditional, Carribean Cruise. This is kind of a break in the series on our England and Norway cruise back in 2025. I left off there with our final day in England. The rest of the cruise covered Norway and rather than break that up, I am posting this interlude. I will start with Norway when we return from the Caribbean. Thanks - as always - for reading and stay tuned - next up Alesund, Norway]

Fleury Maple Farm - Richford, Vermont
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

WAY BACK in the early days of this blog, one of my first posts held the title: "If You Look Closer." In that post, I noted that one of my most frequent comments about an image (if asked) was to "get in tighter" with the shot. 

[we] often get caught up in the overall scene (or something in it) and do not appreciate that the viewer doesn't automatically sort out all the extraneous things in an image and focus on our subject. That is our job. When on scene, we often see our subject and our very capable brain "filters" out distracting elements

READING BRENDA Tharp and Jed Manwaring's Book, "Extraordinary Everyday Photography," recently, one comment stood out. They noted that photographers often get caught up in the overall scene (or something in it) and do not appreciate that the viewer doesn't automatically sort out all the extraneous things in an image and focus on our subject. That is our job. When on scene, we often see our subject and our very capable brain "filters" out distracting elements. If we are not thinking about this in our composition, it is easy to end up with a photo that is really neither cohesive, nor representative of what our eyes were seeing. One of the "cures" for that is to get in much closer to the subject, isolating it from extranea and zeroing our viewer in on the subject. In other words: Get Closer. 😊 

Fleury Maple Farm
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved (as revised by Janice Noyce)

RECENTLY, A friend, photographer, reader and observer reminded me of my mantra. In addition to being flattered that anybody remembers that, it stimulated some thought and conversation. She offered a suggested (and certainly effective) edit to one of my recent images posted on line, in the same vein. Her comment was short and tactful, merely noting that she liked it better a bit tighter. I appreciate honest and thoughtful critique. I think it is how we learn as artists (and sometimes as technicians). And my friend knows how to do that right, perhaps stimulating discussion, but in a polite way that promotes openness. I think it is important both as the giver and the receiver of crique, that it isn't about "right or wrong," and there is plenty of room for variety of vision. So, as is my nature, I couldn't help engage in some commentary of my own. When we "worked" the scene, I made several different compositions, including some that were indeed much tighter, even than Janice's version (note that I exclude both the large maple tree on the right and part of the road). Looking at her crop, I might re-think my exclusion of part of the road.

Fleury Maple Farm - Richford, Vermont
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

MY OWN approach to composing an image that contains multiple elements is to ask myself what I am trying to do with a particular "take." Because there is a lot to work with here, I made different shots, each with a slightly different goal in mind. When I made the image, I gave some thought to composition, and shot it rather wide, purposefully leaving certain elements in the overall image. I particularly wanted the wider mountain range in the background,  Some viewers would say it it means there is too much going on. Others would perhaps see my way of thinking. Neither is wrong. Neither is right. Or, to quote the lyrics of Dave Mason's biggest single hit: "there ain't no good guy, there ain't no bad guy . . . we just disagree." I know I am taking license with the precise meaning of the song, but I think it underscores my thinking about the approach to photographic composition.

TO ME, it is pretty obvious that the barns are the subject here. Given that, I want to draw the viewer's attention to those barns. There are several elements in the photograph that I though might work to do that. The road, of course, makes a nice leading line into the image, leading to, and beyond the buildings. But the other consideration is how to portray the farmstead. Our "tighter" views give a more intimate feel for the farmstead, as if we could almost step into the barnyard. The image below probably comes closest to her suggested crop, but it is made from a quite different viewpoint. In this case, the "in tighter" was done with my feet, rather than a crop or a zoom. I think that perspective is better.

Fleury Maple Farm - Richford, Vermont
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

THE OTHER approach, here would be to have the barn nestled into the scene, off in the distance a bit, but still close enough to give it appropriate weight in the image, while portraying it in the broader backdrop of the distant mountain range. The mountains say "Vermont" to me, and in the opening image, that started this conversation, I have tried to do that. What I also tried to do was render the image in black and white. The clouds held some detail and interest, but they were mostly grey. In pure black and white, I am afraid the barns blended in too much. I was looking for a way (maybe a gimmick) to bring the viewer's attention back to the barn, and my solution was to "colorize" just parts of the image. Looking at it more carefully, I also noted that there were some rather dramatic blue patches in the sky and I thought highlighting them would give more "life" to the image, and bringing out the red in the barn and yellow flowers in front of it would pull the viewer to the barn.

Fleury Maple Farm - Richford, Vermont
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

ANOTHER WAY to look at a scene like this and the application of the "get in tighter" thought, is a concept sometimes referred to as "the image within and image." What do I mean by that? When your survey a scene, sometimes you see just the "big picture," and can include all that (sometimes distracting) extranea that Tharp and Manwaring talk about. Sometimes we need to try to narrow our focus. What is really the subject? Which external elements detract from and which complement that subject? My goal as a photographer is (normally) to draw the viewer's attention to the subject I want them to look at. It is also true that sometimes, that picture within the picture may be one of 2 (or more) different images. I think this scene is one of those times.

London 2025 - The Last Day

The Battle of Britain Memorial - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

ALL GOOD things must at some point, come to an end. Sunday was our last day in London (for this trip). We had scheduled a tour and admission to the famous Winston Churchill War Rooms. Our tour meeting time was late morning. We decided to take a walk around the general area of Westminster, as our meeting place was right next to the Westminster Bridge, on the governmental side of the river. To our disappointment, when we met down in the lobby, Todd informed us that Heather was feeling a bit "under the weather," and would be staying in for the day. It turned out to be a good call for her, as by the time we boarded our ship at mid-day on Monday, she was feeling a bit better. Unfortunately, I picked up whatever "crud" she had and by Tuesday, I was down for the count, skipping our first excursion day to Bruges.

Near the Entrance to the Churcill War Rooms
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

WE MADE the best of it, the 3 of us taking the Tube to the Westminster stop, where we walked around the Horse Guards grounds, and then on up to Trafalgar Square, taking in some of the grandiose buildings as we went. We found a pub (of all things 😁) where we stopped for refreshment, and then headed back to the meeting point next to The Westminster Pier on the Thames.

Governmental Buildings outside of MI-6 headquarters (Horseguards entrance in the background) - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

WE HAD not done the Churchill War Rooms on our week-long visit to London in 2021. I think Todd had been there years ago, but he was game to see it again. Since 2021, we have heard time after time that we missed one of the best things about the area. A "must do" excursion. So of course, we booked it. I think, sometimes, when we hype something that is indeed very good too much, it sets unrealistic expectations. This may have been one of those times. It was worth seeing, but I felt just a bit underwhelmed. The basement headquarters where the team of British leaders - military and political - did the behind the scenes work of defending Britain (and indeed Europe) from the Nazi incursion, is certainly impressive. It is one of those places that gives you a heartfelt appreciation for the mix of sacrifice, brilliance and perseverance of these men and women. Fascinating. But I will say that I think they could make some substantial improvements to the presentation. It is one of those deals where you go in, pick up one of those radio outfits with earphones, and then follow along. That basement facility is already a bit of a maze, and it is probably challenging to figure out the most logical way to lead people through. But it was very confusing, with what I think is probably a too complicated layering of the narrative, numbers and letters. That took a bit of the lustre off that part of the excursion and toward the end, we basically turned our units off and just walked through, reading the placards as we went. That needs improvement, in our opinion. In spite of those shortcomings, I think it qualifies as a "must see" in London.

The Red Lion - London, England
Close to Parliament, Almost every Prime Minister - including Churchill were at least ocassional patrons - as well as other Members of Parliament
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

I DON'T want to completely throw cold water on the experience, though. It was well worth it and I would still recommend it and even agree that that entire excursion that we did is a "should not miss," event. In my view, the best part of it was the first hour or so, where we took a walking tour of the immediate area, spending some time at the WWII memorial next to the Westminster Pier, and then walking past Downing Street and MI-6 headquarters. Our guide was an enthusiastic and erudite historian of the war years and it was fascinating to follow along, see some of these very historic sites, and learn a bit about the history of London during that critical time in history.

In spite of . . . shortcomings, I think it qualifies as a "must see" in London

IT WAS mid-afternoon by the time we finished up in the War Rooms, and we headed back to our hotel to freshen up. We had reservations at a well-regarded Indian Restaurant in SOHO: Tamarind Kitchen. This one did meet expectations. I have a mixed history when it comes to ethnic food. Forty years ago, during my college and law school years (and before), I had never eaten any Asian food and generally turned my nose up at even the thought. I went to one Chinese restaurant in Washington D.C., with some office mates one night. They knew my history, and steered me toward a very bland chicken dish. The closest I had gotten to anything "exotic" was Mexican (in fairness, American "Tex-Mex"), and maybe some Italian. My diet was pretty much American mid-west (meat and potatoes and a small variety of vegetables). After I got married, my wife set out to change that. We took our daughter to Disney and Cape Canaveral (then Kennedy) one year and she insisted that we go to a top-drawer Chinese restaurant and eat (more or less) family style. I became an immediate convert. I loved the food in Japan when we were there in 2015, and by that time had already acquired a liking for sushi. I had tried, and liked, the Indian "fusion" Chicken Tika Masala. But until this night, I had still never eaten true Indian food. So it was an adventure for me. As I had expected by now, I liked it. My only reservation there is that they do tend to prepare their dishes eat a little too spicy for me. Although we sadly missed Heather's company, it was a really nice finish to our eventful week in London.

TOMORROW, WE would head on to Southampton and new adventures - in the Norwegian Fjords.

Our London Pub Crawl

The Old Bell - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

EARLY ON in our pre-planning for this vacation, I floated the idea of a "pub crawl." We agreed we would set aside a day for just that. I don't remember how many pubs we eventually stopped in, but there were a few. There was history for all them which made it fun and interesting, also. Their interiors remained mostly unchanged from the days when they first opened. At one of them, we shared a traditional British Pub Food Plate (including a Scotch Egg, Pork Pie, and some wonderful artisan cheeses). Knowing this was going to be a long day (I am pretty sure we started sometime late morning), culminating with reservations in one of those somewhat famous London Pubs, Todd wisely set our pace by starting with a 1/2 pint. I followed his lead, and that worked well for us all day. He and I stuck to beer. The girls had a variety of other cocktails. It was thoroughly enjoyable.

St. Paul's Cathedral - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2021 - All Rights Reserved

STUDENTS OF history know that the city of London was originally built by the Romans (Londinium) beginning shortly after the birth of Christ. The Roman settlement grew into a city over the years and survived through the "Dark Ages," and into the Renaissance. Those students also know that in the late 17th Century, the ancient walled portion of the city was nearly completely destroyed by "The Great Fire of London." While there are undoubtely a lot of people who figured into the rebuilding of the great city, one stands out in history: Christopher Wren. Widely credited with a "plan" for rebuilding the city, Wren was involved in a great number of the building projects in London at that time. As is the case for most historical great cities, the central architectural focus was generally the church. In London, the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of London it the magnificent St. Paul's Cathedral. Shortly before the great fire, Wren was commissioned to re-build the church. The original St. Paul's church was built there around 600 A.D. The fire swept the city just as Wren brought his first plans to the powers that be, destroying much of the church, but leaving its steeple and some building around it intact. Wren remained and became the principal architect of the Cathedral (as well as being involved in the design and construction of over 50 other churches, and a few other notable projects involving castles and other municipal buildings). The new cathedral got its own Baroque style dome, but the original steeple was left intact as part of the grounds.

Remnants of the original (pre-fire) St. Paul's Church - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2021 - All Rights Reserved

WHAT IN the world, you may wonder, does any of this have to do with a "pub crawl?" These massive construction projects require artisans and workers. Wren realized that in order for them to be in the city and working on the churches, there would have to be infrastructure to feed and house them. So even before they could begin construction of the church, they built a handful of pubs (short for "Public House"). All of them are within close walking distance from the cathedral. Which makes for a pretty easy, and (weather permitting) enjoyable walking/pub crawl tour of the city. And that is what we did. The weather cooperated splendidly for us. We rode the Tube from Paddington to one of the stops near St. Paul's, and began our great adventure.

"The Wedding Church" - St. Bride's - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2021 - All Rights Reserved

I AM going by memory, here, so I likely won't get the exact order correct (trust me, after a few pints, it doesn't matter 😁) but we hit most of our pre-planned goals. We started with The Old Bell, which has entrances on Fleet Street and around the back. The Bell was built on the site of a previous tavern (The Swan) which was destroyed along with most of the rest of the city by the fire. Wren re-built it shortly after the fire. My notes indicate that at the time it was actually built to accomodate artisans working on a different church just up the street from St. Paul's (St. Bride's church, which has served as the inspiration for the design of many wedding cakes over the years - hence, its nickname: "The Wedding Church").

The Old Bell Tavern - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

THE OLD Bell had what was a more or less typical old British Pub vibe, we were to find, as we hopped from one to another. We liked it. The dark wood interior is certainly "period" (Wren was known for his "Baroque" style architecture), and played (sometimes) dramatically with the sunlight (when present). It does make casual photography in these places problematic, though. I basically only made "smart phone" photos inside these places. The exteriors were a different story. Almost always adorned with colorful flowers, the "old school" facades create picturesque looks. But this was a pub crawl day, and I didn't even carry the camera with me. I figured I could rely on my phone for any photos I wanted to take, especially knowing I would only be able to use that on interiors.

The Old Bell - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

OUR NEXT destination was Ye Olde Watling, just up the street. Equally "clubby" and dark, it certainly met our expectations. We tried, whenever we could, to sample the local brews and ales.

Ye Olde Watling - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

I FIRST spotted this pub in 2021, from a distance, while standing in front of the certainly overshadowing St. Paul's Cathedral entrance. But it stuck in my mind and planted the first germ of a possible "pub crawl." The name and the look drew my attention, however briefly, and I told myself I would be back there one day. Today was the day. 😊

Ye Olde Watling - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

SEVERAL OF the pubs we visited had spaces where people would often gather just outside on the sidewalk for a drink. It was oddly random, but some of the pubs were very crowded, while others (like The Old Bell, for instance) were essentially empty. Unlike the gentlemen here, we were somehow able to find a seat in this one.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

YE OLDE Cheshire Cheese, was again just up Fleet Street (less than a block from The Old Bell). We had passed it during our 2021 walking tour, and - taken by the unique name - I photographed the sign on the alleyway entrance, just beyond Williamson's Tavern which would be our next stop after this one. On this trip, I really noted the front entrance for the first time, but I wanted to show the others the alleyway entrance so we walked around the corner and went in that way.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

ONE ONLINE description I found said this one is "probably the most famous pub in the world." Not sure I buy that, but it certainly does have a certain cache'. The same writeup describes it as one of London's few reamining 17th Century Chophouses. Again, rebuilt after the fire, it was known to have been frequented by the likes of Charles Dickens, W.B Yeats, and Mark Twain, and was even feature in Dickens' "Tale of Two Cities." There are actually several rooms in the Cheese. We found the cellar room and it was appropriately atmospheric. Having sampled several drinks so far this morning, we decided this was the place to get some food. We ordered a kind of "variety plate," that I would guess is popular among us tourists. Touristy or not, it was very tasty! 😋We didn't leave anything on the plate. Pidtured are Pork Pie (we cut it in quarters, as we did later with the Scotch Egg, also), Scotch Egg, artisan cheeses and bread, and a couple "chutney" type spreads.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

WE WALKED down the alley which has entrances to both Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese and Williamson's Tavern in 2021, and they both "notched" on my subconscious "pub crawl" list. I think it was Williamsons, though, that solidified in my mind that there would be pub crawl on our next visit to London.

Williamson's Tavern - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2021 - All Rights Reserved

IT PROBABLY goes without saying that you should take much of what you read online with a proverbial "grain of salt." As wonderful a resource as it is, there is much misinformation and also opinion (disguised as fact) there. Again, one resource describes Williamson's Tavern thusly: "From the outside, the building does not seek attention from the visitor, but its interior is well worth the visit." Hmnn. It is true that it does not have a "Fleet Street presence," and is somewhat tucked away back in the alleyway. But from our perspective, we found the exterior attractive and very much inviting.

Williamson's Tavern - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

THE INTERIOR was - more than any of the others so far - brighter and more "airy," with a more "modern-traditional" sweeping bar design. The decor and the personnel in the pub were cordial and welcoming. Personally, from an aesthetics point of view, I found this one to among my favorites. Indeed when we walked past it in 2021, I knew I would be back to sit and have a beer one day. And I did.

Williamson's Tavern - London, England
(that's Todd buying us drinks. Nice and generous guy 😀)
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

WE STILL had a couple others on our "list" for the day. The Blackfriar has a more distinctive exterior look, and color scheme. It was next. One of those buildings built at the peak of an angled intersection, it is impossible to miss as you walk by. Which may explain why (though my photo doesn't really show it) this one was completely packed! Standing room only inside and in most of the relatively large outside area with tables. We didn't let that stop us from partaking, however.

The Blackfriar Pub - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

AROUND THAT corner and up the street to the right, under the overpass, was our next stop, The Cockpit. Unsurprisingly, this part of the city is known as "Blackfriars." The street we sought was another left turn onto St. Andrews Hill. From the photograph, it feels quite ritzy, with the St. Andrews Hill name feeling appropriately posh.

St. Andrews Hill - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

THE COCKPIT's, exterior is, likewise, pretty ritzy looking. There is a saying: "looks can be deceiving." 😏 The Cockpit's interior is what could only be described in America as a "dive bar." It is a bit of a shock walking in off that street. Don't get me wrong. I don't have any problem at all with "dive bars." They certainly have their own atmosphere and can often be a lot of fun. This one is. In spite of the "decor," it has a family feel to it and we - of course - enjoyed yet another 1/2 pint while we took it all in. Not shockingly, the pub - formerly a gatehouse to the Blackfriars Monastery - was later a spot that hosted cockfighting. Hence its namesake.

The Cockpit Pub - London, England
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WHEW. THAT was a long pub crawl and a long day. We were pretty much "pubbed out." But it turns out we were not yet finished. 😊 Some good prior research by Todd and Heather had turned up a couple great restaurant suggestions. Tonight, we had reservations at one of them; yet another Pub/Tavern: The Ship Tavern. They determined that it got good reviews and booked the reservation weeks before we all arrived in London. Not sure what we were thinking, but we decided to walk there. It wasn't really such a bad idea at the time. On the map, it is about 1 mile from The Cockpit. Having been on our feet with a few beers in us, it felt like a lot more than a mile. Our thinking was we would go for a while and if the spirit (see what I did there?) moved us and we saw yet another pub, we would stop, rest and refresh. And guess what?

The Viaduct Tavern - London, England
Copyright Andy Richards 2025 - All Rights Reserved

THE VIADUCT Tavern wasn't even on our radar. But we spotted it from across the street and, like a magnet, we were drawn in. It had its own gin brand, and we (my wife and I) are gin drinkers so of course we had to try it. It was good.

EXHAUSTED AND hungry, we finally arrived at our Ship Tavern. We knew the way home would be Uber, and looked forward to a relaxing and enjoyable meal. We were a bit early for our reservation and our table wasn't quite ready for us. But hey, we were on a pub crawl, after all, so we ordered a beer and sat at the bar to wait. At the street level, The Ship was yet another pub, much like many of those we had been in already during the week. But upstairs, the restaurant was another story. It was obvious, as we ascended the stairs, by the smell, that we were in for a great dining experience. The entrance was down an alley and I didn't really bother to try to get a shot of the Tavern itself. But it is worth the visit. We had a great meal, and headed home to a much anticipated, good night's sleep. Tomorrow would be our last day in London, and we had the Churchill War rooms ahead of us, and then an Indian Food restaurant that Todd and Heather had also scoped out pre-trip.