So after an incredible food coma-inducing brunch at The Breakfast Club, followed by a lovely afternoon at the Tate Modern, Diva, Saj and I walked along the southern side of the River Thames. The weather was just right…warm but with the occasional cool summer breeze.

We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering and exploring Bankside and beyond, in Southwark (one of London’s boroughs). I had never been to this side of London before, so it was quite enthralling for me.Bankside is one of the oldest settlements in Britain, dating back over 6000 years. It was created when the Romans founded Londinium on the north bank of the Thames, connected by a now-destroyed bridge. And since then, Bankside and the surrounding area has been inhabited.

The main entertainments that drew crowds to Bankside were the ‘stewhouses’ (brothels), animal-baiting pits and public theatres. Some of England’s greatest writers and players, including William Shakespeare, lived and worked here. In fact, we even walked by the Shakespeare’s Globe, an accurate reconstruction of the open-air playhouse designed in 1599, where Shakespeare himself worked and wrote most of his greatest play. Today, it is a theatre house, that also houses a large exhibition about all things Shakespeare.During the late 18th century, Bankside quickly developed into an industrial hub with docks and warehouses. Following industrial downfall after the Second World War, it was largely undiscovered until its recent renaissance as one of London’s prime districts in the borough of Southwark.

Today, Bankside is a host to several tourist hotspots including the Tate Modern and the Borough Market. The iconic Shard is not too far off, and the Millennium Bridge and Tower Bridge are nearby.

In fact, we walked all the way till The Scoop (an open-air amphitheater) by the Tower Bridge.

Before chilling at The Scoop, we explored the local scene at the London Riviera (a summer pop-up  bar and kitchen that is a fusion of the cultures of Miami and the French Riviera).

We then sat at The Scoop, while eating some free delicious yogurt and watched Kenya scoop gold at the Rio Olympics 2016!

After a lovely afternoon in Southwark, my parents and Saj’s parents joined us, and we headed to dinner to Franco Manca, after a round of drinks at the nearby More Bar. 

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Photos by Diva Shah