Hay Girl in the Big City

I've been down to London again, and I've been doing some fun and interesting things (beer was also involved!).
One of the places we went was the Museum of the Knights of St John - the military order which became the St John's Ambulance Brigade. Only the gate house and a church is left now of a site that covered six acres of medieval London. (It's between Farringdon station and Barbican underground).

It was the last of the religious orders to be closed down by Henry VIII, who took over the site - and the Grand Prior died on the same day. His skeletal effigy is on display in the crypt of the church, all that is left of a far grander tomb.
Later, the gatehouse was used for many different purposes. 30 of Shakespeare's plays were licensed there, and Dr Johnson's Dictionary was published from there. It became Hogarth's coffee house and the Old Jerusalem Tavern (Dickens drank there - but Dickens drank almost everywhere!)
It's well worth seeing - and it's free (though you pay for guided tours of the more private parts).

We also visited Patisserie Valerie on Old Compton Street for some of the most delicious chocolate cake in the world, and finished the day in Camden at the new Brewdog pub. Mark treated me to a bottle of Paradox Jura (there are two different varieties of Paradox, aged in different sorts of whisky barrels). It cost £12 a bottle - and the taste! They also serve excellent pizza.