I say long weekend; but for me every weekend is a long one. I mean I have been home 21 days now, and every day has been one without work. But having the whole holiday weekend to ourselves is always a pleasure.
We decided to head to London on the really good rail service we have from Dover into the capital and have a day wandering around, taking pictures and general people watching.
Getting an early train up is always good. We had the carriage pretty much to ourselves until we were within an hour of London; and outside the Kent countryside rolled by, looking wonderul in its spring colours. The apple trees in the orchard hold a promise of cider in the autumn, and the rows of hops do the same for real ale.
Watching the leafy suburbs of south east London slip by whilst whizzing by at 100mph is always a pleasure, but soon enough the various lines come together and we slow down as we approach the city.
London Bridge station is not the end of the line, but a good place to jump off as it's near the river, and a brisk walk to the square mile of the city and glorious views along the Thames. But this time we were heading for somewhere much closer to the station; Borough Market.
London is blesed with a number of covered Vicorian Markets; some are still in use, some are tourist traps. Borough is not the prettiest for sure, but under the arches of two major rail routes, and inbetween filigree iron posts support a glazed roof, whilst underneath a mirriad of stalls and shops sell all the food that your local neighbourhood big box store has never heard of. Fruit an veg stalls selling wares the size Tescos never has; lemons the size of rugby balls; purple carrots, and tomatoes the size of grapefruits amongst many thing. Oh, and a range of mushrooms that made me question if they were all safe to eat. Olives from France, Greece and Italy, unpasurised cheese from France, preserved meats and sausages from all over Europe, beers and wines from all corners of the globe. And mixed in fast food stalls selling goodies made from the same goods. For us, nothing beats a bacon butties and a cup of tea; or in Jools's case a coffee. But we round off with a fruit smoothie made from many different berries.
A short walk across the river to Embankment station, and a decent to the deepest tube line, The Bakerloo, and outer London was a short ride away, and one of the magnificent seven cemetries that dot London.
Kensal Green is one of these, and is the final resting place for minor royals, captains of industry, high ranking military leaders and various men of derring do that found death in corners of the Empire. We were there to take some pictures; may sound odd, but just of the statues for a project I have embarked upon. We failed to find the fnal resting place of IK Brunel, the greatest engineer of his day, but it hardly seemed to matter.
Next, we headed to Regents Park, not to see the zoo, but to a row of grand houses in Cumberland Terrace. Four or five story townhouses with stunning views across the park. We started up the road, cameras in hand, only to find we had gained a shadow; a security guard. We must have looked out of place, and it was a clear signal that we were not welcome in with the great and good.
We headed to the dirty heart of the city; Soho, to a place called Seven Dials, a meeting of seven roads right in the heart of theatreland, traffic clogged with street makets and various sellers mixed in with tourists from around the world. Whilst waiting for Jools to get some beads for her crafts, I headed into a local pub for a pint of something cool. Much to my shock it was £4 a pint; but I guess it is London; but it was nice just to sit there and watch the football scores come in on the tv above us.
We finally headed to a place called Neals Yard; known for alternative cures and head shops; but home to a small Italian place that does not rip customers off, and has good honest food. A salad, a glass of Tuscan Red and a dessert of a glass of Limonchello is just what aching feet and mind needs, before a quick walk don through theatreland once again to Charing Cross and the train home.
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KnittinKitten
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May 5 @ 7:30AM
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I'm up early today, my friend...headed out to the dentist shortly.
Golly, every time I read your blogs, I feel like I've just taken a holiday WITH you..
and jools, too, of course....Hope she doesn't mind.....  
You write so well...your descriptions are fantastic....
Fondly,
KK 
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misschoos
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May 5 @ 7:48AM
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Kudos ~*~ Glad you had a good day.
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