Relaxing (?) in London before the Silk Road
Trip Start
Apr 26, 2005
1
9
15
Trip End
Aug 03, 2005
London,
United Kingdom
Monday, June 27, 2005
We check out the Barbican Center, find it is built on a grand scale, but is very cold and impersonal, and the signs and directions are amazingly bad. We get onto the large terrace on the same level as the overhead bridge from Barbican underground, but can't find a way out. See a fernery and glass house, find a door into it,.and suddenly we are hobnobbing with well dressed people carrying glasses of Champagne. Turn out to a shareholder meeting for the Chunnel. Had to walk out through the reception area, and found ourselves at the Barbican Centre Theatre. Have to ask the way out, and find ourselves by the "Lake", which look suspiciously like a semi-successful water purification plant, but there is still no obvious way out. At this stage DP spots the Barbican Library sign and we go in, looking for travel guide books, but the selection is pretty small, with no material at all on the Far East, or Silk Road. In the process of asking for more info, and membership possibilities, we find out that there is free internet, and we can log in without being members. Log in for an hour, then head out through the Silk St (not road) gate to find the Safeways supermarket. It now has another name, but we managed to pick up the essentials, including a surprising roast chicken reduced to £1.99.
In the afternoon we walk through some interesting narrow streets, small park and alleys to the Millenium Bridge, and across to the South Bank, where we walk along as far as the Blackfriars Bridge, stopping for a free view from the OXO Tower, which was available to the general public, but the access to it was deliberately obscure, and we had to ask the posh reception where it was. We walk across the Blackfriars Bridge, through the terrace at Somerset House, then back because the continuing stairway has disappeared, and along the waterfront, stopping to have a look at the large Walkabout Club, with Australian beer, sports events on TV, and a notice board on the current Lions tour of NZ.
By the time we get home, we have racked up 15 kms for the day.
Tue 21st June London
This is the day we buy our bus pass and revolutionise our way of getting around.
Set off 9 ish to find the Family Records Centre, fortunately having the address and finding the street in our 4 year old copy of the London Let's Go. Set off heading North into Clerkenwell, with, of course, the well used by the clerks. There are a lot of interesting street names in this area dating from when it was a village.
The system at the Records Centre takes a bit of working out, and we spend a few hours driving cranky microfilm readers without finding the information in the 1841 census records that we were looking up for Shirley, other than that the streets referred to in the marriage certificate actually existed in Preston parish As a compensation, they did have free internet, so the visit wasn't completely wasted.
After we headed down High Holborn into Oxford street to find Bloomsbury and the bookshop area (to buy guidebooks for the ilk Route), on the way checking out the postage system and buying 7 day bus passes for £11 each. We did a few circuits of the Shaftsbury/Charing Cross Road complex, checking out the swap second hand market, which was non-existent, and looking for books for the next part of our trip. Managed to find a shop selling "not for sale" proof copies of book for review purposes, dated 2005, getting "Otto" and "Olga Story" for £1 each, v/s a list total of £33. We have less luck with the Pakistan Lonely Planet, as the big 20% discount on guides sign on the wall only applies to specially marked copies, but at least it is pretty recent. Are told that the China book is coming out soon, but they don't have it. A couple reading guides recommended the Travel Book Co, in Notting Hill, so we put it on Tomorrow's agenda and headed down Charing Cross Road to get our first bus, changing at Aldwich, getting onto a 100 bus which almost took us home, but we left it too late to ring the bell, and ended up in no-mans land, right around the far side of the Barbican Complex. Guessed our way home through the uninteresting, sterile streets around the Barbican.
Decided we had done enough for one day, and settled for the pasta and other perishable food left by our hosts. Walking 11 kms
Wed 22nd June London
Get all the way to Ladbroke Grove, the tube stop for Notting Hill, using the 153 bus which took us into the wilds of St Barts Hospital, and the 23 from St Pauls all the way. Told where to get off by a friendly gentleman, walked through the Portobello markets, into Blenheim Crescent and got our China book, taking a photo of the transaction, as this was the book store in the Notting Hill movie.
Back in Portobello Rd, we do an amazing deal for a box of cherries for £1.50, with at least 2 kg in the plastic bag he gave us. We are still wondering why so cheap, but they were excellent, firm cherries, some a bit tart, but they kept us going all day. As we were quite close to the Union canal, decided to cut through some back streets alongside the new flyover to get to it. The street looked a bit dodgy, and there was a large skateboard park located under the flyover, with a fair few youthful layabouts. Had to find our way through a working class housing estate to the main road and the park by the canal, where we sat in the shade and ate cherries until strong enough to face the walk along the tow path all the way to Little Venice and Paddington Basin, where we stopped a while and talked to an unusual Japanese couple who were out doing their own thing. From here we followed the canal in the streets above the tunnel until the path restarted at Lisson Grove, then walked all the way to Regent's Park. Some of the path here was fenced off from private parkland on the NW side, with some pretty flash addresses. Get off the path at the first exit, walk through the park, where DP sees a pamphlet for viewing some Peregrine Falcons, at the "blue trailer". Walk in the general direction of the York Bridge, across into the inner Circle, one of DP's lunching spots from working near here in 1976. Can't see signs of the falcons, and about to leave when MP spots the blue trailer. It turns out to be a viewing spot, where they have set up an array of telescopes, trained on a high building the other side of Marylebone Rd. The building has an array of spikes and antennae on it, and there is, indeed, a falcon perched on one of the antennae, about a kilometer away. There is also a nest shelter on a ledge below the parapet. Catch a 30 bus all the way to Angel Islington, past the remarkable St Pancras station. Get out and walk around the complex streets looking for an intersecting bus, the 153.. Bus changes are rarely as easy as expected, and here there is a 153, but it is broken down, so we have a wait. In spite of the signs saying every 10 minutes, you can watch a lot of other number of buses go past before yours arrives.
Back home, DP sits downstairs in the cool (the heatwave is still on in London, and our building has heated up like a furnace, and there is no way to cool it down). She writes up the diary while waiting for Fiona (Dianne worked with her in Sydney in the '80's) while MP does housework and reads up on China.
Fiona turns up just after 7pm with a bottle of Jacob's Creek champagne, which we take up to the roof, together with nibbles and our Portobello cherries, and we talk till late, adding a bottle of white burgundy from our host's provisions. Walk Foina to the tube, then hit the sack ,a bit the worse from 2 bottles of wine among the 3 of us.Walking 15kms
Thur 23rd June London
Go to the library to internet, then try to get a 100 bus the right way to take us toward St Catherine's Dock. We stand at a bus stop going the wrong direction, but can't see one on the far side of the road, so walk forever toward St Pauls before the next one. Turns out later there was a stop directly across the road, but we were looking directly at the pole, with the sign behind it. Miss one bu during the walk, the next takes us past the dock. Walk back in, and around the dock, which looks a bit more lived-in than it did when we were first here in 1977. There are a number of flash cruisers as well as smaller boats, and a couple of Thames Barges, probably the same ones we photographed in 77. Walk along the shore, taking photos of the river and Tower Bridge, then walk across one side, and back the other. Decide against the £5 tour, walk past the very large crowd around the Tower of London, giving the £15 tour another miss. Walk up to the Gherkin building, look at the Lloyds Tower, all pipes, stainless steel and external framework, then through the Leadenhall markets. This is a traditional market building turned into an up-market eating and drinking area, full of City types, sinking a pint or two before going back to make important decisions.
We walk through intersecting alley, past some interesting pubs, including the Cornhill Pub and the Counting House. Look at the Monument, then walk to St Pauls to get the right bus to the right place. Have a short sleep before dressing up in our finest finery and getting the #4 bus to Blackfriars to meet Harry, Maureen and Stewart for the Ziners GTG. At first can't find them, then DP spots a man of the right age trying to look like a tourist. Back in the lounge, we see that Harry is sporting a hat with an Australia hatband, and we would probably have found him eventually.
MP is keen to drink local, but Harry has been told by the Australian barman that the only cold beer they have is Fosters, so settle for it. DP has more trouble, as the cider they have is very beery, and they don't have champagne by the glass. Later she finds they do a very generous house red.
We talk travel and house swap possibilities, then Stewart turns up, hot and bothered, as he has spent an hour in the tube, going nowhere as the signals were out. He downs a quick pint, and is then able to talk. Have an enjoyable couple of hours, eat quite reasonable pub food, then Harry and Maureen leave, and we have a final drink,(which MP probably doesn't need after a couple of pints, and some halves.) outside on the table in the small park. We don't realise that the tables are owned by the restaurant on the other corner, not the pub, and are asked to move, so we set up on a bench and continue. Stewart is a microbiologist, has been to Australia several times, and is a marathon runner. The internet will keep us in touch if he comes to Sydney any time in the future. This is the great thing about the internet, provided you hang on to your internet address. It is almost walking distance home ,but get the bus, because we can. Walking 6kims
Fri 24h June London
DP follows the sparce clues in the Barbican, and finds the Business Library, hoping we may be able to upload the diary there (we can't), but she can use the internet so spends 2 hours on the internet finding out what she doesn't want to know about Pakistan, namely that the Australian Government has a warning not to go there unless absolutely essential, because of intelligence about there being suicide bombings planned. Later check that is the same as the warning for Bali and Indonesia. Note there are no warnings for Spain, even though they've had the worst bombing (apart from Iraq) in the last twleve month. Gets more groceries, including another cheap chicken, then manages to get into our building without the electronic key. MP goes looking for a way to duplicate our photo CD's. First call is at Easy Everything at Trafalgar square. They have £2/hour current rates, £3.5 day passes, USB ports, but no way to cut CD's. Takes 23 bus to Paddington Station, where Reload have all the facilities, but want £5 per CD, plus computer time at £2 per hour. Just up the road, they offer £5 per photo CD, but can't do it today. Check out another place in Edgeware Rd, but can't cut CD's. Is heading for Angel, Islington, where Cyber Gallery says it can cut CD's for £1 a disc, plus £15 per hour computer time. Changing buses at Angel, he walks past a Cyber Cafe, where they can copy for £1 per disc, plus £2, plus computer time at £1 per hour, but, unfortunately, don't have any discs. MP walks around the market, then tries Woolworths, who can do a 10 pack of RW discs for £10.
It takes about 1.hour 40 minutes, but we end up with 6 duplicates, plus one new disc, and it's duplicate for £14, not too bad considering the alternatives, but still have to find a post office big enough to send an overseas parcel.
Have tea from the new provisions, watch a lot of Wimbledon (this is the first week of Wimbledon - consequently the heatwave is over, and Wimbledon was abandoned early due to rain), so watch lots of crappy BBC programmes. Walking 18kms
Sat 25th June London
DP to internet, after a bad night's sleep thinking about what to do to avoid Islamabad. Finally come up with the idea that we'll get a taxi from the airport straight to the bus station at Rawalpindi (the older part of the dual city). MP walks the streets looking for a post office around Moorgate as advised in the library. After almost giving up, finds a decent sized post office tucked out of the way in a desert area, but it is closed. Check out the replacement in the Spar mini-market, but it is tiny, and closed. Goes back to the PO, records the addresses of other PO's, Back to see DP who gets kicked off the internet, so catch a 100 bus across Blackfriars Bridge to the New Tate Gallery. The weather has turned pretty bitter, so we are pleased to be able to spend time in the "free" gallery. Were probably supposed to check our bags in the £2 check room, but managed to get away with it in the two free galleries upstairs.
There were some interesting exhibits, particularly in the culture and installation displays. A good "people recycling, or mulching display", and some interesting optical illusions.
MP pinged taking a photo of Rodin's Kiss.
The paintings were pretty ordinary, although some heavy hitters- Matisse, Dali, Sean Scully, Monet, Mark Rothko, Joseph Beuys, Jackson Pollock, Dorothea Tanning, Cy Twomby, Lucio Fontana, Warhol, and Picasso were represented.
Walk back over the Bicentennial Bridge, and wait forever for a 4 bus, inhibited by the presence of lots of London Tour buses, back to watch the 18-yearld Scotsman Murray beaten on centre court in 5 sets. Quiet night watching TV, and eating chicken. Walking 7 kms
Sun 26th June London
Late start. Do diary and kill time till it is time to meet Joan (from the Lonely Planet Older Traveller's website) at Old Street underground at 3 pm. Get there to find a multiplicity of exits. DP waits at the turnstile and Joan shows up just after 3. Take a while to find the right exit, then walk down City Road to Wesley Chapel, which is not open, then across the road to the Bunhill Fields burial ground for nonconformists, who couldn't be buried on C of E consecrated ground. Some heavy hitters there, including John Bunyan, Daniel Defoe, and others in tombs accessible to the general public. Interesting discussion on the restrictions placed on non-C of E in education and public life in the past. Other gravestones are behind steel picket fences. Walk down through the Barbican centre and a lot of places we have covered, but the Postman's garden is new, as is the wall of plaques to ordinary people who died trying to ave someone else. Quite touching, the number of small boys drowned trying to save their smaller brother
See inside the seemingly small, tucked-away church we looked at previously (St Bartholomew-the-Great?). It is surprisingly large and ornate inside, but almost totally undecorated.
After all the walking, look for a "thirst repair shop" in the market at Smithfield, but now only wholesale meat, with some facilities for the workers during the week. Plaques describe the change in supply from the Commonwealth to EEC, a reminder of just how much trade we lost in this process.
Find an old pub close by for halves of someone's "Chicken, or Hen" beer. Room temperature, only fair, but have a second while DP has a big glass of "Hellfire Bay"(?) red from WA. Decide on food, and Joan suggests a basic Chineesie in Soho so we plot a course for the bus route, getting lot in the process, but finding the Holborn Viaduct, a very fancy piece of iron bridge building, and get a #8 to Oxford Circus. Joan walks us through the quite interesting Soho back streets, including the sleazy areas, with what is left of Paul Raymond's Revue, from the '70's The restaurant is a mass production basic Chinese, on several levels, but is quite OK,and we get out for £7 a head including tea and tip.
Joan has to work tomorrow, so leave her at the restaurant and walk through more of Soh. Find Leicester Square, but it is being packed up, and the free theatre exhibition is finished. By chance walk to a large monumental building near Covent Garden, which turns out to be the Grand Lodge, which we have seen on TV recently, together with debates on Masonic beliefs and practices. Walk Drury Lane, then to the Covent Garden Market building, with cafes and buskers, then down to the Strand to get a series of buses home in the chilly evening. More ordinary TV, MP to bed early, DP watches ITV's 50 year self celebration. Walking 9.6 kms
Mon 27th June London
Another late start. DP to the library to internet, MP walking up to Old street Post Office to sort out the intricacies of posting articles back to Australia. They don't have any cardboard boxes, only post packs, so needs two, plus 4 times through the queue. Nearly get the second, smaller pack sent Airmail, but get them away, addressed to Dianne and Adam, with MP the sender, all for less than £10, including the computer discs, Spanish books, the monstered sections of the Eastern Europe guide book, and various pamphlets, city maps, and the underwater camera from the Galapagos. Hopefully we will be there in 8 weeks when it is due to turn up.
Back to thel libary to meet Dianne, then get some fresh French bread and other supplies, and home for lunch. Get waylaid for a while watching Lleyton Hewitt playing in the 4th (or was it 3rd round) of Wimbledon. Out before it finishes to organise some more Traveller's cheques as our reading suggests that Pakistan doesn't have many ATM machines, or even banks, where we are going.
After this, Murray heads for the Science Museum, and Dianne into the city to look around, and find an internet to upload the diary.
