Let me take you back in time.....
to a time altogether much warmer than now...
...all the way back to October 2009
We dashed over to London for a very brief weekend (as we Europeans do (though most don't)) to catch up with our mate Chooka for 1 whole day! as he was in passing by London also very briefly as part of his whirlwind work-tour of Europe.
Brief it was, but great.
I hadn't been to London since i was a kid when my family and I were stranded there for a week... unable to catch our flight either to or from Spain...and having to go to Heathrow every day just on the off-chance we could fly out that day... I don't remember much though...all i really remember is Trafalgar Square complete with pigeons (which are no longer there! why, oh why??), Sitting in Hyde Park- very nice, seeing Punks (very exciting) and sadly, what is most imprinted on my memory - the appalling breakfast buffets in the hotel with mountains of aparantly edible food piled high as the eye could see....rubber fried eggs slipping and sliding off each other from the top of one mountain, and next to it another similarly high mountain of watery stomach-churning scrambled eggs... no doubt there were other such mountains of bacon and black pudding and the like... but I must have stopped recording these images as well as eating...
Of Course, things have improved enormously since those dark days of the early 80's... and in our b&b where we stayed this time... we were treated to a very nice breakfast.
Ivan had been to London more recently than myself... but he's not here to tell his story, just me.
So... There we met Chooka and spend 1 whole day together in London checking out the sights.
I was really amazed just how many people live and visit London.. It was overwhelming.. people e-ver-y-where. Perhaps, just a tad confrontational for the crowd-loving person that I am.
Looking back at the photos it was a coldish weekend but the sun was shining.
First up: Trafalgar Square.... Nelson's column and Mounting the Lion
Other sights..
Westminster Abbey (far too expensive to contemplate actually going inside)
Some big gates, and a guard.
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L-R : Big Ben, The London Eye and the Thames
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On a bridge over the Thames, near the Tate Modern
On our second day in London, after farewelling Chooka, we took ourselves off to
Campden Market and a
cruise in a canal boat.
Absolutely fantastic, both the market (amazing) and the canal trip (lovely)... Unfortunately we discovered the canal boat trip thing too late for Chooka to join us, although he would have loved it soo! A perfect contrast to the busy city-sight seeing of the previous day... and all together way better than the rather disappointing Notting Hill which we visited the with Chooka in an attempt to do something leisurely in the afternoon...
But Camden Market and the Canals are still there for next time... and are a real must if you haven't been before!! highly recommended. The boat took us through 1 lock too.. very vintage-cool. There we sat in our canal boat b/w 2 locks, waiting for the water level to rise... It all happened a lot slower than what i imagined, but every moment was quite exciting just the same.
The food stalls at the market were awesome, so much delicious food from all over the globe... yum! and then inside the market place (an old horse market)... Amazing... an antique/junk/bric a brac/vintage market of household goods, memorabilia, jewellery, art and clothing, the lot! a really amazing place.
Maybe next time, Chooka.
Here are the pics: Camden market, having a coffee by the canal, our boat the Jenny Wren
There's no place like home!
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Christmas day lunch with the Williamses at Ivan's Parent's house
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