Home Town Tourist

Wow, what a weekend!

Colin's Dad, Stepmum and Stepbrother were over from Germany for a few days, so we met up with them in London. We drove down on Friday night to my Mum's, and after the agonising process of trying to get a very excited six year old to get into his bed (at midnight!) and stay there and go to sleep, I was exhausted when I got out of bed on Saturday morning, even though I'd slept like a log.

We were on a train to Liverpool Street just after 9.00 am, and got to Piccadilly, where the Outlaws (plus a couple of their friends) were staying, at 10.00 am. Oh, it was so good to see them again! We started off with giving them their Christmas presents - the Wisp wrap I knitted for Andrea went down very very well, but sadly (as I suspected) the beanie hat I knitted for Robert was a disaster. I could've done with making it another inch or two longer for starters. However, I didn't block it, but I suspect that Andrea will block the life out of it when they get home. Anyway, even if he only wears it when he's in his workshop it will have been worth the effort (and I think he appreciated the thought anyway).

We wandered over to Caffe Nero for a coffee while we waited for Dominik (Andrea's eldest son who is studying in London and living in a residential hall across the road from the Hotel) - a much needed cappuccino woke me up nicely - and then we made our way to the bus stop to get a bus to Camden Town. Luckily we'd bought one day travelcards (supercheap thanks to my Family Railcard), and we were able to use them on the bus. I must admit it was a bit of a novelty getting on a bus, as that's something I very rarely do, though I know I should leave the car at home more often.

So, Camden. Shockingly enough, as a Londoner I had to admit that I had never been there before - but I loved it. Camden High Street was vibrant and bustling, with lots of what Sean said were my sorts of shops - gothy/punky clothing stores, with lots of DMs on display and really just the sort of clothes that my body would love to wear (but sadly, as my body is now in its 40s it appears I am well past the stage when I can dress like that). Eventually our wanderings brought us to Camden Lock and the market ... oh wow, was I impressed! There were lots of great little shops and stalls in what seemed to be a labyrinth around the canal lock. I treated myself to three fabulous photographic prints showing scenes of London - the Thames, with the London Eye on one side and County Hall on the other; Piccadilly Circus; and a very dramatic shot of Tower Bridge. I have been looking for the perfect picture(s) to hang in the living room for a whole year, and as soon as I saw the photo of the London Eye I knew it was what I'd been looking for. Of course, framing them is going to cost a fortune, but it will be worth it. Wandering outside again, we were hit with the extreme cold (I read in the newspaper today that it reached -5 yesterday, and I can well believe it), so we went off in search of coffee. Robert and Andrea have been to Camden Market many times before, so knew where to go for coffee, but sadly it was shut. On the way across to a little tea shop, I misjudged a set of two steps (I saw the bottom one but not the top one, bizarrely enough), and twisted my ankle. Actually, I think I must have done something to my knee too, as I can't weight bear on it today. Anyway, a cup of coffee warmed us all up a bit, and as it was now early afternoon we headed off for lunch. They had this great Chinese place in the market, where they will fill a foil container (like your takeaways come in) with a mix of Chinese food, at just £4 for the small one, or £5 for a large container. I wasn't over hungry so I just had a small one, which was more than enough.

After lunch we decided to go to Covent Garden, and so set off for the bus again. I'm not quite sure what happened, but we ended up at Whitehall, outside the Household Cavalry Museum. Ethan was fascinated with the guards on horseback, but the main concern in my mind was that they must have been freezing - it was, after all, really brass monkey weather. My second thought was how patient those horses are, to just be standing there for hours on end.



I was keen to take pictures here, as my Grandma's eldest brother, Frank, was in the Royal Irish Horse Guards back in the time of WW1. As you can see, the headgear has not changed at all. If we'd had time, I would have loved to have gone in the Museum to have a good look around, but it's something that will have to wait for next time.

Anyway, we were all freezing to death, so we hotfooted it back up towards Trafalgar Square, for the warmth of the Cafe in the Crypt. It was good to warm up again with a nice drink. When we left there, it was dark, and it was on to the next bus to head to Regent Street, where we had a wander around the National Geographic Museum - they had a thermal imaging booth in there that blew very cold air, and you could see the effects. The kids couldn't wait to get in there, as you can see! It's not a very good photo (given that it was taken through a glass screen), but you get the general idea.

Next we visited Hamleys Toy Shop. We seemed to be in there for hours. I cannot tell you just how much I hate that shop. But of course Ethan loved it and wanted every toy he looked at. He took a real shine to a battery operated bubble machine which spewed out hordes of lovely rainbow coloured bubbles ... naturally the price befit the Regent Street status of the shop - a mere £14.99 - no way was I buying one of those (Ethan would have it in pieces within hours, believe me), but one of the shop assistants, who was playing with two of them, gave one to Ethan to play with in the shop, and he seemed quite happy to play with it for five minutes and then give it back (thankfully).

As you can imagine, by the time we left Hamleys (around 6.30 pm), we had all been frozen all day, we had walked miles and no doubt everyone else was as knackered as I was (or maybe not, who knows). Again we hopped on a bus, heading in the direction of Liverpool Street. As I explained several times during the day, when you live and work in London you tend to hop on the tube to get everywhere, and hence you don't see the wonders above ground. I was awestruck once again (the last time being when I came down for MCLOSA in November) at the majestic beauty of my home town, and admit to a twinge or two of homesickness. During our bus journey I was able to point out several landmarks to Colin - Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, St Pauls etc etc etc. Once at Liverpool Street we had a good long stroll to Brick Lane, where we were planning on having dinner.

If you've never been to Brick Lane (I hadn't), you would honestly find it a real experience. The whole street is lined with Indian/Bangladeshi restaurants. That in itself is not an unusual occurrence (there are lots of streets in Birmingham that are also lined with fab Indian restaurants) ... what I found incredible was that we were accosted outside each restaurant by someone trying to persuade us to eat there, offering us free drinks and discounts and suchlike. After walking up and down the street we finally settled on a place that offered us a free round of drinks and dinner at £10 a head, including any starter, main course and rice or nan dish on their menu. We decided that was a much better option than somewhere offering a discount (as their prices were probably over inflated to start with). Once we were seated the proprieters upped the offer to give us two free drinks each (the restaurant was empty when we went in). We had a lovely meal - I had tandoori fish for starters, and lamb pasanda with pilau rice for my main course, and a couple of beers. The pasanda sauce was delicious, but unfortunately the lamb was tough as old boots, which was a shame.

Finally we started to make our way back ... Julian and Dominik went off to get the bus, and the rest of us were planning on getting the tube, as Sandra (one of Robert and Andrea's friends) wasn't feeling very well and we thought the tube would be a quicker way of getting back to their Hotel. So off we set in the direction that Andrea thought was the way to Aldgate tube station. Ethan was too busy looking everywhere but in front of him, holding my hand, and walked straight into a lamppost, poor little love. Shortly afterwards, we asked someone where the nearest tube was and were told that Liverpool Street was just down the road, so we headed off in that direction. Ethan needed the loo and was desperate by the time we got to the station. Sean took him off to the loo, only to dash back to tell us that you couldn't get in without 40 p ... then five minutes later they were back, though unfortunately Ethan really had been desperate and had had an accident. He was crying his eyes out, poor little man, and so that heralded the end of our night (we had been planning on going back to the Hotel for drinkies). After an emotional goodbye, we jumped onto a train bound for Chingford and Mum's house.

My lovely Mum had a bath waiting for Ethan when we finally got home, and after he'd been bathed and was all warmed up he felt a lot better. It was midnight again before we got to bed. My ankles were really aching and I was shattered - and I haven't felt much different today either. I am totally exhausted, which just proves how unfit I am - and with my knee being so painful I'm not really a happy Katie. BUT we had a fabulous day yesterday - even Colin enjoyed every minute, and he is not one for shopping of any description.

So it's well past midnight now again, and I have to get up for work tomorrow. Plus it is cold here and I will be warmer once I have snuggled up under my duvet.

Laters!