I awoke on Sunday August 17th around six am and before I set off for London around eleven am. It was to become a day not only different from my intention before commencing trip, but also different from that which I proposed for myself as I watched Britain's successes at the Olympic games.
The revised plan was to take the train to Victoria and then if as expected the Jubilee line was closed going Eastwards, take the river boat to North Greenwich from the Embankment travelling by way of the circle or district line. The plan was executed and arriving at the pier I was advised to pay when on board joining was a comparatively small queue for the Thames Clipper. There was a bigger boat than the clippers moored at the top end of the pier so that other vessels had to truck in behind adding to the time taken to moor and then to cast off. A bus travelling passed the houses of Parliament towards Richmond and Kingston arrived although I did not note the direction it took as it left. A Thames clipper was noted going directly on its way towards Waterloo without stopping and the notice board stated that the service had been cancelled as the boar was going out of service reminding of what happened on my trip from North Greenwich to Waterloo when fortunately two cruisers had arrived at the same time and I had taken the second had been able to get a seat at the open end at the rear from where I was able to take photos.
As the queue was developing behind my position and without any guarantee that there would be two boats as before I decided to show flexibility and adaptability by returning to the underground and taking the district circle line onward to the joint Bank/Monument station in the City of London for the Dockland's. At Monument I had to go through a series of underground passages from one line station to another only to find the entrance to the Dockland Light Railway was closed and an adjacent notice explained that the line was closed for engineering works over the weekend. I therefore had to make my way back through the passages to exit the station where across a road there was a replacement bus services. This took me through the city to the ring road at Tower Bridge, which I suspect Americans in times past thought they were buying when the previous London Bridge was sold to them.
From the Bridge the road to the former docklands goes through a depressing mixture of local authority/former local authority estates full of uniform dwellings devoid of character intermingled with new "apartment" development and commercial enterprises. It has the appearance of an unplanned sprawl. The road is the only main road between the Blackwall tunnel under the Thames and the first bridge crossing to south east London at Tower Bridge. I noted that there was considerable traffic build up in the opposite direction.
The revised plan of the morning been to enjoy a lunch at the Dome and then go to Cineworld at East India Dock to see with Mama Mia again or the spoof spy thriller Get Smart. However by the time to buss reach the East India Dock station I had decided to find somewhere for lunch on the inner dock between Canada Wharf and East India where there was a row of restaurant bars at ground level in the wharf side building converted into apartment lofts. Although the bus pulled up by the East India station I decided to continue on to Canary Wharf where the transport was likely to fill up on the return journey. On a previous visit I forgotten that the Cinema is on the stop before Canary on the Docklands Light Railway and had continued on to a stop within sight of the Dome. Today the bus passed through the police check point for all transport into the docklands area established after the IRA bombing of the area in 1996 which marked the end of a 17 month cease fire. Only twelve years ago security surveillance remains high because of the potentially new threat to what has become a symbol of the financial wealth of new Britain and where from the Thames the skyline reminded one visiting American of New York.
I knew where to head for but before crossing the bridge stopped at the Cat and Canary pub where two of the key football matches of the day were being televised live. The first was Chelsea versus Portsmouth at one thirty. The train from East Croydon to Victoria had been the local train starting at Sutton and there had been no seats as it was full of Chelsea fans going to the game. Such were the conditions that I got off the train at Clapham and waited the three or four minutes for the train from Brighton which had twelve coaches instead of four and a choice of seats where I had the good fortune to chose one where someone had left copies of the News of the World and the Sunday People which I added to the Mail on Sunday which I had bought at the station, having also bought two Pecan Danish and a bottle of cold water at the Supermarket £1.61, £7 the train ticket and £1.50 the newspaper (222.47, 229.47, 230.97).
Although it was just before 1.30pm when I looked in at the Cat and Canary I did not see anyone eating lunch and although the weather was accelerating quickly between warm sunshine and ominous looking rain cloud, I decided to eat outside at the first restaurant Bridge, Browns part of chain, and I chose a table close to the entrance so that if it did rain I could quickly take cover. There was a scattering of other people, some just enjoying a lunchtime drink while others were tucking in to the advertise Sunday brunch of roast beef or roast chicken.
I had walked straight passed the desk near the front entrance to the open air tables and was unsure if meals were ordered inside at the bar or when a waiter had time to attend. I soon learnt that if I had waited at the desk someone would have quickly escorted to a table of choice and provide a copy of the full menu and list of available drinks £1.90 (232.87)
Only on return home did I learn that Browns first entered the good tradition British Food restaurant Industry in 1973 with its first premises in central London. There are now a over a dozen restaurants located in the capital and at major towns and cities including Bath and Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge, Brighton and Windsor.
Having asked one waitress what to do and other quickly brought me the menu although I already knew I wanted the Road Beef. To drink I settled for half of Peroni Nastro Azzurro, an increasingly popular Italian premium beer, recommended by the waiter an which I enjoyed immensely. This beer enjoyed by Italian was rebranded and marketed by Miller in 2005 and has since enjoyed an increasing share of the market. I no longer drink beer escape for an occasional bottle of the inexpensive Fosters but as they day progressed was converted.
Without prior knowledge there was no expectation about the meal £10.95 (243.82) which comprised four slices of beef and a large chunk of Yorkshire pudding and good portion of vegetables well cooked and served in gravy. Up early and with a light breakfast I was ready for the meal served around 2pm which I greatly enjoyed, especially as the rain clouds passed over and the sun was warm. I alternated between reading the papers and observing fellow diners which included a party of USA speaking Asians enjoying a long midday drink. I ended the meal with a coffee not as warm and stronger than I like £1.90 (245.72) with tip £2 (247.72). I continue to relax. Read and observe until 3pm when I decided it was time to adjourn to the Cat and canary to find a place for a match between Manchester United and Newcastle at 4 pm with the preliminaries at 3.30.
The first thing that struck me was that a number of people were eating meals outside on the wide veranda overlooking the East India basin. The second was that almost every table and chair was occupied but I did find one in the far corner under a large screen TV which involved a stretch of the neck. Before settling down to watch the end of the match which Chelsea were winning 3.0 against Portsmouth, I visited the Gentleman's and bought by second half of Peroni which was around £1.90 (249.62) Shortly after I returned a terrific goal completed the route 4.0 scored by someone who I believe is a new player called Decco. England's team member Peter Crouch played his first Premiership game for Portsmouth after transfer from Liverpool.
The end of this match resulted in some of the audience leaving and I was able to move to a leather arm chair in an ideal location to view the next game without it be a strain on the neck. I had cautiously bought half a pint because if Manchester scored earlier and it looked a if Newcastle was not at the races I would return to Croydon to watch television and write. I was not yet switched on the football season with the Olympics and the County Cricket Championships my principal interests.
Oh ye of little faith. It was a very good game to watch where Newcastle were the better team overall but where both sides could have won had all the chances been taken and where the 1.1 final score was about right. Both teams were without key players, For Newcastle Own and Viduka were absentees, and where there is continued speculation that Owen unhappy at being asked to take a pay cut is looking to move. Manchester had Ronaldo injured on the bench but where he wants to move to Real Madrid. I was most impressed by Jonas Gutierrez the Argentinean midfield winger who had moved from Real Madrid. In the twenty second minute Martens who led the line on his own hit a bullet header which Var de sar had no hope of stopping. Unfortunately with Taylor off the field receiving treatment Manchester equalised within a minute and despite various opportunities both sides failed to score again. Given that last season Newcastle lost 6.0 the result is a good omen. Enjoying the start of the game I was confident that the rest would be worth watching so I bought my second pint with some plain crisps £4.60 (254.12). The result was so encouraging that I decided that I would try and attend a live game as soon as it was possible to do so. It had been a very enjoyable afternoon, which was just as well given the difficulty I then getting back to central London, At first it looked as if he the dockland railway had recommenced but this was to further on rather than going into London. As soon as the bus turned into the main road towards Tower bridge I was relieved to have found a seat as for over an hour we inched our way a few yards and then stopping. It was hot and boring and tempers in the bus were frayed as the journey progressed.
On arrival at Bank, eventually it was cold but not raining and I quickly made by way to London bridge, the Bridge, crossed over the Thames where visitors was stopping to have their photos against the Tower Bridge and with HMS Belfast to one side. At London Bridge, the station, I was able to get onboard the train to Brighton which was in station but where there was another twenty minutes before departure time. During the football I had eaten the Danish and I was looking forward to having something more, forgetting that on Sunday the supermarket would have closed early. I and to make do with a soup but this proved adequate. I lay on the bed to watch the Andrew Marr programmes at 9 and then at ten, started the nine o'clock but woke again around 10. This was a signal to get into bed for the night which I did and was soon asleep.
On one hand all I had done was have a roast Sunday lunch and watched a football match on television, something I could easily have done at home without much of the expense and without the time and hassle of the travelling. Yet I still consider that I had a very good day which fitted into the rest of mini break and where the unique aspects was enjoying a meal in the open air, reading newspapers and observing life around for some two hours. I made no effort to pack until the following day.
The revised plan was to take the train to Victoria and then if as expected the Jubilee line was closed going Eastwards, take the river boat to North Greenwich from the Embankment travelling by way of the circle or district line. The plan was executed and arriving at the pier I was advised to pay when on board joining was a comparatively small queue for the Thames Clipper. There was a bigger boat than the clippers moored at the top end of the pier so that other vessels had to truck in behind adding to the time taken to moor and then to cast off. A bus travelling passed the houses of Parliament towards Richmond and Kingston arrived although I did not note the direction it took as it left. A Thames clipper was noted going directly on its way towards Waterloo without stopping and the notice board stated that the service had been cancelled as the boar was going out of service reminding of what happened on my trip from North Greenwich to Waterloo when fortunately two cruisers had arrived at the same time and I had taken the second had been able to get a seat at the open end at the rear from where I was able to take photos.
As the queue was developing behind my position and without any guarantee that there would be two boats as before I decided to show flexibility and adaptability by returning to the underground and taking the district circle line onward to the joint Bank/Monument station in the City of London for the Dockland's. At Monument I had to go through a series of underground passages from one line station to another only to find the entrance to the Dockland Light Railway was closed and an adjacent notice explained that the line was closed for engineering works over the weekend. I therefore had to make my way back through the passages to exit the station where across a road there was a replacement bus services. This took me through the city to the ring road at Tower Bridge, which I suspect Americans in times past thought they were buying when the previous London Bridge was sold to them.
From the Bridge the road to the former docklands goes through a depressing mixture of local authority/former local authority estates full of uniform dwellings devoid of character intermingled with new "apartment" development and commercial enterprises. It has the appearance of an unplanned sprawl. The road is the only main road between the Blackwall tunnel under the Thames and the first bridge crossing to south east London at Tower Bridge. I noted that there was considerable traffic build up in the opposite direction.
The revised plan of the morning been to enjoy a lunch at the Dome and then go to Cineworld at East India Dock to see with Mama Mia again or the spoof spy thriller Get Smart. However by the time to buss reach the East India Dock station I had decided to find somewhere for lunch on the inner dock between Canada Wharf and East India where there was a row of restaurant bars at ground level in the wharf side building converted into apartment lofts. Although the bus pulled up by the East India station I decided to continue on to Canary Wharf where the transport was likely to fill up on the return journey. On a previous visit I forgotten that the Cinema is on the stop before Canary on the Docklands Light Railway and had continued on to a stop within sight of the Dome. Today the bus passed through the police check point for all transport into the docklands area established after the IRA bombing of the area in 1996 which marked the end of a 17 month cease fire. Only twelve years ago security surveillance remains high because of the potentially new threat to what has become a symbol of the financial wealth of new Britain and where from the Thames the skyline reminded one visiting American of New York.
I knew where to head for but before crossing the bridge stopped at the Cat and Canary pub where two of the key football matches of the day were being televised live. The first was Chelsea versus Portsmouth at one thirty. The train from East Croydon to Victoria had been the local train starting at Sutton and there had been no seats as it was full of Chelsea fans going to the game. Such were the conditions that I got off the train at Clapham and waited the three or four minutes for the train from Brighton which had twelve coaches instead of four and a choice of seats where I had the good fortune to chose one where someone had left copies of the News of the World and the Sunday People which I added to the Mail on Sunday which I had bought at the station, having also bought two Pecan Danish and a bottle of cold water at the Supermarket £1.61, £7 the train ticket and £1.50 the newspaper (222.47, 229.47, 230.97).
Although it was just before 1.30pm when I looked in at the Cat and Canary I did not see anyone eating lunch and although the weather was accelerating quickly between warm sunshine and ominous looking rain cloud, I decided to eat outside at the first restaurant Bridge, Browns part of chain, and I chose a table close to the entrance so that if it did rain I could quickly take cover. There was a scattering of other people, some just enjoying a lunchtime drink while others were tucking in to the advertise Sunday brunch of roast beef or roast chicken.
I had walked straight passed the desk near the front entrance to the open air tables and was unsure if meals were ordered inside at the bar or when a waiter had time to attend. I soon learnt that if I had waited at the desk someone would have quickly escorted to a table of choice and provide a copy of the full menu and list of available drinks £1.90 (232.87)
Only on return home did I learn that Browns first entered the good tradition British Food restaurant Industry in 1973 with its first premises in central London. There are now a over a dozen restaurants located in the capital and at major towns and cities including Bath and Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge, Brighton and Windsor.
Having asked one waitress what to do and other quickly brought me the menu although I already knew I wanted the Road Beef. To drink I settled for half of Peroni Nastro Azzurro, an increasingly popular Italian premium beer, recommended by the waiter an which I enjoyed immensely. This beer enjoyed by Italian was rebranded and marketed by Miller in 2005 and has since enjoyed an increasing share of the market. I no longer drink beer escape for an occasional bottle of the inexpensive Fosters but as they day progressed was converted.
Without prior knowledge there was no expectation about the meal £10.95 (243.82) which comprised four slices of beef and a large chunk of Yorkshire pudding and good portion of vegetables well cooked and served in gravy. Up early and with a light breakfast I was ready for the meal served around 2pm which I greatly enjoyed, especially as the rain clouds passed over and the sun was warm. I alternated between reading the papers and observing fellow diners which included a party of USA speaking Asians enjoying a long midday drink. I ended the meal with a coffee not as warm and stronger than I like £1.90 (245.72) with tip £2 (247.72). I continue to relax. Read and observe until 3pm when I decided it was time to adjourn to the Cat and canary to find a place for a match between Manchester United and Newcastle at 4 pm with the preliminaries at 3.30.
The first thing that struck me was that a number of people were eating meals outside on the wide veranda overlooking the East India basin. The second was that almost every table and chair was occupied but I did find one in the far corner under a large screen TV which involved a stretch of the neck. Before settling down to watch the end of the match which Chelsea were winning 3.0 against Portsmouth, I visited the Gentleman's and bought by second half of Peroni which was around £1.90 (249.62) Shortly after I returned a terrific goal completed the route 4.0 scored by someone who I believe is a new player called Decco. England's team member Peter Crouch played his first Premiership game for Portsmouth after transfer from Liverpool.
The end of this match resulted in some of the audience leaving and I was able to move to a leather arm chair in an ideal location to view the next game without it be a strain on the neck. I had cautiously bought half a pint because if Manchester scored earlier and it looked a if Newcastle was not at the races I would return to Croydon to watch television and write. I was not yet switched on the football season with the Olympics and the County Cricket Championships my principal interests.
Oh ye of little faith. It was a very good game to watch where Newcastle were the better team overall but where both sides could have won had all the chances been taken and where the 1.1 final score was about right. Both teams were without key players, For Newcastle Own and Viduka were absentees, and where there is continued speculation that Owen unhappy at being asked to take a pay cut is looking to move. Manchester had Ronaldo injured on the bench but where he wants to move to Real Madrid. I was most impressed by Jonas Gutierrez the Argentinean midfield winger who had moved from Real Madrid. In the twenty second minute Martens who led the line on his own hit a bullet header which Var de sar had no hope of stopping. Unfortunately with Taylor off the field receiving treatment Manchester equalised within a minute and despite various opportunities both sides failed to score again. Given that last season Newcastle lost 6.0 the result is a good omen. Enjoying the start of the game I was confident that the rest would be worth watching so I bought my second pint with some plain crisps £4.60 (254.12). The result was so encouraging that I decided that I would try and attend a live game as soon as it was possible to do so. It had been a very enjoyable afternoon, which was just as well given the difficulty I then getting back to central London, At first it looked as if he the dockland railway had recommenced but this was to further on rather than going into London. As soon as the bus turned into the main road towards Tower bridge I was relieved to have found a seat as for over an hour we inched our way a few yards and then stopping. It was hot and boring and tempers in the bus were frayed as the journey progressed.
On arrival at Bank, eventually it was cold but not raining and I quickly made by way to London bridge, the Bridge, crossed over the Thames where visitors was stopping to have their photos against the Tower Bridge and with HMS Belfast to one side. At London Bridge, the station, I was able to get onboard the train to Brighton which was in station but where there was another twenty minutes before departure time. During the football I had eaten the Danish and I was looking forward to having something more, forgetting that on Sunday the supermarket would have closed early. I and to make do with a soup but this proved adequate. I lay on the bed to watch the Andrew Marr programmes at 9 and then at ten, started the nine o'clock but woke again around 10. This was a signal to get into bed for the night which I did and was soon asleep.
On one hand all I had done was have a roast Sunday lunch and watched a football match on television, something I could easily have done at home without much of the expense and without the time and hassle of the travelling. Yet I still consider that I had a very good day which fitted into the rest of mini break and where the unique aspects was enjoying a meal in the open air, reading newspapers and observing life around for some two hours. I made no effort to pack until the following day.
No comments:
Post a Comment