London so far
Thursday, September 29, 2005, 04:50 AM
Friday 23rd September 2005
After a good feed and some last minute panicking we’re on our way.
There’s nothing left in the fridge that I know of, but if there’s anything living in the fridge it should make friends with what’s living in the dishwasher.
Scott gave me an early birthday present of a Nintendo DS with the Nintendogs game. Spent roughly an hour with various names and intonations ranging from Boris and Bob through to BASTARD. Gave up in frustration. Now have to rename puppy for a more user friendly name or at least one I can say in public.
8 hours to Singapore. Completely knackered.
Transit hotel reasonably decent, all free stuff nicked.
Saturday 24th September
Aargh. It’s the same film selection from yesterday, I knew I shouldn’t have watched all the good telly and movies yesterday. Good thing Christopher Eccleston has re-watching value.
The guy sitting next to Scott’s from Bedfordshire too, someplace called Fiddick.
12 and a half hours to London. I’m sure they crank up the temperature after you eat to make you extra sleepy.
Resorted to doing sudoku puzzles and playing all the mini games in Super Mario bros.
Arrive in London about 45mins early, but still have to sit on the runway as there’s a plane blocking our gate.
Ah the immigration queue. My being a UK citizen paid off for something, I don’t think the girl on the desk even opened my passport much less look at the photo. An hour later I have all our bags, changed currency, a bottle of water and more sudoku puzzles. Scott’s still in the queue for immigration. That’ll serve him for not having a proper passport like me.
Sleepy and jetlagged we jumped into a black minicab (like the ones on telly) and head off into the night to Fulham.
Sunday 25th September
Yay our first day in London. Plenty of exploring to be done.
Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament basically summed up my first impression of London. Very grateful to have scored those travel cards from ebay.
Breakfast in true first day style at Maccas.
Westminster Abbey closed today being Sunday.
Went into the Cabinet War Rooms and Churchill museum, the rooms were really interesting with most left exactly the way they were left at the end of World War Two. Right down to the scramblers and the BBC signal room. Very useful audio commentary on a phone-like device.
The Churchill museum full of intriguing tidbits of Winston Churchill’s life story – from playing with toy soldiers as a boy through to his state funeral. Lots of interactive things to play with and loads to see.
Scott showed me where his work is.
Got semi-lost in the back streets around the houses of parliament trying to find Number 10. Downing st. Still haven’t found it.
Brief respite in Hyde Park near Speakers corner. Finally something I can identify with – people up on their soapboxes having a good rant. The Catholic Evidence Guild continues to mystify me. Miffed to pay four quid for a cheese sandwich in a box.
Rounded off the day with a trip to the chippy. Finally a decent fried chip. Sydney has a lot to learn about frying potatoes.
Monday 26th September
Met up with Savyn from Scott’s work today, lovely friendly big guy. Second day in London and already I’ve been kissed by a strange guy. Twice! Well four times. I’m liking these odds if today’s anything to go by :) Starbucks staff were confused by Scott’s request for a flat white. You’d think some things were universally enforced, like Starbucks coffee terminology!
Brief stop in the British museum to see the Rosetta stone, crowded around like the other tourists and barely got a glimpse of the thing. Broke the first rule of inexpensive dining and went into a ‘traditional’ English pub aptly named the Museum Tavern. I think I was the only female in there besides the bargirl. Very decent Greek salad to be had.
Got semi-lost in Covent garden/Soho
Southwark side of the Thames.
Tate Modern Gallery, highly educational spot full of modern works of art. Some Andy Warhol. Carried further along the Thames and the Southwark cathedral – one of the oldest churches in English Christendom.
The back streets on this side of the river remind you of England’s olden times and reaffirm that London is indeed the place that the history comes from. Avoided the Surgical history museum
Walked around and over the Tower bridge, not completely over the top but along the roadside with all the other tourists.
Tried again to get inside Westminster Abbey, made it there just after it closed.
Tuesday 27th September
Scott wasn’t feeling too crash hot today so stayed indoors and made me explore London on my own. Didn’t do too badly, I got as lost as we did yesterday without too much effort. Getting a good appreciation of the tube system.
Went wandering around Kensington gardens, a bonza park with loads of walkways and fountains and an abundance of squirrels. A goose decided to chase me but lost interest when I displayed my lack of bread. I think this may be my new favorite chill out place. Room for everyone to relax and chill out but yet swarming with squirrels and life. Just an extra happy place to be.
So many squirrels! Every way you looked there was a pair of them rummaging through the grass for nuts. One took a decided interest in my shoelaces as I bent to tie them from a vantage point of a foot in front of me but quickly thought better of attempting to liberate them. Squirrels are brilliant. Wandered some more through the park and ended out on the south side of Paddington. Missing two tube stations I got back into Notting Hill gate and out at Knightsbridge. Harrods is really easy to get lost in and especially hard to get out of. Without digging an escape tunnel I made it out and hotfooted it over to Tottenham Court rd and the British museum. The museum was full of school kids on a trip and loads of tourists with beeping digital cameras. The beep got to be really annoying but had to find solace in the fact that the beep drains the battery really fast so it wouldn’t be too long before they’d run out of photo taking ability. Had a reasonable squizz at the Islamic, Egyptian, European and Roman Britain exhibits.
Briefly investigated the shops on Tottenham court rd and realized that their merchandise was far too similar to the crap they sell on Queen st. Luckily a purchase wasn’t required to figure this one out.
Wednesday 28th September
Took the tube out to St John’s wood and Abbey road. You’d think this place would be a little more special, being the studios for the Beatles album of the same name. Pedestrian crossing is right where you’d expect it. Wall in front of the studios is covered in many layers of white paint where they’d painted over last week’s signatures.
Need to be well arty and well moneyed to live in this area.
Headed over to Baker st and passed the Sherlock Holmes statue. Pretty sure there are many Americans that believe this guy actually existed and was not simply a made up character.
Madame Tussauds was very fun. Celebrities and historical figures everywhere with people standing around getting their photos taken. Often difficult to figure out who was a waxwork and who was a real person. Could be fun to strike a pose in there and remain completely still and see how many people you could fool. A couple of figures were situated at tables in the café which made it even more difficult, unless you were quite accustomed to having coffee with Ken Livingstone.
Paid the extra 2.50 to go into the Serial Killers area. Both of us shrieked like little girls when walking through the dark corridors only to find dressed up actors right in your face and attempting to touch you. Scott kept wanting me to walk in front of him and I wanted Scott to go first. Very scary and even a little nauseous.
The spirit of London ride was also fun, taking you through a wax history of London.
The planetarium wasn’t as good as it could have been, it started promisingly like the Rainbow’s End Cinema 180degrees. Then it got educational about space.
Third attempt to see inside Westminster Abbey, no further attempts to be made once it was discovered that they wanted money for the privilege.
Met up with Paul F from Scott’s work and hung out at an Italian café on one of the pavements in Soho.
A homeless bloke came up to our café table and asked us for money to buy drugs. At least he was honest.
Wandered over to Leicester square and found the half price ticket booth for the West End shows – duly noted for later. Very trendy and arty place to be. Probably good shopping to be had also.
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( 3 / 702 )The Guard Announcement
Friday, August 12, 2005, 07:44 AM
"Please stand well behind the yellow line after leaving the train. Also remember not to leave any personal behind"
My personal behind is firmly attached and thank goodness for that!
I should be rather concerned if it were suddenly no longer attached.
The unexpected roominess in my trousers would be a dead giveaway.
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( 3 / 683 )These are the people in my neighbourhood
Friday, August 12, 2005, 07:42 AM
Miss Stampy Dance.
Every day she approaches the bus stop clad in what must be the same outfit. Brown jacket and Jeans. Walks the full length of the bus shelter and out the other side. I'm not sure the purpose of the stampy dance, whether its to get warm on a frosty morning or to limbering up for the half hour bus ride ahead.
Left leg, stamp, stamp, bending knee to get heigh, stamp stamp. Repeat for right leg.
The other waiting commuters do not know what to make of this and all just stare at the performance. What's extra strange is the beat to which she does the Stampy dance. There's a definite beat and rhythm but how this is determined without any form of music, is a poser.
Miss Stampy Dance has a friend also similarly clad in jeans and jacket. I think I'll name her Daddy's girl, due to the prominence of these words on her bag. Pity the woman must be over 40.
Daddy's girl's daily habit is performed 5 minutes before the bus arrives, clearing her throat and expelling the result into the bush next to the shelter. I don't want to imagine what that bush must contain now, seeing as Daddy's Girl has been catching my bus for at least the last six months.
Then there's the Good Morning lady. Upon arriving at the stop she proceeds to wish everybody a 'Good Morning' in a cheery voice. I ususally make some kind of grunt in return, being not an active people person at 6.50a.m Once on the bus the removal of scarf and gloves are in order. Then the application of a vile scented hand cream from a conveniently sized bottle. This happens daily and in that order.
Ahh the banking pair. Not a lot to be said about these two as they haven't really annoyed me yet. The occasional irritance of talking loudly on cellphones about the latest market movement, but that's about it. The first one looks exactly like how you'd imagine a bank teller to look, the other like she swallowed a telly or something as she has a very square upperbody. Nobody has told her that shoulder pads do nothing to help.
Miss 2 Stop is my current pet peeve. Has to be the most annoying on the Inbound commute. She lives in my building but gets to the stop roughly 5 minutes before me, so usually around 6.50am. Note the timing. Bus is due at 6.59am and is often a couple of minutes late, no biggy. When it gets to 7.00am exactly, the pacing begins. Up and down the length of the shelter looking stressed out at the possibility of being late. This morning 7.02 the bus arrived. Precisely 2 stops later or 5 minutes she gets off the bus. Lets do the sums here. Waits 10mins for bus, travels for 5 --> 15 mins. If she started walking from our building at 6.50 (being the time she gets to the stop) she would get to her stop BEFORE 7.00am. It's only the 4 sets of traffic lights that slow things up. Always paying cash too. I could understand using the bus if you had a weekly card like me, as that would imply a further journey. But $1.60 every day for 2 stops? It's not the wasting of everybody's time that annoys me, its the wasting of cash while wearing a really stupid hat.
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( 3.1 / 262 )The Origins of the Disgruntled Pedestrian
Sunday, August 7, 2005, 05:52 PM
I was gruntled when transport meant freedom.
It takes its roots from my commuter days. I was disgruntled at the public transport system even then.
Now most forms of transport really annoy me. People in cars make no sense. They run red lights so they can sit in intersections waiting for another light, which won't change for another whole phase.
They believe that if they're 6 inches over the pedestrian lines, when the lights turn red they're allowed to carry on through.
Buses running yellow lights to sit in the very epicentre of traffic blocking it up for all four cross roads, and all 16 lanes.
No stopping lines! are alright to stop in if you're only dropping someone off.
No overtaking lines! are also alright to overtake in if you're a taxi.
Double parking is encouraged, especially if you're a courier or loading truck.
Pay n Display parking doubles as a taxi rank, with drivers standing next to the pay unit in case a warden turns up.
Horns make people go faster.
Indicators are optional extras and should be avoided.
White pedestrian lines should be crossed as to give maximum fear to all on the crossing.
If the sign says no U-turn. This is also okay if you're a bus running at least 15minutes late and cant be arsed circling the block.
I've noticed the dichotomy between pedestrian and vehicle driver. If you're a pedestrian you automatically hate all vehicles that have no regard for pedestrian safety. But as soon as you're driving, or being a driven passenger, pedestrians 'leap' out of nowhere at all times, especially those random crossings.
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( 3 / 698 )"Think once, think twice, dont let your car mount the pavement"
Sunday, August 7, 2005, 05:51 PM
Then there are those days when its pissing down with rain, and the choice is either continuing to walk and remain soggy all day, or risk your life on public transport. The soggy option is almost welcoming.
The sadist bus driver out there (you know who you are) takes sheer enjoyment out of racing up to traffic lights, even while their yellow and then slamming the brakes to stop right on the lines and throwing people out of their seats and smushing into the plastic covered notice boards filled with out of date events.
Then! Perchance you happen to be a driver in front of a wild bus.. (some of them can be tamed and domesticated) it is automatically your own fault... should you be stopping for a pedestrian on a crossing (Go you for stopping!!!) when the wild bus goes up your rear.. Oh yes, you will get blamed for stopping too. Either way kudos to you for encouraging the
pedestrian process.
I reckon this must date back to prehistoric days.. roads are for driving on, not stopping on. The big move from A to B must be as unhindered as possible... But remember.. that B is probably a really boring meeting, which if you're late for, chances are they'll start without you and you'll get to leave early as well... Is that not a bonus????
I am reminded of a skit I once saw.. "Imagine this meringue is a young mother, laden with shopping.. and this parcel of mashed banana and jam is a small child unaware of the dangers of the road... and this freezeblock nailed to a cricket bat is your car"
Think once, think twice, dont let your car mount the pavement.
What more in road safety could you need?
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( 2.9 / 262 )Next
