London with J

The entire Circle Line closed for maintenance which made every other line that bit busier. Sadly the District line was also closed for a section or two due to ongoing signal problems so there was much confusion. The LU workers did a good job of directing us to appropriate alternatives though, so a bouquet to them. I still managed to get to Waterloo on time to meet J.

There were heaps of very well dressed people on the tube and at the station as it was Royal Ascot weekend. Posh frocks, hat and heels; suits and toppers were in abundance. Sadly for them Ascot was as much a mud-bath as Glastonbury which once again has been a washout. At least you expect the mud at Glastonbury though, and go prepared.

We met L for lunch (after sending him to and from the other half of Waterloo). He was cheerful as ever and had a good catchup with J. I seemed to send most of lunch talking to the over friendly Portuguese waiter. I now know more about Portuguese beer and wine than I had ever thought necessary, but little about what L is up to.

After saying goodbye to him we set off for our accommodation which was way over in Angel/Islington. (We're living on the Monopoly board) We walked past a pub with the rugby showing and stopped to watch. It turned out that everyone in the room was a Kiwi, so we were in good company. Rather a worrying performance from the ABs, although of course a win in the end. Very scrappy though and some poor decision making - Mauger may have thrown the ball away, but why pass it to him in the first place? It should have been run back up the middle to were the support was. And so on. (It's an easy game from the pub seat.)

So after a very long short walk we booked in. The room is basic but functional, and cheap for London (the second most expensive city in the world behind Moscow) It's in a nice area and we went for a walk then checked out the local restaurants before having a Greek(ish) meal. Half way through, a thunderstorm broke and absolutely bucketed down so we were entertained by people running for cover. By the time we finished so had the rain.

We decided to go into town for a look, and it was great. It was very busy as you would expect for a Saturday night, so felt very alive. The familiar landmarks were there - the theatres on Shaftesbury Ave, Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, etc. More of the Monopoly board. We walked in a rough square around Tottenham Court Rd/Shaftesbury Ave/Regent St/Oxford St and then tried to find Covent Garden. Strangely, while all the other shops were closed, book shops were still open! Perhaps people read before clubbing over here?