Back off Jet Lag

After checking into my hotel and having a bit of a sit down it was back to the Underground and into Victoria Station to centre myself and help me feel I was truly finally back in London.

I decided to get off at Westminster and walk around via Scotland Yard. Quite busy with lots of tourists taking photos of Parliament and over at Parliament Square plus a queue at Westminster Abbey, It was getting drizzly and the wind had quite a bite to it, poor brolly was having trouble staying up – maybe it had jet lag!

Bit of reconstruction work along Victoria Street, a couple of buildings gone altogether and not sure what they’re putting in or fixing near the Station but Little Ben wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

Similarly a couple of things gone from inside the station, including Garfunkels and even Wetherspoons is being renovated. Oh well. Popped into WH Smiths and bought a couple of books n snacks before returning to Paddington and crashing for the night. Watched a very sad episode of Coronation Street which didn’t exactly lift my lagged spirits. Fought the good fight with sleep through the night but got through until about 7.30.

After breakfast today it was time to get on with things and it was into Westminster again. It was as if a fleet of buses had landed depositing people everywhere and in groups. The hoards had descended and there was me in the middle of them. Cameras and phones out as thought the populace had growths on their faces, amazing.

Walking over Wesrminster Bridge was lovely with people enthused by the sights they were seeing and the sun shining down on all of us, we won’t mention the biting wind. Only a short way over to St Thomas’ Hospital

and into the fascinating Florence Nightingale Museum. Interesting to see her history and lots of her artifacts from the Crimea and beyond. A bit of controversy over the years about Florence but my reading of her today is that she was a pretty remarkable human being. She even wrote to the mothers of boys/men who died in her care and they were lovely kind letters.

After that I caught a bus into Oxford Circus. I’d managed to split the sole of my shoes and needed to get a replacement pair so thought Debenhams would be a good shot and as luck would have it I picked up a nice pair on special – 40% off thank you nicely. Rewarded myself with a cuppa in the café – I’ll stick to tea next time I think.

Back on another train to St Paul’s Station and a bit of wander past the great Cathedral and onto one of my favorite London places Leadenhall Market which is too having some work done. Still enough on view to remind me how gorgeous it is. Out past Lloyds also amazing building and looking for the London Stone.

After a lot of walking it eluded me and I made my way back only to find I had walked past the bloody thing as it is a bit innocuous. I was very thrilled to find it as it is a remnant of ancient London, well the 1500s at least.and fromed from the original rock base of the area.

Then to the Museum of London, past Postman’s Park and a nice look around, great place. A most moving section on London in the Blitz and people telling stories of being around at the time, kids seeing parents killed, going home to rubble, walking familiar streets with buildings destroyed etc. Also amused to see the Lord Mayor has his own 'regal carriage', amazement!

I was proper pooped and took a wrong turn or two making it an even longer walk before getting back on the train and to Queensway. Unfortunately only one lift working so dumbly climbed123 steps on the spiral stairs to the top – it was almost goodnight nurse I tell ya. Anyway through the spots in my eyes and the deafening sound of ….my heavy breathing I emerged onto Queensway and memories of where I stayed on my first trip in 1980.

Found a remarkable quirky building in Leinster Gardens (look at the photo and see if  you can see any clues) and was back in my room by 4.30 barely able to walk.