London calling

You cant beat London at this time of year & last weekend we visited our wonderful capital city. We drove down to High Barnet with the intention of catching the tube into central London to avoid the congestion charge,the lack of parking & the anticipated traffic gridlock. The car park was surprisingly empty & we soon found out why-the bloody station was closed! We were directed to a bus that would take us to East Finchley where we could catch the tube into the city centre. On the train this journey would take 15 minutes-by bus it took nearly 2 hours! We had tickets to see the matinee performance of Grease & we finally made it into the West End with just minutes to spare before it started. We just had time to grab a quick burger at the busiest fast food joint ever before running into the theatre. Despite the fact I was sweating like a pig & suffering from indigestion I really enjoyed the show. It was a great production & the cast were superb.
Whilst we were inside the theatre- suspending our disbelief- it got dark outside. Now I know that's not exactly remarkable given that the sun had set, as it usually does, but the dramatic effect on our senses as we left the theatre was stunning. The Christmas lights were sparkling, the shops were packed,the noisy crowds were thronging and the pickpockets were anticipating record takings. The streets had been closed to traffic & it felt strangely liberating to walk up Regents Street in the middle of the road. The Christmas lights were fantastic although not very traditional. They looked like some strange molecular structure under a microscope. We slowly meandered up to Oxford Circus onto Oxford Street, occasionally fighting our way into shops then fighting our way out again. Eventually we grew tired of the crowds & turned into Wardour Street towards Soho. Its not so seedy now days which is a bit of a shame really - but even without prostitutes & peep booths it still retains a unique character. The rushed burgers were becoming a distant memory so we made our way to Chinatown where we had a beautiful feast. After an hour or so we rejoined the crowds, our bellies full & my wallet empty. We took a slow stroll to Covent Garden until fatigue & bleeding feet got the better of us & ignoring all the rickshaws ( as Alex said 'this is London not bleeding Bejing' ) we flagged a taxi down to help us locate our hotel. The driver seemed a little angry at first & drove like a mad man-throwing us about in the back of the cab. He calmed down after a bit and explained to us that four girls had just had 'skanked' him for a £5 fare-they refused to pay then run off. We made all the right sympathetic noises & he soon thawed. In fact he seemed more interested in talking to us than driving & insisted on telling us his life story. When we arrived at the Hotel he was genuinely reluctant to say goodbye to his new friends but I guess driving a cab must lonely sometimes. In a mad fit of seasonal goodwill & with total disregard for my overdraft, not only did I pay our fare, I also paid him for the previous delinquents who had enjoyed a free ride. I think we managed to restore his faith in the human race. Finally we said good night, crashed out in the Hotel & slept as if in a coma.





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