The Ship And The Itinerary
The cruise I went on was on the Oriana. It started and finished at Southampton and stops were to be in Corunna, Casablanca, Gibraltar, Cadiz and Lisbon.
As in everything, I had objectives. These were getting a bit of sun and also looking at the sites in the stops.
One thing I didn’t do though, was enough preparation, but then in some ways that was always the way C and I planned our holidays. We liked to see what turned up!
What A Mistaker To Make!
The phrase borrowed from Hello hello, was a phrase that C and myself used to use, when we did something, which we construed as stupid.
When I come home from Canary Wharf, I usually use one of three routes.
1. I take the Jubilee line to London Bridge station and then get a 141 bus from the bus station.
2. I go just one stop on the Jubilee line to Canada Water station and then get the Overground to Dalston Junction station.
3. I get a 277 bus all of the way.
When I arrived at Canary Wharf, I ascertained the the bus station at London Bridge was still not working, so route one was not one to try, as I would have shopping with me and was in walk-avoidance mode.
The bus takes a few minutes longer, so I took the Canaqda Water route.
But I’d gambled without the knowledge that the Overground was shut at Whitechapel because of CrossRail.
On Sundays, you should always check and my mistake wasn’t to do this.
So I was turfed off the train at Shadwell station and advised to get the DLR to Bank. Which is what I did, taking the Northern line from there to Moorgate, from where I got the 141 bus, that I should have been able to get from London Bridge station.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a great inconvenience, but I’ll be glad when CrossRail is finished and lines are not shut down at the weekend.
Getting Euros In The City Of London On Sunday
I’m going on a cruise tomorrow and thought I’d get some euros, as we’re calling at Corunna, Casablanca, Cadiz, Gibraltar and Lisbon.
I did try yesterday to get s0me at the Angel yesterday, but banks don’t seem to keep them. So I took a bus this morning to Bishopsgate to this Euro Cashpoint under Tower42.
NatWest’s Euro Cashpoint On Bishopsgate
It was a lot less painless than going into and collecting some, as I’m rather allergic to queues.
I’m not sure how much the euros cost yet! But I only needed a few, and I suspect the boat might be a lot more expensive.
If You Want Good Publicity, Black Death Is A Surprisingly Good Idea
I have a Google News alert for Crossrail and today, it flagged up nine stories on the web.
Eight of these were about the story I reported on yesterday, about the finding of a cemetery for plague victims.
Usually, companies try to disassociate themselves from death and other dark stories.
If you’re wondering the other story, was about Crossrail driving up residential property prices. But then rising property prices are a good news story in many peoples’ minds.
Tunnelling Through Black Death
Crossrail has come across some unusual going on its tunnelling throuygh London. According to this article, they have hit a Black Death burial pit. Here’s a couple of paragraphs.
A burial ground was known to be in an area outside the City of London, but its exact location remained a mystery.
Thirteen bodies have been found so far in the 5.5m-wide shaft at the edge of Charterhouse Square, alongside pottery dated to the mid-14th Century.
Analysis will shed light on the plague and the Londoners of the day.
You have to admire the way that Europe’s biggest project is handling the archaeology.
Strangely, I can’t remember any of the excavations finding any unexploded ordnance from the Second World War.
Buying A Suitable Wash Bag
I’m going on holiday on Monday and I needed a new wash-bag. I searched the shops in Canary Wharf and Islington and found nothing suitable. eventually I bought this pencil case in Paperchase.
A Pencil Case From Paperchase
It is ideal for what I need.
A Wash Bag From Paperchase
I suppose the market isn’t that big, but I need one that is large enough to take an electric toothbrush, my hairbrush and a few other bits.
I would also think there might be a case for making them like old-fashioned gym bags with a draw string.
I think the trouble too, is that most are bought by women and they need to carry a lot more.
I should say that paperchase do sell wash bags, but these were too small for the electric toothbrush.
Barclaycard On The Buses
Barclaycard are pushing their alternative to Oyster for London buses and tubes.
Barclaycard On The Buses
It will be interesting to see in a few years, if credit and bank cards actually replace Oyster.
Sebi’s Cafe At Canonbury Station
A lot of the Overground stations have space for a small cafe.
Sebi’s Cafe At Canonbury Station
We need more like this one on Canonbury station.
Canonbury is an ideal place for a cafe, as the platform is wide and there is quite a few passengers changing from the North to East London lines and vice versa.
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Times When I’m Glad I Don’t Own A Car – 2
Last night was cold and we only got a few flurries of snow.
But my gas kept coming through the pipe and the electricity kept coming through the wires.
For most of the last forty years, the worry was could the gas tanker get through the snow to the remote houses I lived in, in Suffolk.
As I don’t drive any more, I wasn’t tempted to venture out in the snow towards Sussex.
I suspect some of those who did, are regretting their actions. After all, these days, there is no excuse not to know that bad weather in on the way.
I also wonder how many of those were commuting home from work. I’ve never understood why anybody commutes, as I’ve worked at home since 1970!
The Phone Problems Of The Channel Tunnel
Years ago, I met the guy, who had project managed the installation of the telephone system on the Channel Tunnel. It wasn’t as simple as you’d have thought. I remember one problem he outlined in particular.
Say you are an engineer, customs officer or whatever, employed by the Tunnel and because you are French, you live in France, but your major place of work is on the British side. You want to make a phone call to your wife, husband or partner, to say that because of a problem, you’ll be late home for supper. Obviously, the same problem would apply to British employees working in France.
So is your call home a local call, which it would be if you lived and worked in the same country or an international call, which of course would be at a higher rate.
The solution was to make for telephonic purposes, the Channel Tunnel, its own country.
The guy who managed the installation was British, but he had a French-speaking mother, so BT probably made a good choice, as to who managed the installation of a rather complicated project.
The Anonymous Widower 