Two Bombed Out Churches
In the UK, we have several bombed-out churches from the Second World War. I have post about St. Luke in Liverpool before, which is generally known in the city as the bombed-out church.
On my weekend trip to Plymouth and Bristol, I came across two more. First was the Charles Church in Plymouth.
Charles Church, Plymouth
If ever there a badly situated ruin, that is a monument to the excesses of town-planning it is this. Surely, they could at least given pedestrians access, but it seems to be unfortunately left in the wrong place by the bombing of the Second World War.
In some ways, this church sums up Plymouth. Very disappointing!
And then there was St. Peter’s in Bristol.
St. Peter's Church, Bristol
The surroundings have been left to show it off properly as a monument to those who died. It also had an information board.
Information on St. Peter's Church, Bristol
Plymouth could learn a lot from Bristol.
The Coffee Obstacle Race
The worst and in some way the best part of the journey to Plymouth was getting down the train to buy a coffee. Obviously, on such a crowded train, you couldn’t have run a trolley, unless it was attached to the roof.
I had to travel through about six coaches to get to the buffet and to say it was made very difficult because of the junk in the aisle wouldn’t be too much of an understatement. Why is it that people load enormous cases, even a full size surf board and car seats, that would fit Cyril Smith, into the vestibules and aisles of a train? Strangely sitting though imperiously in this chaos was a pug, who politely got out of the way as I passed.
The buffet was quiet too and I bought my coffee with the sort of speed you’d expect from a typical Starbucks in mid-morning.
And then there was the walk back. I should probably have stayed in the buffet and drunk it there, but I do like a challenge. It actually wasn’t much of one, as of course, I’d got one of those excellent two-handled small paper carrier bags to carry my coffee. Why can’t other shops and kiosks use them more?
So although I indicated it was the worst part of the journey in some ways, it was also one of the best given the circumstances. The ride of an IC125 is so level and flat, that it made a difficult task easy. It would have been impossible in a Pendolino.
I did make a mistake and that was not to bring a stirrer. So I gave it a quick stir with my pen.
Staff and Passengers to Plymouth
One thing though that should be said about my trip to Plymouth. The train was crowded, but as the staff kept announcing, there were a few seats left. So why did people keep standing and moaning to the staff about it? From what I overheard many had bought expensive tickets at the last minute. No-one would fly on easyJet or Ryanair at the last minute and expect to get a good price, so why do they expect to have a cheap walk up ticket on a train.
After all, I booked a couple of weeks ago and did the journey for just over twenty pounds!
The staff though coped well and did a very good job. And I told them so at the time.
I’m not sure, but I think on some services in Europe, if there is no seat you don’t get a ticket. Surely on some of the more popular services in the UK, the same rule should apply! I think the staff would like it, as they wouldn’t have got the abuse, which seemed to come from those without booked seats.
One other point about the staff, was that in my carriage an elderly lady had turned up on the wrong day. As there was still the odd seat, it didn’t matter, so she wasn’t left behind. But those around me played a bit of musical chairs, so that everyone had a pleasant journey.
Three Hours on a Train
I wanted to see Ipswich play the first match of the season at Bristol yesterday and instead of going just for the say, went to see a friend in Plymouth on Friday.
I arrived at a very crowded Paddington in mid-morning for the 11:06 to Plymouth. It was crowded, with the usual wheeled cases being trailed everywhere. Do these selfish people realise that their mobile obstacles are a nuisance to anyone with limited movement or vision? I’m alright now and to prove a point, I had everything I needed in my new Samsonite bag.
I was carrying my gluten-free sandwiches and a bottle of wine for my friends, from Marks and Spencer in a carrier bag, but as I’d arrived with plenty of time, I walked straight on to the Standard Class Quiet Coach nto the window seat I’d booked. My two bags and coat spent most of the journey on the overhead coat rack. I only needed to disturb my companion once to get my lunch down and for another to get a coffee and take a toilet break. I should say that I was surrounded by a family of about six, all of whom spent most of the time reading and playing on a laptop. Their mother was dispensing a real picnic, with lots of parma ham, salad and fruit. Surely, they were showing how you use a Quiet Car!
In fact, the whole car was mostly quiet with not even a crying baby and there were some small toddlers there. The only problem was that some had blocked the aisle with heavy luggage. Those going to Plymouth seemed to have used the Baggage Car as the staff had asked them to.
I made one mistake on the journey. Although, I was sitting by the left hand window, I forgot to get my camera out to take shots of the train as it sped along the Exeter to Plymouth line between Exeter and Newton Abbot.
At Plymouth, I got ff the train pretty fresh, which is more than could be said as I got off my flight to Athens on easyJet.
Both journeys are about the same time, but give me the train anytime. Especially in a forty-year-old, but newly refurbished IC125.
El Reconcillo, Seville
C and I ate here twice, including once with my son and one his friends.
Rick Stein certainly has taste to recommend it on his BBC show.
Perhaps, I’ll go again. But it will have to be with a very special lady! It is not a restaurant to eat in by yourself.
Walk Through Trains
The London Overground trains are walk through, so you can get to the right place to exit before you get out.
How sensible!
Is This The Real North-South Divide?
Sathnam Sanghera is one of my favourite columnists. He wrote a piece called, Not on the right track to get the UK moving, saying that it was training that the West Midlands needed and not trains.
In some ways I agree with him, but we actually need both. This bit from his piece stood out.
Nothing, not even the fact that some London bars charge £18 for a cocktail, shocks my fellow Midlanders more than the fact that I have never owned a car. Most families in my parents’ suburb seem to have two or three vehicles per household. Getting them to use a train instead is going to be more difficult than weaning them off pork scratchings.
I’ve come across this attitude before. I have even been accused of being a loser because I travel everywhere by public transport, by an idiot from Middlesborough.
I’m afraid that some parts of the rest of the country are going to have to do a lot of readjustment, when the oil runs out.
The Anonymous Widower 