The Best Roof in the World
Every time I pass by the British Museum I always pop in. It’s because the place that used to be so fussy and almost dust-ridden has thrown off all that gloom and not vibrates with people.
But the best feature of the museum is the roof.
How many visitors does it attract?
Around Spitalfields
Spitalfields is an area I don’t know well. In the year she died my wife and I had a good sunny Sunday walking the area and finally ending up walking down Brick Lane. We were surprised how vibrant it was. I walked it yesterday and as it was early, it was quiet.
In some ways Spitalfields is part of my history. I didn’t know too much about it, but my mother’s family were French Huguenots, who came over some time in the 17th or 18th centuries. When, I’m not sure, as all of the family’s papers which documented the history were destroyed in the Blitz.
It’s funny but I learned more about the history of Huguenots on a trip to South Africa, than I have ever done in the UK. Perhaps, we don’t have too many specialist museums.
After all where are the museums to printing in the UK?
There is one in Norwich, The John Jarrold, but it is only open on Wednesdays.
A Lonely Horse
Or perhaps what a silly place for a statue!
As you can see the building could never be described as an architectural gem, but what possible point was there putting the horse so far up in the air.
Perhaps, it can be seen from the Chairman’s office.
Liverpool Street and the Kindertransport
Liverpool Street Station is one of London’s finest stations.
It also has the memorial to the Kindertransport on the main entrance.
The station was the main terminal for all the trains from Germany carrying mainly Jewish children to safety from the Nazis before the Second World War.
Escape to the Country
Just watched the end of this program and the way I feel trapped here with no car and taxis few and far between, I want to escape to the city. And that really means the best of them all; London
Would I Go Cambridge-Nice by Train Again?
Let’s count the positives.
- It was interesting. I know that is a word you shouldn’t use, but there was a lot to see.
- Security. There wasn’t a lot of time spent taking off shoes and having machines check you for bottles of water. They do check as you go on the Eurostar, but it’s not that intrusive.
- Meals on Eurostar aren’t that bad and are better than the airlines. But then you don’t need them on the plane.
- It was a lot more comfortable than a plane.
- I had a large table, which would have allowed me to play patience if I had wanted.
- I could plug in the laptop.
- Luggage was as much as I wanted and not subject to silly rules.
- I could have taken my Brompton.
And the negatives.
- It took twelve hours door-to-door, whereas the plane would have taken about six.
- It was lonely, but then my life is most of the time.
- It was more costly, but then I did travel First Class.
- I had to take an extra train to get London.
But remember I had no choice this time because of the stroke.
I think that if say I had to go to Lyon on business, that I would definitely use the train and for Marseilles I would make a decision based on train times and cost. But Nice, unless I had to use the train, then I would take the plane. Although like my late wife and I said, we’d have probably enjoyed taking the train one-way and the plane on the return.
Overall though, it was an exercise worth carrying out.
Eurostar to a Cold England
Lille was cold and it wasn’t a bad interchange with just a hundred or so metres to walk between tracks to transfer from the TGV to the Eurostar.
I did get a gluten-free dinner on the train. It was some sort of fish. I’ve tasted better, but it filled a hole.
I was perhaps a couple of minutes late into St. Pancras, which meant that I had no chance of catching the 19:15 to Cambridge. So I had to wait for the 19:45, which got me back to Cambridge on time.
The taxi got me home about fifteen minutes short of twelve hours after leaving Nice.
Cheese: A New Version of the Rook Restaurant?
Cheese, a restaurant in London that serves only cheese, has just opened in London.
I hope it doesn’t have too many echoes of the Rook Restaurant in the Two Ronnies.
The Flat in St. John’s Wood
St. John’s Wood it may have been, but then it was on the fourth floor with no lift. And we had three small children.
Townshend Court, St. John's Wood
It does look as if they’ve improved the block.
Primrose Hill
When we lived in St. John’s Wood, we used to go to Primrose Hill a lot. There is the hill itself and also the area that sits between the bridge over the West Coast Main Line out of Euston, the hill and Regent’s Park.
West Coast Main Line from Regent's Park Road
Note the tower blocks behind the railway. Our doctor was in one of those towers, but which one I don’t know.
The bridge has been painted as long as I can remember. This is the south side.
Regent's Park Road Bridge, South Side
And this is the north.
Regent's Park Road Bridge, North Side
These paintings were done in 2007.
I wandered around the area, found that some of our friends were still about after nearly forty years and took a picture of the old Mustoe Bistro.
Where was Mustoe Bistro?
Sadly, it is now a shop selling up market bric-a-brac. I’d much prefer Edward’s simple fare and interesting chat.
I then walked to the top of the hill on my way to St. John’s Wood.
The View from Primrose Hill
The Anonymous Widower 