London Walks, Bubble Cars Part 1 - the "I'm knackered" Blog.
I decided to go on one of the famous London Walks this afternoon, as it is clear that to truly get to know central London, you need a guide.
London Walks have been operating since the 60's and have a solid website with all the info you'll need, http://london.walks.com/
Today I did the "This is London - the Flash-Bang-Lightning Highlights Tour!"
£8.50 including a boat journey. A real bargain it turns out, as it was a really good day for walking.
The sun was shining on a crisp autumn day, blue skies and smiling people. Weather that puts wings on your boots.
I arrived a little early outside the meeting place, Tower Hill station, overlooking "Her Majesty's Palace and Fortress, The Tower of London"
How would I know exactly where the walk started ?
The website indicated that you will see a guide with a clutch of London Walks leaflets.
Ah, there she was, but no other customers ?
I did the usual "British" thing and sat on the sidelines to see if many people would arrive. It started with a trickle, so I quickly paid my £8.50 and suddenly a Flash Mob appeared - the Belgians had invaded !
Our guide handled this invasion with the confidence of experience. A great deal of change was bandied about followed by a quick headcount. I'm sure two people got away without paying and I'm sure the guide noticed this, but I suppose that's part and parcel of these types of immediate tours.
All told, there were 39 of us including our British guide, a fair amount of people to herd across busy intersections.
I was the only other Brit, so it made things interesting. We had Belgians, Dutch, Americans, a French Londoner (20 years standing) and a guy possibly from Poland who managed to smoke 10 cigarettes in two hours. He may have been from Belguim, but as he was permanently wreathed in smoke, it was hard to tell.
So what did we see that made anything different from any other walk ?
It was the small things which counted, seeing part of The Lord Mayors Parade from the boat right through to a van advertising a handyman company with bubbles billowing from it's undercarriage.
There's always so much happening in London, that at any given time, you seem to be involved on the outskirts of an event or slap bang in the middle of it.
I'll save the Meat 'n Potatoes of the walk for tommorrow, along with a host of boring tourist type photos. I'm tired and need to sit and reflect over a pint of Youngs Bitter.
12 November 2006
... I'll have to Blog part two tommorrow or Tuesday, been too busy today doing exotic things like laundry, freelance work and wasting time going to Chapel Street Market (I arrived as they were closing - clever cloggs)Off to supper just now with friends - will be a nice change, been on my puff for the last 6 days. Yes, I'm trying to pepper my language wiv a bittova twang - blame it on L4yer Cake.
Here are two photos of that walk, nothing touristy just yet, London isn't exactly the most camera shy few miles of real estate..
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Side notes
The days are getting colder, this evening, by the time I leave Earlsfield to get back to Wimbledon, it will be around 6 degrees centigrade.
Although I'm still suprised when I see people in tshirts when it's only 11 degrees during the day, they are very much outnumbered now.
I went out this morning in a warm light sweater with long sleeve tshirt underneath and it was chilly. I went out later with my scarf and leather jacket, brrrrr.
It's not the same type of cold as a gauteng winter, which tends to cut through to the bone in those chilly winds. It's a more insiduous sneaky cold. If you were outside after 11pm for a few hours, it would freeze your nether regions off, however, no sane person is outside for long periods of time. Your constantly on and off buses, into shops, back home, in a coffee shop.
The day is still fine and brilliant for walking - it should stay great for day walks for another 6 weeks or more, or throughout winter if your brave and a bit daft.
Streets in Wimbledon came to a partial standstill today as a parade of the Worple Road army/navy/thingymebob scouts drummed their way down the road. Nothing that odd, unless you consider drummers accompanied by 4 xylophonists a tad irregular.
I had a bag of heavy just cleaned washing, so I hopped on the slowest bus ride I've had in a while, instead of walking and watched the band in front and the steadily growing traffic behind. It was all just a bit surreal.
Britain has an odd respect for pedestrian activities, especially where horses are involved.
A military band of any type has complete right of way (I suppose with council permission)
Horses can just clip clop onto a busy road and the traffic has to stop.
Cars will still stop at Zebra crossings, except Taxis, which like South Africa, have a law unto themselves. It's a more civilised set of rules, but perplexing nonetheless. Get in the way of a cabbie at your peril.
The sheer volume of traffic is nothing really new, except that it persists 24/7. Even joburg has quiet moments on a Sunday afternoon/evening. London doesn't.
