We spent a lovely day with Andy. He met us at our tube station, West Kensington and we spent the day jumping off and on trains, visiting various places in London. My favourite stop was Kings Cross train station - it has the most amazing ceiling and a gorgeous, enormous statue which was so tall, it was impossible to photograph (you can't get far enough way from it, due to the train line).
We also rested for a while at Kings Cross Station and had coffee and cakies. The station has a piano, that anyone can play and we were fortunate that two pianists, one after another, had a go at it, whilst we were enjoying our coffee and cake. It was very atmospheric; trains stations can be very romantic places, sometimes.
We had quite a big day with Andy, discovering old areas of London that have changed or been rediscovered. We ended up in the city of London, and visited Fish Street Hill, by the Monument, where I used to work. The place is still a hairdressing salon, but completely different - well it was only 32 years ago!! We ended the day with a few drinks in a city pub, and then headed to Leicester Square to a burger place.
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Kings Cross atmospheric station |
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Closeup of the statue, Kingscross Station |
We also rested for a while at Kings Cross Station and had coffee and cakies. The station has a piano, that anyone can play and we were fortunate that two pianists, one after another, had a go at it, whilst we were enjoying our coffee and cake. It was very atmospheric; trains stations can be very romantic places, sometimes.
We had quite a big day with Andy, discovering old areas of London that have changed or been rediscovered. We ended up in the city of London, and visited Fish Street Hill, by the Monument, where I used to work. The place is still a hairdressing salon, but completely different - well it was only 32 years ago!! We ended the day with a few drinks in a city pub, and then headed to Leicester Square to a burger place.
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Andy's tour of London 2020 |
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right next to my old salon, I used to walk past this everyday |
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The City |
Next day, we were up and about, early(ish) again. We caught the ten am train to Oxford and it was a smooth one hour, very scenic ride.
Oxford train station is quite central, so we were able to walk into the town centre. Oxford deserves its reputation as a beautiful city, so many stunning, old buildings. We spent most of the day wandering around admiring the architecture. We didn’t buy tickets to enter any of the buildings because we could see almost as much from outside and because it’s about $25 per person per building, so you REALLY have to want to see what's inside.
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Marylebone to Oxford, non stop, one hour |
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Coffee for the journey |
Oxford train station is quite central, so we were able to walk into the town centre. Oxford deserves its reputation as a beautiful city, so many stunning, old buildings. We spent most of the day wandering around admiring the architecture. We didn’t buy tickets to enter any of the buildings because we could see almost as much from outside and because it’s about $25 per person per building, so you REALLY have to want to see what's inside.
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The old town hall and very convenient loo stop |
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Part of Oxford University |
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Oxford Castle and Prison |
I have to admit my favourite event in Oxford, involved food again. We visited the famous (well Charlie and Camila have been there, so it must be) undercover Oxford Markets and enjoyed a really delicious lunch. We both had pies, mine was stilton and beef - OMG to die for and Richie had steak and kidney. I now have a new challenge, to recreate this dish at home - it was all about the pastry.
We also rested and refreshed ourselves in a groovy Lebanese restaurant, which gave me a burning desire to cook more middle eastern food when we get home. Its funny, I was sick of my cooking when we left Perth, but less than a week later and I'm already getting the urge to eat my own food again.
We had to wait 'til seven pm to get the train home (discount tickets) so it was a bit of a long day, but well worth it. The reverse journey seemed quicker than one hour, most likely because we both had a little nap.
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Dreaming of pies |
We also rested and refreshed ourselves in a groovy Lebanese restaurant, which gave me a burning desire to cook more middle eastern food when we get home. Its funny, I was sick of my cooking when we left Perth, but less than a week later and I'm already getting the urge to eat my own food again.
We had to wait 'til seven pm to get the train home (discount tickets) so it was a bit of a long day, but well worth it. The reverse journey seemed quicker than one hour, most likely because we both had a little nap.
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So excited about my new coat and so warm |
As soon as we walked in, Richie spotted the perfect coat on a rack. I quickly tried it on and it fit me (perfectly of course) and only £12 - what a result. I wore that coat out of the shop and every day for the rest of the holiday. It's mine now, all mine and will used for all future cold weather holidays.
We had a lovely day with Frank. Richie and Frank chatted whilst I wandered ahead of them and enjoyed the museum. The Design Museum is housed in the old Commonwealth Institute, another regular hang out of the young Richie (as his old high school is adjacent to Holland Park). It's another really interesting museum, showing the history of design. I found it a bit alarming, that items we have purchased and in some cases are still using, are now museum pieces.
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Waiting for Frank, inside the Kensington Design Museum |
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Housed in the Old Commonwealth Institute |
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Yes still excited about my new coat |
It was raining again, as we left the Museum, so we decided to head straight to lunch. We wandered around Kensington for a while, until we found a suitable pub and enjoyed another great lunch, tucked up in a cosy corner. London pub food is excellent, although we noticed there is no longer a Ploughmans Lunch to be seen anywhere.... oh well things move on, I guess.
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