Posts Tagged ‘Hungerford Bridge’

Cold misty day in London

November 22, 2018

A cold misty day in London.

Not sure if I will make the train.

Girl on bus told me long wait for the bus, the previous bus driver had refused to let her on with a buggie, even though there was room on the bus.

Ten minutes wait for train, five minute and queue has not moved, only one ticket office open. Barriers closed.

Luckily man operating barriers operated ticket machine for me. I asked he did the same for other passengers else they would miss the train.

Train companies must stop treating passengers as criminals.

Woking, only stop, massive tower blocks going up on both sides of the tracks.

On approach to Waterloo, more tower blocks under construction.

Waterloo Station concourse wide expanse, except being taken up by kiosks.

New food outlet Pure. Free water help yourself, biodegradable cutlery.

This should be the norm, free water as a human right, biodegradable coffee cups and cutlery. And councils must enforces the norm, especially on their own markets.

Kiosk outside Waterloo Station, Four Corners, packing up. Man tells me they have a coffee shop of same name in Lower Marsh. Coffee sourced from Origin.

Where once stood Shell Building, now massive tower blocks under construction.

Beany kiosk at foot of Hungerford Bridge serves excellent coffee, but no time to stop.

Misty walking over Hungerford Bridge.

Another coffee kiosk Embankment Station Blues and Royals.

I cut through Embankment Gardens, cross The Strand at The Savoy.

As I walk up towards Covent Garden I see a coffee shop Grind down a side street. I look in, turn on my heels and walk out, loud music blasting out.

I am cutting through Covent Garden to Algerian Coffee Stores in Soho.

I pass The Espresso Room. I am tempted to stay. Excellent coffee.

I am told of a shop like Magazine Brighton or Ideas on Paper, that sells quality magazines. I am told the name, head up towards Seven Dials, but I do not find.

I pass the road leading to Bar Italia. Excellent coffee shop, but no time.

I eventually find Algerian Coffee Stores.

Passing by Bar Italia on my way back to Covent Garden, a man called George says speak to his agent. I have no idea who he is.

Then retrace my steps to Home Slice in Neal’s Yard, excellent pizza. I time it right, not busy, but starting to fill up.

I had wished to walk back to Soho as number of coffee shops, but no time.

Jacob the Angel an English Coffee House, a new coffee shop in Neal’s Yard. They are serving Square Mile, which is a good sign, as unlike Clifton or Union who do not care about their reputation and will supply anyone, Square Mile are very picky. But it is closing. Not a good sign the two girls working there did not know the name of their espresso machine.

I decide on Monmouth Coffee. It is never very good, and today was no exception, though very helpful girl serving. A pity as they were pioneers of specialty coffee in the 1970s but have sadly lost their way.

I pop in Neal’s Yard Dairy. A mecca for cheese lovers. They ask me to try a cheese, Doddington. It is excellent, I buy a piece.

It is then to Covent Garden Tube Station. Considering the number of people who pass through Covent Garden, it is insanity the ticket office is closed.

Dark Mountain Terra book launch at Baldwin Gallery. A trek to south east London.

Train from Charing Cross to Dartford. Alight at Lee.

Can I find Baldwin Gallery, no. I pass by and find myself in Greenwich. I retrace my steps.

I find the venue, Baldwin Gallery, eventually.

Then back to Waterloo East. Wait for a train? I decide to find Maria’s Cafe in Lower Marsh.

Maria’s Cafe is packed and very noisy. Problem is a gang of drunken yobs on a table. I stay and have stir fried cashew nuts and pork served with rice.

As I leave a couple also leave, they comment they too could not stand the noise. It is not usually like this.

I return to Waterloo Station in time to catch a train at 2212, a slow stopping train.

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Coffee kiosk Hungerford Bridge

June 29, 2017

On the South Bank, at the foot of Hungerford Bridge, is a little coffee kiosk.

I asked where were the beans from, he told me the country of origin.

Who are the suppliers, the roastery?

The Roasting Party.

The reply immediately told me, they must know what they are doing if sourcing from The Roasting Party,  as used by Coffee Lab and The Dispensary Kitchen.  They must serve good coffee

I ordered a cappuccino and  was not disappointed.  Excellent cappuccino.

The little kiosk is called Beany Green, part of a little chain called Daisy Green.

If not Friday, Saturday or Sunday (or Monday if a Bank Holiday), when I would head for Ethiopian Coffee Roasters on the South Bank Street Food Market, this would be where I would head for a coffee.

Then walk across Hungerford Bridge for one of the best views in London looking down river.  Then cut through Embankment Gardens and up into Covent Garden, if that was where I was heading.

Excellent coffee.

— to be continued —

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A very cold February day in London

February 13, 2012
my garden in the morning

my garden in the morning

a veritable winter wonderland

a veritable winter wonderland

London Eye

London Eye

Hungerford Bridge

Hungerford Bridge

Thames and St Paul's from Hungerford Bridge

Thames and St Paul's from Hungerford Bridge

Friday a day out in London. A very cold day out in London to the British Library, an exhibition on illuminated manuscripts in the afternoon, a concert by The Sixteen in the evening.

It snowed Thursday night. I got up Friday morning to find my garden white with snow, the trees covered in snow.

I went back to bed. No, I have to get up, I have a day in London planned.

I walked to the station. Along came a bus. I hopped on the bus.

The train journey into London a veritable winter wonderland.

We have become used to mild, wet winters for the last decade, that a cold spell arrives comes to us as a shock. This has been an exceptionally long, exceptional cold spell.

It snowed the previous weekend on the Saturday. It has been cold, below zero, since the Monday before the Saturday when it snowed.

As the train approached Waterloo two interesting buildings caught my eye. One, still under construction, a tall pyramid shaped needle, the other looked like the sail of a boat.

The sun was now out, and so although it was very cold, I decided to walk to Covent Garden rather than catch the Tube. In the sun pleasant, out of the sun, very very cold.

I went on a little detour out the back of Waterloo Station. There used to be an excellent second-hand record shop, I thought I would see if I could find it. I did not recognise where I was, decided it would be a wild goose chase and gave up.

I walked over Hungerford Bridge, excellent views looking downstream of St Paul’s on the skyline, through Victoria Embankment Gardens and up into Covent Garden, where I had arranged to meet a friend who I had not seen for twenty years, for lunch in Food For Thought. In the sun it was pleasant, out of the sun very, very cold

Food for Thought was as always excellent.

We then caught the Tube to King’s Cross St Pancras. Emerging into the street it was very, very cold. What was it going to be like tonight? Forecast was well below zero.

We walked the short walk to the British Library which is just past St Pancras Station.

A little wander around the library. Looked at a small collection of books celebrating the life of Charles Dickens. Where was the Reading Room where Karl Marx wrote the Communist Manifesto? We learnt later the Reading Room was in the British Museum. We then tried to enter the exhibition on illuminated manuscripts.

They would not let us in. Said our tickets were only valid for the evening. After some hassle and the intervention and apologies from a more senior member of staff, we were allowed in.

– Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination

The exhibition was excellent, but after an hour or so, my head started to spin. We decided to go off and get something to eat and come back in the evening. On leaving we double checked the time and was told doors opened at 7pm.

We walked down Euston Road to Euston Station. A very cold walk. Around the back of Euston Station is a side street with excellent Indian restaurants.

We ate at Chutney’s. The food as always was excellent.

We got back to the British Library around 7-15pm to find people hanging around outside. It was subzero but they would not let anyone in until 7-30pm, the time stated on the tickets.

Once in, a man apologised for all the hassle we had been given and was grateful for raising the issues. He gave me a copy of a CD by The Sixteen as way of apology. I thanked him, said the exhibition was excellent and we were looking forward to The Sixteen.

After-hours access sounds great. It was not. It was very crowded, by now I was very tired and could not remember what I had seen and what I had not seen.

The concert was very informal. People standing, sitting on the floor, on the stairs on the balcony. We were lucky and had seats. The seats were for the elderly and infirm. I felt a bit guilty taking one, until I thought, I have been very poorly with bronchitis and this was the first day I have been out in three weeks.

The concert was excellent. Music of the period inspired by the exhibition, with an accompanying CD, of which I had been given a complimentary copy.

– Musical Illuminations

By now I was exhausted.

We went to a pub and relaxed with a much needed drink. Then Tube to Waterloo and trains home.

My train seemed to have got lost. Why was it passing through East Putney? A very slow journey due to bad weather conditions and trains ahead.

My train did not arrive at my station until twenty minutes past midnight. A long walk home in the cold. Luckily there was no wind. My face was starting to burn from the cold.

I arrive arrived home in the early hours of the morning, ten minutes before one o’clock.

Later in the day, I did not get up until midday, I learnt it had been the coldest night of the winter. In Holbeach in Lincolnshire it dropped to minus 15.6 C, the coldest recorded temperature since 1910. During the day, Coningsby in Lincolnshire was the coldest place, the temperature not rising above minus 6 C.

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