France

London 1

Got into London the day before yesterday after a tedious, but expected airport experience. I would truly prefer them to forget about security and just take our chances, it is so boring waiting around, and life is too short to be bored.In any case, the most cursory search of European history will reveal that we are in a relatively light stage of terroist activity, and there would seem to be no good reason for the stringent controls...not necessary before, but necessary now. Why?

So, we are here. The hotel, garnered from the internet after reading reviews is exactly as described, in fact, it is better than the reviews, which must have been written by some very choosy yanks.Mind you, it is still very expenisve, $69 per night for the double room with a good continental breakfast only. It is run, it seems, by Poles. I doubt if we have met a single English born person working at any restaurant or shop in the area around Victoria Station where we are located. Apparently it has been a Polish area for some years, so much so that the local church, where I went to sevrvice this morning, has a sign on the door in Polish and English.Only six people at 8.15, very high chruch and a distant minister, who said in his sermon (about the Lillies of the Field Bible reading) "of course Our Lord does not mean us to take him literally and not be concerned about food and clothing...!" Caro slept in.

I do object to London prices, but more, I object to the poor quality food you get for very expensive prices. France and Italy manage to provide acceptable food for their equivalent prices but one gets the feeling that in modern Britain, people just can't be bothered. The City is also generally filthy, much dirtier than Rome or France. People just seem to throw their food wrappers etc anyway they can...not pleasant at all.

We did get good value food yesterday, in Greenwich, where we had gone on one of thsoe Thames cruises which are part of the bustours. These are great, and we followed Don's recommendations by doing the tours on the first day as as to get our bearings. In fact, we rode the double decker top decks all day, at least when we were not on the boat or wandering around Greenwich, and the amusing commentrary from the East eneders who were the guides .Some of them were very funny indeed.At least I laughed, some people found them a bit ironic or ribald I think. The food we enjoyed was a traditional pie and mash shop in Greenwich, which had just celebrated 120 years in exactly the same decor and location.This was a place you could get jellied eel, but we settled for pie and mash of above average quality and quantity. Caro had a scrumpy with hers, and I am glad she had absorbed plenty of blotting paper. As it was, she punched the waitress.I had steak and kidney pie...for only 2.50 pounds...this is good value, but is the sort of unhealthy stodge that the British working classes are obliged to consume.

We photographed General Wolfe's statue at Greenwich Observatory, and sang the song at the bottom. By the time we had finished, we had eight pounds in Caro's hat she was holding behind her back!Yesterday was National Lottery day, and everything seemed to be free, we saw the Cutty Sark and the Observatory thuswise, and when I was chatting to the attendatnt at the Observatory he said this was great for the visitor numbers, and that Gordon Brown had asked for the figures...(election time).

This is now Caro writng, all lies and videotape...... about me anyway.

We do have a very snug local pub about 20m away where I ordered a cider on tap, well you get a pint and it turned out to be strongbow. Alan was very pleased they also have very good coffee.

We are about to head to the Camden markets, Alan hates markets how sad too bad..... then to the Camden Arts Centre evidently a major new art set up. hope to buy a snack for lunch at the markets, raining first thing now another fine sunny day, not at all like autumn.

 The boatman told us the tides have been so high lately that London would have been welll and truly flooded if they hadn't put up the flood gates( they have a special name which neither of us can remember) down stream.

anyway we will groove today and probably go to the pictures tonight, we have people to ring, tried to ring Hen's friend Rupert, no answer, also people we met in Paris. Tommorrow night we go to the play the Alchemist. written by Ben Johnson for the ignorant peasants among you (yes that means you Clive)

Caro the great and good and gloriously beautiful but fat and good(I'm lying) and wise King Alan.