We began the day by making our way towards London’s West End. Somewhat regrettably, we didn’t have time in this itinerary to see a West End show. It being a bank holiday on Monday also complicated things.
Although it was almost 9am on Sunday, the streets were very quiet. We walked past Drury Lane and looked for the Muffin Man. To Chantal’s amusement, there is a relatively popular bakery there.
British Museum
We then set off to experience the great British Museum, full of treasures pillaged from across the various countries Britain colonised. We were subsequently joined by fellow Bond Alumnus, Julius Brookman who then became our official informal guide.
Since Greece has now built a modern museum in which to protect ancient artifacts, we learned from Julius that the UK is getting considerable diplomatic pressure to return the Greek artifacts. We absorbed these readily, acknowledging that whilst it would be tragic for the Greek people to not have their own treasures, it is a different experience seeing the ancient friezes and statues up close.
After a couple of hours, we soon realised we could spend many days here.
Seven Stars
It was time for lunch and for another friend to join our troupe. We met with Chris’s old friend and colleague, Jamie at the Seven Stars for a pint and some traditional London pub lunch. This was after we took a small detour through the Lincoln Inn of the Royal Courts where barristers reside, thanks to another connection of Julius (who was also an Aussie!).
The drinks, conversation and lunch were grand. The highlight, however, was the resident cat, named The General. Despite the photo, he was very friendly!
Camden Town
After getting buzzed, we said goodbye to Jamie and Julius and made our way to Camden Town. This place is a buzzing hive of activity. A markets mainly for clothing, accessories and collectables, there was a lot to see and do. There are also several restaurants and live music bars.
We explored a well-known store – the Cyberdog. This shop sells clothing and accessories for raves but most importantly, the experience of the store is a rave. We hope to see a similar concept in New Zealand sometime.
After finding some easy Greek food for dinner, we took our tired legs back to the hotel via a bus. Navigating London is incredibly easy and all public transport takes Pay Wave to purchase.
Chris and Chantal 