I have a strange relationship with London. It's an ever swinging pendulum of love and hate. So as the train pulled out of my sleepy town station on a cold late January morning I mused to myself what this visit would bring?
The 9:17am train left without incident, the carriage was half full and we had table seating which I always prefer. It had been a year since I'd visited the capital, the last trip being to meet with online gaming friends. On this visit I was travelling with my friend Gary who was over from Hong Kong and also meeting my friend Jane who was travelling up from Plymouth, a great chance to spend time with them both.
We pulled into Kings Cross on time and Gary began to notice the recent changes to the station, I pointed out the new extension at the side and we headed for the underground. As Gary doesn't visit the UK much and I've been to London a good many times I play Passepartout to his Phileas Fogg, he's far more travelled than me globally but I seem to be a good guide locally and I'm more than often his travel companion when he returns. Alas I seem to have suffered a memory lapse and failed my first Passepartout moment by forgetting the underground entrance is now located outside of Kings Cross!
Heading underground I come into my own, get Gary sorted with an oyster card and we head down to Oxford Street. We browse a couple of big shops there, one being a Japanese clothing chain Gary is familiar with. Shortly after I guide us away from the hustle and bustle into Soho. We head down Berwick Street, incidentally one of my favourite streets in London because it has some really good shops. Sister Ray is a record/music shop similar to Selectadisc in Nottingham before it shut down, as its decked out the same there must be some connection, or was at some point. It's an indie shop with a great selection of cds and vinyl and is a lot cheaper than the big chains such as HMV that are on Oxford Street. After a perusal of cds we head further down the street, try a few silly berets and bowlers on in a hat shop and then wind our way through the small market at the bottom before you hit the peep show/sex shop area. It's at this point I head into Underground shoes, I purchased some suede creepers from there last year and wanted to see what they had this time around. I wasn't disappointed, their usual range was there along with a fair few new styles. Then I see them, the most gorgeous shoes I've ever set eyes on! Black leather with a silver buckle across the middle mounted on really chunky soles that had screws in the bottom, I was transfixed with them... the price, £200 ! My hand moved to my wallet and I pondered getting them on my credit card. The guy in the shop said they only had certain sizes in though, I'm usually a 5 but he recommended a size shorter, the nearest size he had to me was 3 and a half which I could get into but it was very tight, I needed a 4 and they were currently out of stock but a new batch were being made for Spring. Leaving the shop dejectedly we headed off towards Brewer Street.
There's a fantastic little retro/film memorabilia shop along here which I always call into, Gary is a fan too, so we spend 20 minutes in there before heading down Great Windmill Street and over Shaftesbury Avenue towards the Trocadero centre which sadly is a shadow of its former self. We didn't spend much time there, only a couple of half decent Jap/Mango shops seem to grace it now. We head down Coventry Street towards Leicester Square but stop in the sprawling M&M confectionery store so Gary can take some photos for his kid. After that we check out a nearby comedy theatre as we plan to take in a show whilst here but undecided on which show to go for we briefly tarry in China town before catching the tube up to Camden.
I must confess I used to love Camden, part of me still does but for its diversity, vibe and range of quirky shops and stalls but you have to dig deeper these days and search around for the better ones as quite a few of the stalls contain cheap t-shirts and gifts purely aimed at the tourist trade. I recommend you persevere though, there's still some remarkable stalls and shops that have lots of new t-shirt designs and unusual new items of clothing etc. The Stables market is a great place to discover such shops and with it being January bargains were to be had. Alas one of the shops I used to buy from has seemingly closed but such is the nature of the area, on the positive side new ones seem to open up.
At this point we need a rest so we slurp coffee and munch on a croissant in the Elephants Head on the main high street whilst awaiting the arrival of Jane who has texted to say she's close by. After meeting up, refreshments and introductions we do some more shopping and munch some chinese food later before catching the tube southwards towards our hotel located in Southwark. I'd been to this hotel the previous year and liked the location, though it is south of the river Thames is close to everywhere and has good tube links and facilities nearby including a very nice pub called 'The Ring'. Added to this its one of the more quieter Travelodges I've stayed in despite the location and has a nice cafe beside which is handy for that important morning breakfast.
We rest up in the late afternoon before heading out in the evening. At this point we have no idea what we are going to do so head back to Leicester Square. We aren't there very long before a large friendly black guy hands us a flyer for a nearby comedy club that's only £5 entry and has cheap drink offers. It does seem too good to be true but as we are handed more flyers for similar though more expensive shows, we decide to chance the cheaper initial one. Its a ten minute walk through the Covent Garden area so we head off through Long Acre towards Drury Lane. We find the comedy club easily (Called The Secret Comedy Club), its located in a basement below an Italian restaurant. In all honesty its nothing flash, plastic chairs flanking a low stage but drinks bought and comedy started it seems our money was spent well. Three out of the four comedians were very good and every seat was full. The only downside was two guys very drunk and loud sat in front of us who were more interested in hugging each other and talking loud than to listening to the show, this was a bit distracting but thankfully they soon left. The show ended about 10:45pm and as we navigate our way back to catch the tube I noticed there seemed to be some excellent pubs we were passing but it was getting on, we were all weary so they'd have to wait for another time. We did however grab a drink in The Ring on arriving back before getting some junk food to take back to our rooms from a 7/11 store next to the hotel.
The next day soon came, a dull sky swollen with grey rain clouds producing periodic drizzle. Breakfasting next door before we head I we all felt like we where on on the set of The Apprentice as a group of people sat next to us in their mid twenties received a pep talk from the female head of the group. With a foreign accent (no idea what) she urged the group to beat Team B and her recurring catch phrase seemed to be something like 'Today I will be awesome' as she urged the team on to greater sales, I found it both amusing and nauseating!
Jane had missed some of the previous day in Camden as she arrived later than Gary and myself so we headed back there after eating. In summer time Camden can be hideously busy but in January its a lot more easy to traverse. This time after trying some regular stalls and shops we hit the more open market area opposite the Stables Market that's adorned with large brass lions statues and canopies lined with old scooter/moped bodies where you can sit and eat. Many stalls are closed due to the time of year but Jane returned to one we'd been before that sells clothes she likes and bagged a few choice bargains. The rest of the morning is taken up with retail therapy and we all get some bargains and unusual t-shirts. The good thing being with Camden being out of season so to speak you can haggle more so than you can in summer time. Grabbing coffee and croissant again at the Elephants Head we vote to head to Covent Garden, mainly because its an area Gary is unfamiliar with and secondly there's some great shops there. It doesn't take Gary long to notice the huge Apple store, being something of an Apple sycophant he's drawn like a moth to a flame immediately. Myself and Jane like Apple too but not quite to Gary's degree so we all enjoy having a look around its very huge and contemporary store on James Street. After this we dally with the human statues at the bottom of the street/piazza area before entering the Covent Garden market. We spend a fair bit of time in the shops there before heading back up to the Long Acre area and bigger chain stores in which we bag yet more bargains in the seemingly enduring London late January sales.
A large portion of the day has seemed like one long relentless shopping trip, though content with our bargains come 3:30pm we are all fading fast so decide to head back to recuperate and ready ourselves for a Friday night in .... you guessed it - Camden!
Gary has never done Camden of an evening before but Jane and I had sampled its busy delights before. It was a Friday, it was pouring with rain but thankfully when it comes to pubs Camden is quite compact. Arriving we hit the ATM machine for some ready cash, as there's always a lot of people in London, many just waiting around I'm always wary of withdrawing cash, as I wait for Gary some black guy slaps down on my hat hard, I turn, he gives me a friendly smile, I put it down to a bit of good natured exuberance, either that or he was off his head on something! First off we hit the humongous Worlds End pub opposite the tube station. It's probably the biggest pub I've ever been in and on a Friday its rammed to the rafters. Getting the attention of the bars staff is a feat alone as Londoners seem to think its every person for themselves. Ok, so you can get this in any busy pub but for some reason the London mentality comes into its own here. Persistence pays off, we find a smaller cosy room and sip our drinks. I notice a girl behind me with long blonde hair sat in a wheelchair and I have to say she was the most delightful fairy type, beautiful elfin features, slender and with an aura about her, one of those few people that stop you dead with their presence. Braving the rain we head off though, first to the Good Mixer on Inverness Street, a favourite no frills pub of mine before turning the corner and having a drink in the Oxford Arms. It's in here a man decides to question my eyebrow piercing, albeit in a nice manner. A girl with an hour glass figure shimmers along the bar, her skin tight leggings have the appearance of newspaper and believe me she's reporting all the curves. As we leave I bid farewell to the guy that didn't like my piercing, he smiles and remarks I'd look better without it, he's had a drink or two but there's no malice about him and we shake hands warmly. Next my merry band crosses the road to the Elephants head opposite. I did want to try the nearby Hawley Arms, an old haunt of Amy Winehouse but we manage to get a seat in the Elephants Head and stay put for a few drinks, Gary and Jane periodically popping out for a cigarette. An odd guy comes and talks to us, he's bereft of a drink and wants someone to mind his bags, he seems to be an elderly back packer of sorts, we tell him we may be leaving soon but he still drops his bags near us.
Time passes more quickly in London for some strange reason, especially on nights out so we play it safe and head back for the tube, unfortunately in the jostle for getting on the train we lose Jane. As it pulls into the next station it becomes clear (even though we've consumed a fair bit of alcohol) that Gary and myself have boarded the wrong tube train, this is because the northern line splits in two after Camden and we've unwittingly caught the wrong branch line, we laugh and soon rectify our mistake a couple of stops away and I text Jane to tell her we'll meet her at the Ring Pub near the hotel which is across from the tube station. Ironically Jane gets lost too but like us manages to sort it though she appears a good twenty or so minutes after us. Relaxing after our Camden jaunt I strike up a conversation at the bar whilst waiting to be served, the guy beside me pulling up just before me yet the bar person goes to serve me first. I indicate its him before me and he seems quite surprised and thanks me, it turns out on asking me where I am from he studied up at Nottingham near me. Soon it was time to sleep and with stomach full of Jack Daniels it didn't take long!
Saturday came and the sun was showing its face in between a vast swathes of clouds. After a late rise we had breakfast and it was time to pack and say goodbye to Jane at the tube station as we parted ways to come home. I did want to meet my London friend Pat for a coffee but he didn't get my text for some reason, so maybe next time. Having an hour or so to wait still I suggested we get off at Euston and walk to Kings Cross. Drinking tea in the upper deck of the new Kings Cross departure area myself and Gary digested the trip before boarding the train back northwards.
Time in London always passes by at an unforgiving pace. I always want to explore more and for this trip I'd even purchased a book on unusual places in London to visit. Gary though is rapacious in his shopping, in fairness he rarely visits the UK so winter trips are more retail than our touristy summer sojourns. It's always been a city I want to delve into more yet I'm always happy to leave, the pace of London, the crowds, the prices and the noise always leave me feeling happier in my quiet market town yet I can't help wondering what I would think given more time in the city, in truth I probably wouldn't like it. For now I'm happy with my periodic jaunts to London though I know it still has much more to discover.
Oh yeah and I still think tube sucks, if it isn't one line down or a station closed - its another!
