Date: April 2019
Somehow I'm back in London. I know how I got back but I did not expect to be back so soon. I came back on my last free company flight to clean up here. Physically that means my flat, emotionally that means last, last goodbyes with friends and spiritually that mean letting go and cutting ties with the city.
Wednesday (17th April, 2019)
As I ended up back in London so quickly after 'leaving' it was an odd visit. As usual with my last few returns here I felt quite odd arriving here. There was a large shift from my usual returning (or first arrival) excitement which I had in Oct 2017, Jan 2018, Apr 2018. I now always have apprehension upon return.
I got to my flat near Barbican around 11:30AM and proceeded to sleep for a few hours rising finally around 4:30pm. I got up and walked around for a while near my flat and manage primarily to shop for food before returning to my flat and staying up to watch the Maple Leafs lose 6-4 tying the series at 2-2. It's the 2nd year in a row and 3rd time in a row playing Boston in the first round.
Thursday
I woke up not until around 11 after getting back to sleep around 4:30am. I was a bit slowing getting going but got out for a walk to drop off papers for my lawyer regarding my separation agreement with TouchBistro. I shopped a bit on the way back and ended up napping a bit - sleep is the theme of the trip.
That night I met a relatively new friend and went to an event. On the way I left my phone in an Uber which was a shitty experience as I ran back and forth between my flat and the event which was near Angel, one my favorite neighborhoods. I was trying to connect the uber driver to one of two friends. Unfortunately I didn't sort it out that evening but still stayed out really late (4am) and had a fun time overall.
Friday
Friday I woke up tired around 9AM not having slept much and a bit hungover. I was immediately worried about finding my phone and started off going out to an EE store to potential lock out the SIM card. The store was closed which I should have known. I spent more time trying to decide if I should buy a new phone, install a calling program on my laptop to start calling around or think about what other strategy I could try.
It turns out my friend Thea suggested I go out to see her and use her phone to coordinate the phone search. She was housesitting out by Surrey Quays, a nice area not far from Greenwich. Fortunately while I was there the uber driver called and we jumped on the overground then a bus to meet him not far from Stratford. After we got the phone and I gave the gentleman a £20 thank you tip, we eat at a restaurant at the Stratford Westfield Mall - a miserable place full of young shoppers.
After that I left Thea and took the central line back to my flat, having a nap then rising to watch the hockey game - Leafs win 2-1! Up 3-2 in the series.
Saturday
After a few days of not doing much, I decided to not do much again today. I think people expected me to go out to all the tourist sites again. Which I do not need to do, having seen them all quite a bit. My plan is to go to parks and gyms and read!
Today though I went around Soho / Oxford Street looking for Maple Leaf hats and sunglasses. I found neither and ended up jumping on the Jubilee line to see Thea again in Surrey Quays.
By the time I got to Thea's it was already 3:30pm. We went out straight away and had a nice walk out through the mini canal area out to The Salt Quay, which I didn't enjoy. I had a pint there and Thea ate some nachos. UK nachos suck. North Americans do them much better.
Surrey Quays area including canal and rooftop view!
On the way back we distributed flyers for her business then watched Trainspotting 2 which is a sequel to ...you guessed it.. Trainspotting. It was a real nostalgic blast from the past as the original was quite popular and prominent in my youth during university. It reminds me of my friend Jen who passed away in March 2006 of cancer. This song can create emotions in me still. Everyone should watch these films.
Sunday
Sunday I had another slowish morning but ended up getting out and on to Herne Hill for around 3PM. Because Thameslink wasn't running I had to get off at Brixton and walk down to electric avenue, and then down Atlantic Avenue to Herne Hill through their Sunday market and a quick look at Brockwell Park which is just another lovely London park. Apparently at the top is in fact Herne Hill I was told by Chris who I was meeting there.
Chris and I went to watch the Liverpool game at the Effra Hall Tavern which had great jerk food and cheaper pints.
Walking Around Hearn Hill and the tube stop on the way back with all the Crystal Palace and Arsenal supporters who were at Emirates Stadium to watch the Gunners lose to CP!
Liverpool won 2-nil and I also found out during the game that the Maple Leaf game 6 would be played in fact at the Maple Leaf Pub in Covent Garden!
Since I had a bit of time to kill I got off at Victoria Station and walked all the way past Buckingham Palace.
Buckingham palace, Maple Leaf Bar Loo, Leafs Jersey at the Maple Leaf.
I arrived at the Maple Leaf around half an hour before the game and chatted with some other Canadians at the bar. One was on vacation and the other was down from Milton Keynes were he went to school. There was momentary panic when the game wasn't put on right at 8pm but in fact the puck didn't drop until almost 8:20 and we watched the game from the start. Leafs got off to a 1-0 lead but after 2 periods were down 3-1. As the game was frustrating to watch I left after 2 periods and watched most of the 3rd at my flat. Sadly they lost 4-2 after coming close to tying the game a couple times.
Monday
Monday I woke up at 7 and read and went back to bed 'for a little bit' which ended up being until noon!
I got ready and headed out to Postman's Park were I read for a few hours, before going down and reading beside St. Pauls Cathedral. I'm still reading Waking Up by Sam Harris.
Not much else to report from today aside from I went to the gym!
Tuesday
Tuesday I got up a bit earlier, around 10 and hit the road for 1130 or so. I walked to London Bridge Station, this time via the Southwark Bridge, another great view of the Thames and all its traffic. It was low tide however which always looks like crap.
There was some confusion with Thea as to which train we were going to get on, but we both managed to get there even if on different trains. We walked to her friend Victoria's place and saw the new puppy Victoria just got. A dachshund. We could not agree on how to pronounce the bread's name. Apparently that is because it's pronounced differently by Brits as they follow the German way of saying it.
Off to Eltham Palace afterwards. The palace was a royal residence from the 14th to 16th centuries, including good old H8 spending a lot of his childhood here. The palace was largely rebuilt by Stephan Coulthard and his wife Ginie save for its great hall which remained structurally intact. Most of the rebuild was beautiful outside but quite 1930 Art Deco inside which made it seem out of place. I wasn't a big fan and Thea disliked it even more.
Photos in and around Eltham Palace.
We walked around the gardens afterwards and then ate at a High Street Restaurant called Delicio. I found it to be somewhat average to be honest.
Back home to hit the gym and watch the Leafs Game 7 v Boston.
Wednesday
Wednesday I didn't do as much as expected but I did walk over to St. James Park going via Fleet and the Strand and Trafalgar Square. I walk down towards the Embankment via the maze of buildings and streets around Temple, most of which don't seem to actually connect to Embankment from Strand. Fortunately I found the Inner Temple Gardens which were beautiful and luckily got to go in as they are generally only open from 12:30pm to 3pm on weekdays!
Inner Temple Gardens, Birdcage Walk, Embankment Station (my fave), Climate Change Protest
I arrived at St James Park but as it was cold I only stayed around 90 minutes and read most of the time. It rained too and eventually I decided to head back, this time via Westminster and Southbank and Millennium bridge. I'll never grow tired of crossing that bridge between the Tate Modern and St Paul's.
I did a last shopping for breakfast food and went to the gym and read and crashed.
Thursday
In the AM I was awoken by the cleaners coming to clean the flat. I had one last coffee at the local Pret (one of 5 or so local to me) and handed off the flat keys, jumped on the tube, and like that I was gone.
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