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Other entries in London

getting into the vibe....

Sunday 11th April
After absolutely gorging myself yesterday, I decided to walk to my destination instead of using the tube. Todays agenda - Spitalfields, where Brian and I lived in '97. It was quite a pleasant stroll to Liverpool Street station and very quiert - not a soul around (it was 9.30am on a Sunday morning!). It felt really strange to be back here.
I was going down Artillery Passage, snapping away with my camera, when this East-End old timer stopped to ask me if I was lost. When I informed him that I used to live in the area, well, it was liking unlocking floodgates that had been dammed up for a long time. This guy - he was 82 as he kept informeing me - I swear was related to Pauline Hanson. Without pausing for breath, a torrent of "too many Asians", "theyre swampin' us out", "cant trust 'em, all of 'em terrorists", oh, and when he found out I was from Australia, he told me the best thing they ever did was introduce the White Australia policy, and that it was "too hot out there". It was like he was trapped in some 50's time warp and every now and again he realised that reality was 2004 and he couldn't reconcile the two. The other pet bug-bear of his was that there were loads of rapists running around, most of them also Asian, would slip things into my drink if I wasn't careful. not that he was being "racialistic" (his word) or "anythink". This broken record went on for at least 20 minutes, and after finally managing to escape from him, I ambled down to Brick Lane and Chicksand street.
They have certainly cleared the area up a great deal in the last 7 years. The Bangaldeshi's are still there, however, a lot of new trendy shops and night clubs have moved in.
Brick Lane markets was next on my list, which is more of a flea market frequented by locals than the tourist mecca that is Petticoat Lane. Everything was being sold here from the mundane - innersoles for shoes, cheap soap, digital watches, to the bizarre - old tupes and wigs (???) Dodgy east-end types - beanies, black bomber jackets - wandered up and down selling cheap cigarettes and x-rated dvds (technology has reached the east-end), to the yelled tag-line "quality gear, quality gear".
By now, it was nearing midday, and my stomach was reminding me that I hadn't had food for sveral hours. Of course, I had to have a hot salt beef beigel with enough hot English mustard to make my eyes water, from the Beigel shop at the top of Brick Lane. This place is an institution, specially among cabbies, as it is open 24 hours/day, and cheap (£2!) Now there are 2 beigel shops literally next door to one another. Business must be good.
I then meandered my way back to the old Spialfield Markets which are one of the last bits of the East-end to be surrounded by bright, shiny buildings.
The food area has plenty of choice, and cheap, although for my money, it is very much the poorer cousin of the Borough Market.
Based on a recommendation in the "Time Out London" guide, my next port of call was the Jewish Museum in Camden Town. After being subjected to OTT security by a dour-faced security guard, and had my £3.50 extracted from me, I was allowed to enter. I really don't know what all the fuss was about, because as far as musuems go (and London as plenty to compare to), it was up there as one of the worst. It was literally a collection of Jewish jewellery and garish/brightly coloured artifacts. They did have an AV display depicting all aspects of Jewishness, however, it was being narrated by a guy with the most boring voice in Britain.
As re-entrance to the Camden town tube is closed on Sunday afternoons (due to the influx of tourists to the Camden markets), I had to struggle through the slow moving throng trying to locate the next stop. Unable to find it, I stumbled into Regents Park.
Deciding I needed to re-charge my batteries and walk off some of the food I had been scoffing the last couple of days, I traversed the length of the park, which is approx. 2 kms in length.
It was quite a pleasant walk, despite the overcast sky (the sun has apparently gone on Easter holidays to Spain along with the rest of the local population). Numerous groups of guys playing football, aka soccer, pensioners taking their daily constitutional, familys doing the zoo thing and loads of runners (and I thought the English never excercised), were using the parks serene surroundings.
Feeling suitably shattered by this stage, I headed back to the hostel for a cheap meal in - £4.50 for lasgana and salad.
PS - found the tv room, it had been well hidden.

Easter Monday
Todays itinerary - National Portrait Gallery (NPG), Museum of London and maybe the movies (need some down time from all the sight seeing).
After a late start (yay, I got to sleep in), I headed to Leicester Square and headed for the NPG. Whilst admission is free (it is for all London musuems), they do have special exhibitions on which they charge and entry fee for. At the moment, it is a collection of photo's by the famed Cecil Beaton, who took snaps of the famous and infamous alike, from Marilyn Monroe to royalty. It was prety good but badly laid out, as I was jostling with countless others to peer at the relatively small photos (about A4 size).
The rest of the gallery is cavernous, with hall after hall of painted portraits of anyone who is anyone - its not named the NPG for nothing!. After 30mins or so, I was rapidly getting numbed by so many paintings and took my leave.
Unable to face another museum so soon, I caught a flick at the main cinema in Leicester Sq. where tickets are 1/2 price before 3pm. "50 first dates" was the only movie on and it was in the genre of the other movie I saw, you know, leave your brain at the door. This one was pretty good and lots of chuckles were had throughout by the goofy antics of Adam Sandler.
The movie finished at 3pm and by this time I was ravenous, so I decided to combine lunch and dinner (??dunch) and headed to "Wagamama" - a chain of cheap and cheerful noodle bars . You sit on benches at long tables close to other diners, but no matter.
My choice - some chinese grilled dumplings (yum!) and "kare lomen" (a big bowl of spicy sauce-based udon noodles with lemongrass, coconut milk and char-grilled prawns - I only got 3!). Be warend though, don't eat this whilst wearing a white shirt - the sauce goes everywhere when using chopsticks. Oh, and the sppon you use is very rustic, its a small version of a wooden soop ladle, good if you have a large mouth. This was all washed down with a Japanese Kirin beer. delicious and highly recommended - all for £15.
Final stop for the day was the Musuem of London, which I'm sure I didn't do justice, as I scooted around the whole building in just over 1 hour, you really need plenty of patience and time for this museum and I had run out of both. Oh well, at least I can say I've been there, and it didn't cost me anything.

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