Tourist London - Part 3 (Sunday)

No buses to research on Sunday - I'd done that already and the route hadn't changed. My guests were flying out of Stansted at 5, and we had decided they'd take the Stansted Express from Liverpool Street Station. Spitalfields Market and Brick Lane are within walking distance from there, so we had a rough plan to explore in that direction.

We took the #11 bus - one of the best for sightseeing - from Victoria to Liverpool Street, the end of the line. The bus was one of the heritage Routemaster, old-style buses that run on some routes, with access from any door if you have Oyster, and two sets of stairs leading upstairs. You can also hop on and off between stops - not that we needed to. The journey was fun, passing many landmarks..

St. Paul's in the distance

St. Paul's. Impossible to get a good shot here, the streets are so narrow.



The Bank of England  

We arrived at Liverpool Street and deposited their bags at the Left Luggage office beside Platform 10. We had three hours for the basic price. We bought their train tickets - not an easy job, considering the queue at the ticket office, and that of the four ticket machines for the Stansted Express, three were out of order - and they only take cards. Then we returned their Oyster cards, and we were off.

 The Gherkin, on the left

 

Spitalfields was just a couple of minutes walk away, and we spent a lovely time browsing the stalls, and buying a couple of things. For lunch, we ate at the market - we had been thinking of Brick Lane, but were enjoying the atmosphere, and stayed where we were. We ate at Gourmet Burger Kitchen, and ate heartily indeed, unable to finish what we'd ordered. A trip to Montezuma's chocolate shop completed our visit, and as we exited, we came across a concert in progress under an awning at the entrance, and we stopped for a while to listen before I put them on the train.

A quiet evening ensued, and I've spent most of my time since trawling through the new film lists - a process I only finished last night! I didn't bother going out last night.. For tonight, I see Autobahn is showing, in the King's Head in Islington. This is a series of short plays, each featuring two characters sitting in the front of a car, and I heartily recommend it. However, I saw it some years back at the Galway Arts Festival, and frankly they staged it in a way I think can't be beaten. They stationed four cars in front of the theatre, and two or three audience members at a time got into the back seat of each car, then the actors got in the front. When each play ended, the audience members got out and went to the next car. Now, you can't beat that for intimacy - a play happening in the front seats while you eavesdrop from the back! So I'll skip this production - although the King's Head is a nice venue, and I do recommend it. Alternatively, there's Eye of a Needle, at the Southwark Playhouse. Sounds good.. but confidentially, I might stay in tonight too! I need to get my head together..