Ah hell, it was so cold! I was glad, at least, that my bus came straight away - and glad when we waited along the way, to "even the gaps in the service". I was to be early, you see, and this would just use up time. Bus turned out to be the quickest route to Temple, where we were to meet, actually - and as it happened, I was the first to arrive. Tip: she arrived 15 minutes early. Aim for that - especially so you don't have to wait in the vicious cold we had by the river!
Well, she was full of welcomes - and she had a busy time, as we were a large group, and mostly return customers. Each of whom she knew by name, of course. The couple of us that were there when she arrived also got to meet her husband! Anyway, we hung around for a few minutes after start time, for the sake of latecomers, but I was glad when we moved away from the gusts from the water.
And so off we went, eyes peeled. The essential difference between Look Up London and Chronicles, whose Shakespearian walk I went on on Thursday, is that he focuses very much on the history, while Katie simply points out things you can see, but might have missed, and the stories behind them. For example, did you ever notice the stunning architectural features on Surrey Street?
More photos here. Not to mention the "Roman baths" that really aren't, and the "ghost" station now used as a film set. You can do tours of it with the Transport Museum, it seems - subscribe to the TFL newsletter to get priority booking.
And so, up to Strand..
Sad that the printing industry, which became synonymous with this street, has now completely left it - probably the rents. Still, there's a fascinating history of the printing industry on the tiles of Magpie Alley - which, at its end, leads to a section of the ruins of a Carmelite monastery.
We spent about 90 minutes wending our way through the side streets off Fleet Street - and it was nostalgic for one of the group, who used to work there. We finished up by St. Paul's - a scenic walk as well as an informative one. I can see why it was her first ever, and why she still loves to do it. What a cross-section of the life of London! Well worth doing - though, as she remarked, with people doing so many of her walks, she'd better come up with some new ones.. Excellent as ever. And as we tended to walk back in the general direction I was headed in, I was now close enough to walk back - and did so. Honestly, I was feeling terribly stiff, after this unaccustomed New Year's exertion, and was glad to loosen up my joints - my back had been killing me for a lot of the day.
Tomorrow, I'm doing The Greenwich Walk: Heroes and Villains. I'll be well exercised at the end of all that. And this evening, she helpfully messaged to clarify that we'd be meeting at Greenwich rail station, not the DLR station. Hey, I believe they're a short walk from each other anyway. And this far away, I doubt I'll be walking back!
On Monday, I booked with London Speaks Sessions, for a talk on Interviews With a Serial Killer. Funzing now have an Unlimited Talks option, where you can get unlimited talks for a month for £11.99 - however, not seeing anything else I fancy coming up this month, I left it. As it was, I got a spectacular loyalty discount for this one! ..and then I got a better offer. St. Martin-in-the-Fields (which I haven't been to in over a year!) sent an advertising email - and I rather fancied Monday's offering, an Arab Christmas. Of course, you can cancel Funzing up to 48 hours beforehand - so I did, and am now going to that instead.
On Tuesday, it's cinema - first in a while. Top of the List came King of Boys, a gangster Nollywood film, of all things. Closest showing is in the Odeon Greenwich - so I booked, which works out cheaper. It'll be my very first Nollywood film - and it's on really late. I'll have to ring my mother beforehand and pretend I've already been..
On Wednesday - back for the New Year with the Crick Crack Club! They're doing a new series on archetypes - Wednesday's is on Wise Ones Wild Ones, in Rich Mix. We're spoiled with the lineup - the night's storytellers are Ben Haggerty, Jan Blake, Daniel Morden - and Laura Sampson, who used (nominally) to run their now-defunct Meetup group. Never mind, for once the London European Club is going, under the stewardship of Henning! It'll be good to see some friendly faces there - and it's been ages since I saw these people! About time. And it'll be my first proper Meetup of the year.
On Thursday, in contrast, I'm with a completely new group - London Sci-Fi Horror Hide-Out, for their first ever Meetup! Hem - this is Miskatonic LDN - Remakesploitation: The Horror Meme. Fairly trips off the tongue, the whole thing! So it seems that Miskatonic LDN is actually an institute of horror studies, and based at the Horse Hospital. Well now. This specific event is about the many international horror film remakes through the years. Then I'm back to Ireland for the weekend.
And on the 14th, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Pinter at the Pinter again! This is Programme 5 - The Room / Victoria Station / Family Voices. And this evening includes a free Q+A with the cast.
No comments:
Post a Comment