Tonight, I booked A Medieval Ghost Story with the Surrey History Meetup, on Teams this time. Tickets from Eventbrite, free when I booked, at least! But you know, I figured they'd probably record it. I hoped so, because in the meantime, Invigorate came back with another pub crawl! (AKA Tour of Historic Pubs.) Much closer together this time, thankfully, and all in Southwark, so convenient for me! So I booked for that.
And I could walk there - which was what I did, even with it drizzling on me. Arrived in Borough, round about where the first pub, The Old King's Head, was supposed to be - and it was handy that he'd told us to look for the hanging sign above the alleyway. Because there it was!
So, down the alley I went - and there it was. Jam packed, too - I managed to squeeze my way through to the bar and get a drink, then figured my best bet was to stand outside. Where I had a lovely chat with the owner - a Kiwi, dontcha know - until the organiser arrived. He then headed to the loo - and on his way back, came across two more of our members, already at a table inside! So we headed to join them, and had a convivial drink and chat there.
Our next plan was to head to the Southwark Tavern. We walked in the door - and into a wall of noise. Walked straight out again - and back to The Old King's Head, where we discovered that the crowd had evaporated! and we happily had another drink there. Being hidden down a side alley has its advantages..
The night finished in The George, just nearby. Our organiser fancied food - and the rest of us also thought that mightn't be such a bad idea. Well now, this place was packed too - but by dint of heading all the way up to the top floor, what should we discover but an almost empty dining room! And I can testify that each floor has its own set of toilets - now that's forward planning. We ordered on the app - and lo, it mustn't have been two minutes after an order that the drinks arrived! Most impressive. We were well fed - and most of us stayed till closing. Another very good night!
This evening, I made what used to be my annual pilgrimage to Winter Wonderland! Whee! Particularly as, to get an evening ticket, I had to book three weeks in advance - to combat Covid, they're restricting numbers, and of course, evenings are the hardest to get. Not to mention that they're now charging an entry fee - but that is waived if you book at least £20 of attractions, food or drink in the same transaction. Which I always do - the Cirque Berserk and Magical Ice Kingdom. Was looking forward to that hot chocolate with the shot in it..
Drinks in the office first mind, as always on a Thursday. And frankly, the chat was so good that I stayed later than I should have - too late to make the circus. Well, what the hey - it was a bit samey anyway, the same headline motorcycle act, year after year. When I finally left, I had a choice of taking the bus - but that wouldn't have left me much time to explore, before the Ice Kingdom. So I took the Tube.
Well hey, they moved the alcoholic hot chocolate stand! So, when I stumbled across it, I availed of it immediately - I know what it's like not to use something immediately, only to forget where it is. Unfortunately, the only whiskey option was "cinnamon whiskey", and I don't like cinnamon - so I had brandy instead. Which was very nice.
And around I wandered, absorbing the atmosphere.
What's happened to the Christmas market though? It's practically non-existent this year!! I saw a handful of stalls, no more. Bummer, that's one of my main reasons for going. Or maybe I just couldn't find it. Certainly, the site is even less navigable this year than usual - and when the time came for me to look for the Magical Ice Kingdom, I had to ask directions of two people working in token booths - the map is wrong, and I was completely lost! Well, but I did find it in the end.
The theme this year is from the realm of fantasy. And yes, it's as cold as ever - to the extent that my phone battery died immediately upon exiting! So, unable to figure out the buses without it, I took the Tube home - which was nice and quick.
I'm back to Ireland for the weekend - despite all my gallivanting, I tested negative for Covid! (Whee..) And so, on Saturday, I'm doing something else festive - I'm headed to Christmas with André, the latest offering of popular classical music from André Rieu, at the Omniplex.
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