Glorious Greenwich Walking Tour (#2), Pub: O' Neill's, & Walk: Deeds Not Words! Suffragettes, Spies & Warrior Queens

Yesterday, well, Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners were back to Greenwich again. Now, I was there with him before.. not sure how "new" this one would be, but hey, it was a great day last time! So I signed up, and dragged myself out of bed to make the long trek. Enjoyed the views from the DLR en route, even if it was a grey day..

Arrived, found the group, went to pay. Now, I'd checked before I came out that I had enough cash - glory, it had disappeared! Had to source a cash machine - which was right across the road. Annoyingly, it's a busy road, so that took a while - as he said, "She's run off without my money!" Made it back before he left, anyway - as usual, he obligingly waited 15 minutes for stragglers. Some no-shows - ah well, can't be helped. Lots of faces familiar to me, anyway - and I see I wasn't away long enough for them to forget me! :-)

We actually started with an audience of pigeons:

Honestly, I appreciated hearing most of the facts of this walk again - many had become hazy. Like the story of Tam o' Shanter, who disturbed a coven of witches - one pretty, young one wearing a short skirt, known as a cutty sark. They chased him as he galloped off, coming close enough that the one wearing the cutty sark ripped a bit off his horse's tail:

It's always good to hear the story of Sir Walter Raleigh, who had a chequered career:

And even on a cloudy day, the views here are expansive:

I'd forgotten how much information is included in this relief! Some details about Nelson's battles - his prone corpse is seen cradled in the centre, and to the right are three figures depicting England, Scotland, and Ireland:

More wide expanses:

Inside, as well as outside:

As the walk continued, we got hungrier.. and finally, it was time to eat. And back to the Coach & Horses (inside, this time). Where I had a decent steak and ale pie - which I didn't quite finish, mindful that I'd be eating out again later. Anyway, Laurence wanted to try out The Gypsy Moth pub, so a couple of us went there with him - but they had no seats. So we ended up in The Spanish Galleon, which was blissfully uncrowded, and where we had a convivial one for the road. They have an interesting, curved bar - which the barman claims to be haunted. "Yes, the drinks slide away from you.." Perhaps it's to recreate the experience of drinking on a ship that's listing to the side!

Glad I came - it was great to see everyone, even if this was a repeat for me. Anyway, he has promised to try and schedule some walks I haven't done for weekends when I'll be available.. watch this space!

Yesterday evening, was to meet Ivan - and another ex-boss with whom I'm still friendly, Martin, for dinner: and wouldn't you know it, I actually managed to book O' Neill's. Wonders shall never cease.. of course, Christmas is over now, so things might calm down. Also, although the Six Nations was on that day, the matches were in the afternoon.. Handily, I just had time to shop beforehand, then scootched up the road, getting there about 5-10 minutes late for the booking. No need to book, really - there were about four tables upstairs that would have done. Unfortunately, Martin couldn't make it, in the end - his wife banged her head in the cab she took home from work, and he didn't want to leave her. Next time, hopefully.

Ivan wasn't too long after me - although, typically, he didn't actually eat. Unless you count Guinness as a food group! Me, I was only delighted to get back to that delicious katsu - it's been so long! I see the buttermilk chicken now comes with twisty fries, by default.. and I barely remembered to order onion rings. But it was delicious, and I scoffed the lot. And plenty of wine. Meantime, happily for me, Ireland won their Six Nations match, and happily for Ivan (whose family live there), Scotland won theirs. We could watch on the three large tvs in the room - they're big on sports in this pub. Upstairs closed at 9.30 - but we were to find that downstairs had plenty of space! So we stayed a while longer there, listening to the live music. It was his first time in an Irish pub, and he was bemused to see the people at a nearby table playing cards.. hey, as I said, that's the thing about Irish pubs, as long as you're not bothering anyone, you can do as you please! With a good playlist as well, it was an excellent night - and he's determined we should go back there, next time.. Naturally, I was too tired to blog last night, though.

Today, for ages, nothing on Meetup appealed massively - I thought I might go for a walk along the Ken's Events route, if I felt like it! (on my own). Or Over 40 Living the Life advertised a walk along the New River.. I'd have to see, as I'd have to pay to sign up (refunds given to those who then came). And I might well change my mind.. which I did, when Free Stuff and Free Events advertised a blues concert at the Earl of Chatham, Woolwich. It was a way out, is all - but then, it was free, if I wanted to cancel. And.. finally I did, because London Herstory Guided Walks! finally advertised a walk I could go on. I was recommended this group by someone a while ago - they run guided walks with a female theme. Today's was Deeds Not Words! Suffragettes, Spies, & Warrior Queens. Delighted to be able to go on one of theirs, at last - they're usually on during working hours. Only thing is, they didn't specify how to pay - cash on the day, I guessed, as they didn't take payment on booking. Mercifully, it was in the afternoon - I needed the rest, after yesterday!

Still, I left it tight - ended up on the Tube, rather than bus. Which was just as well, really - made it a lot easier to find our guide, Mandy Morrow, who was stood right in front of one of the exits! So all I had to do was stand there and have a good look around before I moved - frankly, the easiest walk I've ever had to locate! And she turned out to be lovely and friendly - three others joined, all regulars as well, apparently, and one of whom I knew from Discover London. A good sign, repeat business. Anyway, we had one no-show - Mandy seems quite reasonable about latecomers, as long as they message her to let her know what's happening.

We started with the women who worked as spies during the Second World War - but much of the walk was concerned with the Suffragettes, so it's handy that I saw Sylvia - about Sylvia Pankhurst - just during the week, and had some context! Anyway - we had a look at Caxton Hall, where they held many meetings:

(There was some confusion over the statues - turns out that they depict Queen Victoria and Edward VII.)

And so to Christchurch Gardens, and the Suffragette Monument:

In due course, naturally, we came to the monument to Emmeline Pankhurst (and her daughter Christabel, the only one who did something of which she approved!):

She wasn't the only one whose statue we saw:

And particularly evocative was the prison in which they were housed - the original building is still there! And wow, would you believe, they used lapdogs to carry messages to prisoners, training them to take the messages to the windows:

I got to see St. John's Smith Square from the other side:

I see the scaffolding has finally come down around Big Ben! and how it glistens in the sunlight:

And we had a lovely view of Westminster Abbey:

Our last famous, historical, woman of the day was Boadicea:

On Whitehall, as usual, there was a demonstration - today, it was in support of Ukraine. With a strident speaker, not short of things to say. And we finished with the monument to the women of WWII:

Small nugget of info for you - did you know that Waterloo Bridge is also sometimes known as the Ladies' Bridge? Because it was built by women during WWII!

Anyway, afterwards we repaired to the Crypt Cafe in St. Martin in the Fields - after we successfully navigated the chaotic queueing system, I discovered that their hot chocolate is excellent! For future reference. Closes at 5 on Sundays, but we had time for a lovely chat. Really hope I get to do something else with them before too long.

Afterwards, I needed a proper meal. Tried The Chandos first, but their dining area was closed! And so to Prezzo, which was fine - I had garlic bread, and chicken in marsala and mushroom sauce, which comes with fries. All of which was good, but maybe short on flavour. Friendly and efficient service though - and I was to discover that was partly down to their online payment system! So, you order with a waiter, as traditionally: but when it's time to pay, you scan the QR code at your table, and pay online! Smashing, saves all the waiting for the bill - plus it frees up the waiting staff to take orders and serve food. Smiles all around - excellent idea.

Got the bus home. Oh, and remember that cash that went missing? Yes, predictably I'd stuffed it in amongst my Euros.. duh..

Tomorrow, my first actual event with the Over 40s. We're off to How Not to Drown at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East - the first event of theirs for which I couldn't get a cheaper ticket! So I decided, if I couldn't beat them, I might as well join them. True story of an unaccompanied, 11-year-old asylum seeker.

On Tuesday, excited to be headed to see Derren Brown in Showman, at the Apollo Shaftesbury Avenue. Cheapest tickets with Official London Theatre again.

On Wednesday, off to The Lehman Trilogy, at the Gillian Lynne Theatre. Based on the true story of the bank that collapsed. Got the last £39.50 ticket!

On Thursday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats for Winner's Curse, at the Park Theatre - an interactive show about a peace negotiation. Turns out North London Friends are headed to it the same night - what, are they now copying this group, as another group did some time ago? (since closed down). And then I'm back to Ireland again.

And on the 13th, I'm headed to Allegiance, starring George Takei in a musical based on the true story of his time in an American internment camp during the Second World War. Showing at the Charing Cross Theatre.

Cabaret All-Stars & Tour: Glorious Greenwich

Yesterday, I got a cheap ticket with TAC to the Cabaret All-Stars! Now, although they advertise a "fine dining" menu, they don't say what's on it - so I decided not to risk it, given that their main business isn't food, and ate in O' Neill's instead. Had to go upstairs, but it was a lot quicker and cheaper than what I'd have got in the area around Embankment, and I was sure I'd be well fed. Service wasn't the quickest - and she forgot my onion rings - but I got out in time to arrive at the venue half an hour early, as requested by the ticket providers. And all praise Google Maps, which knows exactly where it is! and led me pretty much right to it. Mind you, once you're in the vicinity, it's hard to miss:

I felt like neither a VIP nor a Premium guest - the designations for the two queues - so joined the one that had people in it. Bag check, name check - he couldn't find my name at first, but I saw it on his list and pointed it out to him. And FYI, I was a VIP! (I think that's the minimum designation.) Some waiters are - well, waiting - to the side, and show people in. As a VIP, you go up to the balcony - the seats are large sofas curved around a table, and not at all a shabby view!

I did have to share my sofa in due course - they tried to squash in five more people, but the guy in the last group of four had a word with a waiter, and they moved to another table, to be replaced by a couple. So there were four of us at the table for the show. Food-wise, the menu had dishes for about £5 - chips, chicken, that sort of thing - presumably all small portions. I was rather glad I wasn't depending on them for dinner. I had a glass of wine, and then another as the evening wore on - the maximum measure they do is 175ml, for £10. Finding the wine a bit insipid, I switched to margaritas.. they have an extensive cocktail menu. These are £15, and went down much better - so I had two of those as well. Service was a bit hit and miss - the waiters had a lot to do, with two floors to serve, and it could be very hard to catch the eye of one.

Entertainment-wise, we started with half an hour of a singer, who explained that this slot was often occupied by somebody famous - so weren't we lucky to be able to see her before she hit the big time! She had several outfit changes:

She was good, acting as MC as well - but the other acts were excellent. We started with striptease - frankly, the lady was so heavily tattooed that it was hard to tell whether her clothes were on or off! She was followed by, I think, my favourite act of the night - the fire-eaters, who set fire to some very intimate parts of the anatomy! with great style, too:

There were a couple of acrobats, a couple of clowns - and I have to hand it to all of them. I've always admired circus performers, the lengths they go to, to entertain an audience: the crazy things they do. But last night was a new dimension - all of that, plus a sexy twist. It's a new kind of multitasking - hats off to them! Throughout, a good rock soundtrack - and I was glad not to have a ground-floor seat, and be in danger of being called onstage for a dance-off.

Excellent night, in general - highly recommended. The girls at the birthday party tables had great fun! The Cabaret All-Stars are finished now, but they are running other shows until the 30th of December, methinks. On the bus home, found myself sat beside an inveterate talker - really, I have to wonder how anyone can live with her! I don't mean to be mean, but seriously, she never closed her mouth! She was always talking, either to me or to the air. She'd just come from a show - wonder whether she was quiet for that..

Couldn't blog last night, as I had to redo the film list (which I didn't even get half finished) and then be up early this morning. I was back with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpy Old Londoners for a walk called Glorious Greenwich. So popular, he reached capacity, still with several on the waitlist! Mind you, he had a lot of last-minute cancellations..

I had fewer problems getting to Greenwich than the last time I was there! Both bus and DLR were seamless - apart from half of Bank Station being blocked off, so I had a roundabout route to catch my train. Which Google Maps didn't factor into its estimate of how long it'd take me to get there! Never mind, it was a lovely journey - overground for most of the way, with some great views, and on a beautiful, sunny day. A group of Irish lads stood near me were commenting - in Irish - about the weird stop names. :-) And a lady on my other side had brought a dog, who decided that we were all much more interesting than her human..

What with a wait for that train, and a climb of stairs at the end, I was a little late for the start of the walk, as of course was someone else who arrived on the same train - but not really, because of course, Laurence hangs around for 15 minutes. And today he needed that time - people kept arriving. It was still a huge group! 

Greenwich was abuzz - for our first stop, there was music on both sides, with something that looked like a yoga session starting up on one side, and a busker on the other. We stopped for a look at the Cutty Sark, of course:

Sir Walter Raleigh made an appearance:

and the wall behind him carries the effigies of famous sea captains:

Greenwich has some famous vistas:

And what was cool was that we went to the chapel - which I didn't get to, last time I was here! So, worth making both trips then..

So much spectacular architecture. And such a nice place to come, on a sunny day..

Now, I never realised that this once occupied the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, which provides a seat for a succession of modern art works:

Excellent choice for a day out!

Anyway, he finally found somewhere that could accommodate us all for lunch - the Coach & Horses has outside benches, and had plenty of space. We had some rather nice fish n chips - and again, I got to share a bottle of sauvignon blanc. Our choice of the New Zealand label was approved of by our chatty waiter - and guess where he was from? ;-) When he later served me a top-up glass, he was also most approving of my choice to go large. Nice fellow. And it was a lovely, chatty, friendly afternoon. We even managed to avoid the pooing pigeon, positioned overhead.. just..

This evening, I was supposed to be meeting two ex-coworkers for dinner and drinks. But it turns out one got her wires crossed, and was now doing something else. And what a good job that I checked with the other - because he made exactly the same mistake! I did manage to cancel the restaurant reservation before I had to pay a penalty - just. Jeez, if people would only read instructions.. goes to show, you can never repeat things too often.

Tomorrow, I'm off to Rye. London and Sussex Walking Tours - whom I joined during lockdown - are running a daytrip! called Rye - Pirates, Ports and Jazz (they also have a jazz festival this weekend): and I've never been. It's a bit of a palaver to get to, involving two trains - but well, it's about time I travelled a bit, and it's not too early a start. And the tour itself ends early in the day, so I have plenty of time to eat and explore before my train(s) back.

On Monday, thinking of film - and with the film listings finally out, and rejecting the iffy-looking Indian films at the top, what it's looking like is M, a 1931 thriller set in Germany about the hunt for a murderer. Only showing in the BFI, which has a tendency to sell out - this isn't yet, but I'll have to keep an eye on it. Still, it is in the large screen, so I'll probably be ok.

On Tuesday, I'm back with TAC - for a play called Angel, in the Hope Theatre. Based on the true story of the "Angel of Kobane", a young woman who fought against the encroaching forces of Islamic State. This is the final part of an "Arabian Nightmares" trilogy of plays by Henry Naylor.

And on Wednesday - assuming I'm not working by then, I've signed up to another of Laurence's walks: The Lady-Killer is an inventive renaming of London's most notorious serial killer.. (Ooh, and I'll have to get cash out again.) Failing that, if I have to work (sadly, a necessary evil eventually), I can always head back to the Soho Comedy Factory that evening.. (Be aware, Design My Night sells tickets to this for £5, but you can show up for free..!)