BARFL
Yesterday (Sunday) we walked from here to Merton Abbey Mill Complex for the Sunday market. It's not big, but we met a man selling wine in bulk and by the glass and yummy seafoods. We bought a couple of glasses of French white wine and a tasting plate of crab, shrimp, king prawns, smoked salmon and salmon pate for the total of 7.50 pounds. It was great. Then we caught the train to Sth Clapham, got off and walked to the common where the British Australian Rules Football league were playing football and Mick was umpiring. On the way through the common, we passed a fishing pond. Lots of Poms were there fishing for tench, perch and a 30lb carp that aparently lives there. They actually camp out in tents and "bivies" waiting to catch that elusive big fish. We stopped talking to a lovely chatty guy who only left us when his son got a bite on the line and called him away. Can you imagine fishing on Raglan Parade in a stocked pond?
Footy at Clapham Common
We sat on the grass at the footy drinking Fosters with Mick's housemates, having a very social time. Russ and I left early to cook the poor little orphans a roast of pork which left them even more homesick for their mums!
The Umpires
On the way home we passed a really nice hotel and called in there to book a couple of nights when we get back from Europe. The nice man on the desk suggested we should book it on the internet as it would be cheaper! The asking price we saw was 65 pounds, the price we paid this morning on the net was 49!!!!!
So, today was spent booking the hotel,then finding a hire car. After a lot of searching we found a new Toyota medium sized car for 300 pounds (all inclusive) for 10 days quite close to here. We'll go to Europe tomorrow for 18 days then pick it up when we get back and have 10 glorious days unplanned on our own.
After we figured all that out, we left here and walked to Wimbledon station and caught our first double decker bus to Putney River, changed and went on to Sth Kensignton to Harrods and The Victoria and Albert Museum. We are very confident using the tube, but had never used the bus. It was great riding up top through the suburbs (Wimbledon Village, Fulham and Chelsea) past the parks and commons and beautiful big homes and just knowing we could do it ourselves.
Tonight we shouted Mick and his house mate Kate to the Walkabout pub for a very cheap and cheerful dinner.
I'm really happy I've been to London and I really think "living" with real people for a week has been better than staying in a hotel, but in the end, it's just another big city (not unlike Tokyo actually) and now I can "tick it off".
Footy at Clapham Common
We sat on the grass at the footy drinking Fosters with Mick's housemates, having a very social time. Russ and I left early to cook the poor little orphans a roast of pork which left them even more homesick for their mums!
The Umpires
On the way home we passed a really nice hotel and called in there to book a couple of nights when we get back from Europe. The nice man on the desk suggested we should book it on the internet as it would be cheaper! The asking price we saw was 65 pounds, the price we paid this morning on the net was 49!!!!!
So, today was spent booking the hotel,then finding a hire car. After a lot of searching we found a new Toyota medium sized car for 300 pounds (all inclusive) for 10 days quite close to here. We'll go to Europe tomorrow for 18 days then pick it up when we get back and have 10 glorious days unplanned on our own.
After we figured all that out, we left here and walked to Wimbledon station and caught our first double decker bus to Putney River, changed and went on to Sth Kensignton to Harrods and The Victoria and Albert Museum. We are very confident using the tube, but had never used the bus. It was great riding up top through the suburbs (Wimbledon Village, Fulham and Chelsea) past the parks and commons and beautiful big homes and just knowing we could do it ourselves.
Tonight we shouted Mick and his house mate Kate to the Walkabout pub for a very cheap and cheerful dinner.
I'm really happy I've been to London and I really think "living" with real people for a week has been better than staying in a hotel, but in the end, it's just another big city (not unlike Tokyo actually) and now I can "tick it off".
posted by janandruss at
6:33 a.m.
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