Thursday
August 12, 1982 – London
Didn’t sleep
too well last night – a combination of pizza mare and goats milk cheese plus a
bottle of wine seemed to make poor bedfellows. I woke up at about 02.30 and had
a couple of Alka Seltzer but then couldn’t go back to sleep as all sorts of
rubbish poured through my head – business, my Cape Town trip etc etc (As an interesting aside on how things which
seem so important at the time fade, I have no idea what this reference to a Cape
Town trip is about and why I should be worried!!) It was very hot and
stuffy too. I finally dropped off but didn’t get much sleep.
We had our
last German breakfast and then staggered off under the burden of our shoulder
bags to the U-bahn station. In Bonn
we left all our luggage in a locker while we had a last look around. It was a
really beautiful day by then – not as hell. We had a final bratwurst and rye
roll and then tried to get the tune that was being played all through the trip which
we thought was called Woch Woch Besturder by Spider Murphy Gang. (There is no song by this name found on the
Internet! Maybe that is why we couldn’t find it. Their big hit in 1982 was
Tutti Frutti.)
Unfortunately
we missed the 12.10 airport bus by thirty seconds. We had been told by the
officious person at Information that they left every ten minutes, but actually
they didn’t. they left every half an hour so we had to sit in the sun for
twenty five minutes. Rab did a quick change (in the street!) from her track
pants to her skirt. I was sorry I couldn’t get my camera out in time.
As it turned
out we got to the airport in plenty of time and the plane was almost empty. The
aircraft was a 737 and the seats were much better spaced than the SAA seats. the service and the food
were first class – almost up to Swissair standards. The flight over was good
and we had a first class view of the Channel and the countryside. As we flew
over London Rab had a marvellous view of the city.
We cleared
Customs and Immigration quickly although we had to wait quite a long time
before our baggage was delivered. We made our way down to the Tube station only
to find that there had been a fire on the line the day before and ‘delays’
could be expected. That made us a bit worried because it was after 15.00 and we
had to pick up the keys to the flat by 16.30. as it turned out we didn’t
experience any delays and we were at Holborn by 15.45. Matt’s face was a
picture on the ride in as the Tube started filling up with the wide variety of
strange creatures inhabiting London
at this time. At one stage we wondered how we would be able to get ourselves
and our luggage off as the carriage was jammed full. The crush had eased bby the time we reached our destination and
we got off with all our goods with no trouble.
The next
problem was one of portage –how to get it all to the surface. We managed that
too, although my arms felt about six inches longer by the time we got to the
flat. we unpacked quickly, had a couple of beers and set off by foot for Trafalgar Square,
Piccadilly Circus etc Had to start our London
sightseeing as soon as possible. Matt loved Hamleys and we will definitely be
going back there for a longer viewing sometime.
It was late
night shopping so we shot into Marks and Sparks at about 19.00 and got some
comestibles. Home for boiled eggs and an earlyish night.
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