The day we went to London

Today was a travel day; one of those long drawn out days that you prepare for with military precision, all the moving parts having to be meticulously timed. Time of leaving the apartment Time of arrival at station. Time of dropping off hire car. Time of getting taxi back to station. Time of departure of train. Time of arrival of train etc. 

All the parts meshed together well.  There were flurries of activity (like dropping Julie and I and all the luggage at Truro station), interspersed with lengthy periods of waiting (waiting for Mark & Wallsy to get back from dropping the car; waiting for the train… ). 

Then there was the long but interesting train journey to London. We passed through the Cornish countryside, across the Brunel Bridge at Saltash, along the coastline at Dawlish, across the edge of the Salisbury Plain and past the Pewsey white horse carved into the hillside. 


For most of this journey the train was standing room only, luggage bays were full before we left Truro, and as more and more people piled on at each stop, there was no way to move through the corridors. Reaching the toilet was impossible and we were on board for 4 1/2 hours!  

Upon arriving at London Paddington just 17 minutes late, we opted for a taxi to Sloane Square Hotel as Wallsy’s research had shown the Circle Line to Victoria Station was not running due to some sort of earlier fire alarm, and noone felt like dragging luggage 4kms to the hotel. 

We were checked in by 4:30 and after settling into our rooms, Julie and Mark set out for a walk while Wallsy and I went to the hotel lounge for an iced coffee. We all dined in the hotel restaurant and then walked around this obviously well-to-do area and into Hyde Park. We were disappointed to  find the Diana Memorial Fountain was not flowing and the park was very dry - no green grass in sight. 





Tomorrow brings another long travel day for some of us and the start of a new adventure for another. 

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