We finished off most of the food we'd bought in preparation of the move from the Marylebone flat to the North Greenwich flat so we just grabbed some bagels and croissants from the Marylebone station for breakfast, in the rain.
There was no way we were going to take all of our luggage on the Tube over to North Greenwich (we'd seen several people struggling with big bags on the Tube) so I hailed a London Black Cab from the Marylebone station, in the rain.
The International Triathlon Union (ITU) was holding their grande finale in London - today! - so most of the bridges across the Thames were shut down and traffic was much worse than usual. Great time to get across town!
Fortunately, our cab driver was aware of the event and knew he could get us across the Thames on the Blackfriars Bridge, so we took a long trip through town and finally made it to our new flat within about 45 minutes. Cost: 45 GBP, in the rain.
But then he couldn't find the place so we had to call the office for specific directions, with the meter running. Oh well. These London Black Cab drivers are supposed to know every inch of the city, but he kept referring to his map in the front seat. Maybe he was a new driver.
Our host gave us the quick tour of the place and left us to our own devices about 2pm.
Nice views from this 5th floor flat in the Greenwich Millenium Village (GMV). We can see Canary Wharf, London's financial district (hello Barclays, hello Citi, hello HSBC, you BASTARDS!) from our windows, the O2 is right over there, and you would not believe how many construction cranes there are across London.
I counted six cranes the other day from our rooftop deck in Houston, but I have counted at least 40 so far here in London. And they claim they are practicing austerity?
We have a "rooftop" terrace at this flat, even though there are seven floors in this building, but it's been so cold and wet we haven't spent much time out there.
Every window has a radiator under it again. Radiators seems to be the heater of choice in London, and they work surprisingly well. Hey, maybe that's why they use them. We are spoiled with our central air and heat in America.
There is a small food store about 100' from our flat, and they had everything we were looking for, so we stocked up again for the next few days.
The weather was dreary again, cold, windy, rainy, as usual, so we decided to just get a pizza from the food store for dinner. It was quite good, actually, once the wife doctored it up with some mushrooms, onions, and cheese.
Crashed early. 78-year-old Leonard Cohen is playing tonight at the O2, but we're just not up to it. And besides, after The Wall last night, I don't think Cohen would quite measure up.
The International Triathlon Union (ITU) was holding their grande finale in London - today! - so most of the bridges across the Thames were shut down and traffic was much worse than usual. Great time to get across town!
Fortunately, our cab driver was aware of the event and knew he could get us across the Thames on the Blackfriars Bridge, so we took a long trip through town and finally made it to our new flat within about 45 minutes. Cost: 45 GBP, in the rain.
But then he couldn't find the place so we had to call the office for specific directions, with the meter running. Oh well. These London Black Cab drivers are supposed to know every inch of the city, but he kept referring to his map in the front seat. Maybe he was a new driver.
Our host gave us the quick tour of the place and left us to our own devices about 2pm.
Nice views from this 5th floor flat in the Greenwich Millenium Village (GMV). We can see Canary Wharf, London's financial district (hello Barclays, hello Citi, hello HSBC, you BASTARDS!) from our windows, the O2 is right over there, and you would not believe how many construction cranes there are across London.
I counted six cranes the other day from our rooftop deck in Houston, but I have counted at least 40 so far here in London. And they claim they are practicing austerity?
We have a "rooftop" terrace at this flat, even though there are seven floors in this building, but it's been so cold and wet we haven't spent much time out there.
Every window has a radiator under it again. Radiators seems to be the heater of choice in London, and they work surprisingly well. Hey, maybe that's why they use them. We are spoiled with our central air and heat in America.
There is a small food store about 100' from our flat, and they had everything we were looking for, so we stocked up again for the next few days.
The weather was dreary again, cold, windy, rainy, as usual, so we decided to just get a pizza from the food store for dinner. It was quite good, actually, once the wife doctored it up with some mushrooms, onions, and cheese.
Crashed early. 78-year-old Leonard Cohen is playing tonight at the O2, but we're just not up to it. And besides, after The Wall last night, I don't think Cohen would quite measure up.
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