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Published: August 17th 2009
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Monday morning and no need to work
As I look across at Docklands I pause for a moment and think of the workers...hahaha suckers! Dear reader, I arrived in London today (actually it was yesterday but I really couldn't be bothered blogging) having survived the 25 hour ordeal of the Sydney to London flight. The service onboard Virgin Atlantic was very good, the entertainment system worked reasonably well and the food was, well, typical airline food - about one step ahead of hospital food. I only wish that I had about half metre of extra leg-room but I refuse to handover another $5000 for that!
London on arrival was mild and sunny and as I couldn't check-in to my hotel until 3pm I spent most of the day with my brother Paul and his partner Mark. I grabbed a two hour sleep before we headed off for a late breakfast at
Del Aziz in Bermondsey Square, about five minutes from Paul and Mark's place in Empire Square. (For those of you that arrived late, Paul and Mark live in SE1- close to London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Borough Market and a host of other places)
Del Aziz is described as a piece of the Mediterranean in Bermondsey and its bar has an area of glass floor which holds the remains of the South Tower steps
A room with a view
The sun rises over Docklands. It looks like its going to another lovely day in London to the
Bermondsey Abbey Church . The venue houses a bar, restaurant and delicatessen. The delicatessen is awash with fresh fruit, cured meats, chutneys, chillies and a load of beautiful cakes displayed in the window. My food was more English than Mediterranean - bacon, eggs, tomato, sausages, mushrooms and toast.
Feeling quite satisfied we wandered back to Empire Square to relax for a couple of hours before heading off to my Hotel, the Hilton Riverside. First stop was Waitrose (a quality supermarket chain in the UK) for some snacks and supplies for the hotel room. I was going to stock my bar fridge with my own beverages rather than fork out for the expensive and usually miniature min-bar offerings.
The Hilton Riverside is a lovely hotel, quite large, rather corporate but comfortable. My room has a view across to Docklands and with the sound of seagulls and the hum of boats cutting through the water outside I have no real reason to complain.
Having scoured the newspapers and news services I expected that the global financial crisis and swine flu would dominate, however something more sinister has gripped the nation here over the last few days - The scene-stealing squirrel!
The scene-stealing squirrel
This squirrel is now appearing in hundreds of photos across the globe including being spotted at the Obama inauguration, the moon landing and other major historical events! This cheeky critter first appeared in a photo taken in Canada's Banff National Park and now appearing in hundreds of photos including the Obama inauguration! I guess I'll have to look out for it over the next few weeks.
Lets now fast forward to today, its early morning and the bright sun is shining through my window. I'm not sure what's ahead for today; no doubt my brother Paul has something interesting in store. What I do know is that it’s a beautiful Monday morning and I don't have to be at work. Holidays!!
...and in late news, my great 'stock the min-bar with my own drinks' plan has failed at the first hurdle- there is no mini-bar in the room!
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