Just Passing Through

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We have had to pass through the UK 3 separate times this trip and it isn't absolutely certain that we won't do so again. In any case, this post picks up on what went on, just for the sake of being complete – because we are habitually neat and tidy people(!).

We started this four- month trip with a 20 hour flight to Dublin via Abu Dhabi, because Etihad had a very good deal on tickets, and when you can get a good deal over that distance it is well worth consideration. It was also handy that Ireland was a priority for us. Dublin is well serviced by airlines but we needed to get to and from Greece and to and from Morocco. After careful research, investigation and analysis by the member of this team that does that best, it was determined that we would pick up flights with arrival and departure times better for us if we travelled in and out of one of London's various airports rather than Dublin. I suppose it is all about the traffic all of those travelling Britons generate.

I have been known to impose bans on companies that irritate or offend me and RyanAir is one of those. But I don't always make the bookings so, in breach of a ban I had imposed some years ago, we flew to London by RyanAir. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. We had to walk across the tarmac in the wind and rain – at both ends – but we did pay a heavily discounted extra to allow us to carry 2 decent bags, avoiding this time the tiresome business of getting on the plane looking like the Michelin man to avoid exceeding the 15 kg limit.

We had booked accommodation in East Croydon on the line in from Gatwick to catch our flight next day on Easy Jet (and I know it has the same business model as Ryan Air and logically should be subject to the same ban but I have never spent some hours juggling bags and clothing to achieve a weight limit for EasyJet – yet) because it had good flights to Athens and return. Unfortunately, there was a strike in Greece that closed the airport. The strike was only for 24 hours and had been forecast, as far as I know, but EasyJet didn't inform us until we hit London and then couldn't find us 2 seats until 3 days hence. Our hotel at East Croydon was fine except for the dodgy fire alarm that went off far too often.

Turned out that the sensor was close to the kitchen but that didn't fix the issue and we decided to proceed into London proper for the 3 days we needed to hang around.

The Comfort Inn, a stone's throw from Victoria Station, from now on provides one of the criteria against which all hotel rooms will be measured. The place was spotless, modern and fitted out quite well. It had wifi that was a little less than half adequate, which is unfortunately the norm, and its location was excellent. It is, however, now our standard for the smallest room you could have and still be able to actually get into. On this trip we are travelling with a backpack and a wheelie bag, that is large-ish. We had to juggle to get both of them, and us, into the room at the same time.

One project to be undertaken in London was to find a way to store one of our bags so that we could travel more easily to Greece and Morocco where, of course, we would require very little in the way of warm clothing. We had packed with a little less than our usual rigour when we left Australia because we had 2 big bags so it made sense to leave one behind when we travelled to the warmer countries. We tried to organise storage at a hotel on the basis that we would be there for this visit and another 2 relatively short visits but, while we had some fairly positive responses, we weren't confident in the storage arrangements proposed. Unless places offer lockable storage, and probably a price, they are as likely to poke your goods under a convenient counter or table in the reception area. A nuisance for them and a problem for us.

We eventually decided to suck it up and pay for a small self storage unit with Big Yellow. We were able to hire a locker that was a 1 metre cube. The one bag we needed to store could have had a party in there but it was the smallest available. More expensive than we would have liked but less expensive than dumping the gear and replacing it as needed.

The self storage unit was at Fulham, a short ride on the Tube. We were able to walk back along the Thames path. It rained but that didn't distract from a pleasing walk where we think we spotted an old friend pedalling furiously through the rain.

Shopping and sundry other administrative matters, along with visits to the Greyhound and the George, filled the next couple of days and we were off to Greece from Gatwick. And then we came back from Greece 3 weeks later. On a Sunday. A day when things are done to maintain the Tube. Took almost 3 hours to get from Gatwick to Putney Bridge.

We needed to visit the storage unit to lighten our load, do a little shopping and to try to catch up with Alex, the biker, so we found a place to stay at the Premier Inn at Putney Bridge. A good spot and more material deposited at the storage cube that was an easy walk away. Shopping centre close enough and all done.The search for a self-service laundromat was not so successful so the handwashing continued.

Dinner with Alex was the highlight. An enjoyable night of catch-up, yarns, drinks and nice food.

Off then to Morocco, this time on a TAP Portugal flight. Not a bad airline – proper food included – but it did give us a long wait in Lisbon for our connection to Casablanca. But the flight back was straight through to London. RyanAir. No problem getting under the weight with a 15kg bag each. Given that we had ridden in to Casablanca with significantly less than15kg between us, this wasn't much of an achievement.

This time we had to be a little more serious. We had a project to pursue. The Baileys are long ago relatives on the Kirkham side of the family. We had made it back to the mid-1800s using census records but there had been a problem in or around 1860 that we couldn't resolve through records online.

We are becoming used to the procedures used in archives, libraries and records offices to do with the searching of genealogical records. The London Metropolitan Archives was much the same as others. Here we needed two forms of photo ID as well as proof of address. We were able to establish that Margaret Bailey had entered the Metropolitan School for Children in the Care of the City of London after the death of her mother in 1867 and the absconding of her father from the family (for which he was imprisoned). Then 10 years later at age 15 she was apprenticed to service.

Margaret's brother, Joseph died within 2 years of entering the school but her sister had gone into service a couple of years previously and another brother went from the school into the army as a musician. It would be interesting to find out how he acquired his musical skills in the workhouse school.

Records of the proceedings of the School Board of Governors indicated serious concerns, particularly with opthalmic diseases at the time. There were a number of deaths but it was reassuring to see that they were taken very seriously and there seemed to be a strong desire to address issues, if not always complete knowledge about possible solutions.

It was good to find some photos of Margaret in the family trees that some other relations had put up online.

This time we were staying at the Rosalee Hotel, a very nice place but way out in Ilford. Only 30 minutes if you picked up the right connections but it was in Essex. An interesting place. English was the second language here but it seemed to be the second language of just about everyone. On the High Street there were Albanian, Turkish, Carribean, Chinese, Polish and Indian restaurants or cafes along with a Subway and an up-market burger joint. They all seemed to be doing a good trade but the pub, which seemed to cater mostly for Anglo-Saxons looked down on its luck, and wasn't.

Getting around on the trains and underground wasn't a problem except when we had the large bags. The problem wasn't really with anyone else. Just me because I felt that we were a nuisance to others. That said, the one time on this trip when we were on a truly overcrowded train was the day we travelled out to Ilford with all of our gear. There was some kind of problem on another line and ours took the overflow. The carriages were jam-packed but people responded to each other politely and everyone was given as much space as could reasonably by given. This included the couple of blokes who hopped on holding open cans of beer, obviously having just finished work on a building site or some such. I was impressed.

We had dinner on the night before we left Ilford at the Faroz Restaurant. It gets a special mention because it was the best Turkish food we have tasted since travelling in Turkey and better than most that we had there.

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Photos

Worth a visit for the status
but it was closed when we walked past it

Apartments through the years
And all with a nice view

Houseboats
'On the Thames in London' is as specific as we can be

Houseboats at low tide
On the Thames in London - along the river from the place before

More houseboats at low tide
On the Thames in London - not far from the one before

Underneath the arches
Putney Bridge

Westminster Cathedral
Different brand from the Abbey, and more recent

Old and new
Near Westminster Cathedral

Over the river
from Putney Bridge

So what are you looking at
Thought this one looks a little grumpy

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Calmer heads prevail
I'm glad a certain person does the reservations and ignored your "ban" from years ago. Glad you were able to make progress with chasing the family tree. Good work.