Fall 06 Paddlewheelers Part 1

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Well, the fall 2006 trip is well underway. British Airways found me a nice bulkhead aisle seat so the 7.5 hr flight on October 4 was bearable and by 7:30 AM on October 5, I was buying a ticket on the 8 AM National Express direct bus to Southampton where Stuart was waiting at 9:45. After lunch, he dropped me off at the Southampton Maritime Museum on his way back to work. They have a lot of old liner stuff and a huge model of the real QUEEN MARY and another of a Union Castle ship. There are lots of good hotels in Southampton so if anyone is going over a day early or two to catch a ship, then do plan on seeing the museum and perhaps a quick Red Funnel crossing over to the Isle of Wight. There is also an excellent shopping center called West Quay to help you spend your money (which believe me goes very quickly if you realize the exchange difference).

The next morning, Friday the 6th, Stuart, his dog Sam and I piled into the car for the 1.5 hour drive to London. A very rainy day, we first drove to an area somewhere between Camden and Islington behind Charing Cross Station to meet two guys who live on a houseboat in the middle of London! There is an entire community of narrow boaters living in an area that you would never imagine in central London. Then I was dropped off at the Ibis City Hotel. We then got together again on Saturday then later had an excellent curry at one of the hundreds of Indian/Pakistani/Bengladeshi restaurants on Brick Lane.

Sunday turned out to be my flea market day! Right near the hotel was Petticoat Lane but it really wasn’t very exiting or interesting. Further up Commercial Street was the Old Spittlefields Market which really was worth the walk. Before I knew it, I found myself at the Brick Lane flea market which really was fun. There I found a Beigle (that’s how they spelled it) Place where I got a beef sandwich, some apple cake and a coke for under $8.00 US. My theory is that a take away place that has a crowd queued up out the door has to worth the money!!!!!! So, one end of Brick Lane has all the curry restaurants, then after you pass the old Truman Brewery it turns into a real local English flea market with all sorts of Cafes and interesting stores and street stalls. All three of these flea market areas are very easily found from the Algate East tude station.

Tomorrow, I’m up at 5:30 AM so I can ride the underground out to Heathrow for my 9:30 AM flight to Zurich. As for all that close that I had left at Stuart’s house last June, I managed to pack it all up…………..but had to buy another small suitcase at Petticoat Lane so it should be fun to move all this stuff !!!!!

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Photos

a houseboat community
neat place to be

houseboats
what a place to live

houseboats
what a place to live

market day
lots of markets on a Sunday