Borough Market

Wednesday 20 December

Let me tell you about London’s public transport system, which is proving interesting and challenging. I think we’ve only had one trip so far where the train has gone according to schedule. When we arrived we were detoured because someone had been hit, so three trains instead of two. Yesterday our train to Clapham Junction was delayed which meant we missed our connection to Guildford and then we had to wait for the next one. We were also told the wrong platform at first too.Then coming home we had a good run from Guildford but the train from Clapham Junction was so full we couldn’t get on it so we had to wait for the next one. Today we went to London Bridge Station with no problems. Yay! Coming home we stood at the departures board for about half an hour waiting for them to tell us which platform to go to. Then it was a case of push and shove through the crowd to get to the train. Halfway through the journey they announced that we all had to get off at Crystal Palace because the train was very late and they wanted to go fast with no stops to the end destination, Victoria. So we all piled off at Crystal Palace and waited for the next train, which came in about ten minutes. It’s fortunate that we’re on holiday and not in a rush.

Pies at the Borough Market

Anyway, today’s outing was to the Borough Market, which is close to London Bridge and the Thames, and is beneath a raised railway with trains rumbling overhead. It’s a great market with all sorts of interesting food stalls and lots of people lunching or shopping for their Christmas delicacies. I particularly liked a display of many kinds of mushrooms and another featuring Brussels sprouts, of all things!

Mushrooms

Brussels sprouts

We had lunch there at a Spanish cafe that Rob and Judy had visited a few weeks ago.

Anyone for paella?

Then we walked along the south bank of the river to the Bankside Gallery, where Judy’s brother-in-law Doug had had a print exhibited. There was an exhibition from the Royal Watercolour Society and there is now one less picture on their wall!

We also saw a replica of Sir Francis Drake’s ship, the Golden Hind.

The Golden Hind

A longer than expected trip home, as I’ve already described, then feet up and a relaxed evening.

Forgot to mention the Globe Theatre!