Nous sommes arrives (We've arrived)

We were in Adelaide on Monday having lunch with some of our family.  Then, it seemed incredible that we would be in London in just 48 hours, especially since, in our work on the correspondence between Victoria and London in 1850, we deal with similar trips which would routinely take more than three months. On Monday Virginia remarked "Je ne peut pas croire que j'ai une autre vie en europe" (I can't believe I have another life in Europe) - but here we are!

It is strange how the pressures of one's ordinary life fall away as soon as you set foot on the plane.  When we are in Europe it is hard to remember that we have an Australian life just as, when we are in Australia, it is hard to remember our European life.

One of the pleasant things we like to do on arrival in London is to take the number 23 bus from Paddington to St Paul's. For £2.40 this is excellent  value as it passes by many of the London sights - Edgeware Road, Marble Arch, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Trafalgar Square, the Strand, Aldwych, Fleet Street and Ludgate Hill.  However, today there was a burst water main in Regent Street which played havoc with the already overstressed London traffic since the street had to be closed.  Nonetheless we enjoyed the detour through Soho, Bloomsbury and Holborn.

The London Double-Decker (latest version)

We recovered by going for lunch to one of our favourite places in London, Café Rouge.  This is a very nice French bistro just across the street from St Paul's with an outstanding view of the Cathedral.

London's best French Café

St Paul's

In the afternoon, and before we went to dinner, we spent a quiet hour or so in one of our favourite pubs, The Gyngleboy. London pubs are not the same as country pubs, but The Gyngleboy is dark and delightful with very good food and beer.

Our Favourite London Pub

Inside the Gyngleboy

Last year when we were here it was glorious spring and all the flowers were in riotous bloom.  This year - same time, same place - it is the dead of winter.  T. S. Eliot may have called April the cruellest month, but March this year, with light snow yesterday and temperatures overnight falling below 0 degrees, seems cruel enough.

Oh, by the way, do you know what a Gyngleboy is?