London

The decision was a very impulsive one, last Wednesday night, when I decided that a weekend in London, with two of my favourite people, was just what I needed. An app message to Dana and a phone call with Vasiliki (after three failed attempts) was all that was required to get my ducks in a row. A mere hour after the thought had first struck my mind I had booked a return ticket to London City airport that will resonate in next month’s credit card statements. It was definitely worth it.

Flight times were perfect and allowed me a full 48 hours on the ground, although I must admit I was a bit sleepy this morning after coming home from the airport only after midnight on Sunday. The fun started around half nine in the evening on Friday, after a very swift journey from Dublin (bus, flight, DLR, walk) got me to Vasiliki’s former apartment where her former flatmates were hosting a house party. After some alcohol infused-plumb and a catch-up with Michael we set off towards Vasiliki’s new apartment close to Victoria. Its location in a retirement home might suggest that it is not the liveliest of places however I am confident that whatever peace and quiet once prevailed is now gone with the Greek invasion. The absolute cherry on the cake is their massive roof terrace that allows for barbeques, roof top parties, and a lovely breakfast on the first day of spring (that’s what we did). Well, technically speaking we ate the supposed-to-be breakfast that Friday night just before toasting to a new get-together along with Vasiliki’s Greek flatmate Nick who had savoured a few cans of Guinness for the occasion. The usual ‘see you some other time this year hopefully’ the next morning was replaced by a ‘see you tomorrow’  which sounded a lot better and with that cheerful thought on my mind I got myself a Dublin eh Barclays bike and set off towards Soho.

 Apart from the quality time with two very good friends I tremendously enjoyed cycling through London. It brought back happy memories of the autumn of 2012 when I spent 3 months in The City and travelled almost everywhere by bike, avoiding the tube and buses wherever possible. The concept still worked and I was pleasantly surprised at how well I still knew my way around, hardly requiring the help of maps to cycle from the river to Soho square, from Euston station to Vasiliki’s apartment and from her apartment to Lime House DLR station. London is a place I feel super comfortable in, a city where you easily blend in and quickly feel at home. And I could not have wished for a better day to zigzag my way around cars, tourists, lorries and past traffic lights than this gorgeous sunny Saturday.

I had deliberately scheduled in plenty of time to make my way to Soho and the last forty minutes before reuniting with Dana I spent on a bench in Soho park, gazing at the grand old buildings around me, reading in the Economist I had brought along, and watching people saunter by. The restaurant Dana had in mind for lunch (Barrafina) proved an excellent choice and was well worth the twenty minutes or so we had to queue before getting a seat at the L-shaped bar. Chilled white wine and a selection of gorgeous tapas in a lively setting smack in the middle of Soho, with sunlight pouring in through the big windows and a pleasant spring breeze drifting in through the open doors, all contributed to a very enjoyable lunch experience. The next winner was our visit to the British museum. Dana realised to her surprise that she had been there before, initially assuming that she hadn’t. The building is admittedly a bit bland and unassuming and one mightn’t recall having visited it earlier on, as the below picture would suggest ;)

While Dana roamed from Ethiopia to Coptic Egypt to the mummies, I couldn’t bring myself to leave the fascinating Napoleon era exhibition that had original caricatures from British and French newspapers at the time on display. I found it a great way to relive history as each print had a brief explanation proving concise background while the drawings and my imagination did the rest. Around five the museum closed and after some brief shopping we set off towards Camden where we attended a live music performance. The four musicians’ talent in playing the guitar, mandolin, spoons, washboard, banjo and cello (right Dana?) was fortunately superior to their choice of clothes (admittedly the folk singer’s prerogative) and the evening flew by. After a very fulfilling kebab and a ghetto music dominated uber ride back home to Dana’s I fell asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow.

 Sunday was luckily void of any hangover symptoms and after a very nutritious breakfast I took a train back to London and a bike to Vasiliki’s place. The poor girl had been struck by a cold but the coughing and sneezing was ably cured by some herb instilled raki and the most authentic noodle soup I have had since returning from Sanmenxia in June 2009. We found the Chinese food stall in the middle of an open market place in Brixton, an edgy yet colourful neighbourhood a few tube stops south of Victoria. The open market was a treat for the senses, with Japanese, African, Arabian, and Chinese as well as more domestically oriented food stalls serving very tasty and reasonably priced dishes. The scene was a mix of languages, flavours, colours, different flags and banners, stalls with fresh food and fish, vendors selling bags and scarfs and hipsters drinking coffee, making me very eager to embark on a new foreign adventure to far-away destinations. After lunch Vasiliki insisted on visiting the ‘hill of Brixton’ which appeared a bland, wind-swept park (admittedly on top of a hill) where some local kids were playing football and a woman walked her tiny dog. The bus ride back to her place felt a bit like a (near free) sightseeing tour and the rest of the afternoon was spent watching the European championship in athletics in a very cosy and warm living room, on a soft couch and with a mug of tea. Mmmmm way too cosy and relaxed to leave just when it was getting dark around six in the evening :( A last hug and chop chop on a Barclays bike, cycling via the office and the apartment I used to live to Lime House, catching the DLR and being at the airport way too early (as always), listening to the Economist audio version and already reminiscing the fantastic weekend that had just come to an end. Vasiliki, Dana, thank you so much for the lovely time! See you both in Nice :D