Highlights-London Day 5
I ran through Hyde Park again today, this time without losing my way. Caffè Nero coffee is so much better than what I was getting at the Danish bakery. My new wool blazer passed the cold morning walk to the café test. I ordered a light gray blazer at Boggi (Italian menswear). I had to order it and have it shipped to Albuquerque because my size wasn’t in stock. I had an Eton Mess at Browns in Covent Garden.
It was a short walk to Leicester Square
Notable Items
Getting a good latte and pastry in the morning isn’t as important to me as it might seem from the way I write about it. Consuming both is a nice way to start the day, but my travel experience isn’t ruined by deficiencies in either. Cold temperatures and bad seating are just indicators for Don’t do that again. Same for problems with either the coffee or the pastry, although a yucky raspberry-filled super sweet donut comes close to casting a shadow over the day.
I consider finding a good experience with morning coffee and pastry as a travel puzzle to solve. What places are available? What are the seats like? I won’t even go to a place that looks like it has badly designed chairs. Can I taste the coffee or is it just warm milk with espresso poured in (Costa Coffee, ugh!)? Is pastry available that isn’t shrink wrapped? If there are several options near my accommodation, I try as many as I can for a variety of experiences.
I had no problem finding my way back from my run in Hyde Park. While I brought my iPhone as a backup, the key was to pay attention to my entry point. The streets near the park are straight so I didn’t need to consult my phone.
I noticed a very long line for the Asics store on Regent Street (extending from the entrance around the corner, possibly 200m). Since the London Marathon was the day before, there might have been a connection. Free shoes? It is hard to imagine anyone waiting in a line that long for a water bottle.
This chilly morning was the first test of the wool blazer purchased the day before. I only wore a long sleeve shirt underneath and found it warm enough. I appreciated the wide lapels when I raised the collar and folded them across my chest.
The weather warmed enough by noon (18C) to wear light pants (first time in London), a polo shirt, and no jacket in search of lunch. I visited the food stalls on Berwick St (across the street from the apartment, through the alley, past the leather unmentionables shop). Among the many stalls offering international food, I chose mutton curry over rice (beware the tiny bones!).
As I looked for a place to consume my purchase, I was confronted by a design problem. Lots of stalls for buying food— no place to eat it. The only benches (forget about tables, it was a city street) were at the exit of the alley from Brewer St., leading back to the AirBnB. It was like The Clash song, Should I Stay or Should I Go? I chose to stay on one of the benches and observe the people coming and going through the alley. An eclectic mix of characters, but this was Soho. That’s where they live.
After resting (I do a lot of resting on my Run Days) and working on projects in the apartment, I visited the Rapha store. Sometimes I refer to myself in a homophonous way (Rafa) so I wanted to see what was inside. I was hoping for cool threads, but it was cycling apparel and hardware (bummer). At least they had an interesting café!
I visited the Boggi store to order a blazer. The store visit and selecting a style went fine, but delivery in Albuquerque of what I ordered (wrong color) and trying to send it back over the following two weeks were a disaster. On the bright side, it was an impulse purchase, I didn’t need a second blazer, and I received a full refund after a tortuous return process.
Unaware of the Boggi difficulties to come, I ventured forth from the apartment seeking supper. My foray had several purposes. First, get food (no mystery there). Second, get food at a place offering Eton Messes for dessert (can you pluralize “Eton Mess”?). An Eton Mess isn’t the Holy Grail of desserts, but it does have a fun name. Third, spend down some of my pounds sterling cash since the next day was my last full day in England.
The LLM I consulted days previously suggested that the Brown’s menu offered some form of Eton Mess.
At Brown’s, I had lamb (purpose 1, check) with a rosemary peach Eton Mess for dessert (purpose 2, check). They didn’t accept cash payment (purpose 3, bust). The mess made up for it.
When I am out and about (at home as well as foreign countries), I try not to bury my face in my phone screen all the time. I like to keep my sociologist observation skills in shape by noting where I am and what is going on around me. I used one of the pocket notebooks I travel with to take notes at Brown’s.
This is a “how Rafa travels” note. After supper, I designed my 29 April departure plan like I did the night before returning the rental car. I find this reduces stress on the day and stops me from ruminating over it before the day. I can mentally file “How do I get to the place?” under “Done” and focus on enjoying the last day of the trip.
The plan was:
0800 Leave apartment. This means “step out the door” not “put your shoes on.” It felt early for a 1230 flight to Barcelona, but I had several changes of transportation (waiting times between each) and the airport security screening gauntlet to run. In my experience, a plan that doesn’t feel like you are leaving too early is likely to make you late.
Walk to (the correct) Piccadilly Circus bus stop (there are many).
Bus to Paddington Station.
Heathrow Express train to airport T5 (est arrival 0915).