I have previously written about tea and how particular (Obsessive? Surely not…) I am about the tea I buy. I usually obtain my tea by ordering online from The Howdah Tea & Coffee Company and did so again this time. Unfortunately, there seems to be some sort of problem within Royal Mail, meaning that the days pass and my parcel fails to appear. I am running low and so a stop-gap seems desirable.

St John Street

At Tigger’s suggestion, we betook ourselves to the bus stop in St John Street.

Aboard the 341

There we boarded a number 431 bus.

Fleet Street

The bus brought us to the famous thoroughfare called Fleet Street, once the centre of the nation’s newspaper industry before they all decamped to Wapping. The street has nothing to do with the navy, of course, being named after one of London’s “lost rivers”, the Fleet, “lost” in the sense of being buried under streets and buildings.

The historic emporium

We had come to visit Twining’s, possibly the world’s best known tea merchants. I hoped to find something here to tide me over until my errant package should appear.

Long and narrow

The only problem with Twining’s is that their shop is long and narrow. It is apt to become crowded with both locals and tourists, making it difficult to see the teas on display. Fortunately, it was not too busy during today’s visit.

I started by wandering along the shelves, looking at the teas on display. Tigger, more practical, cut to the chase and asked an assistant for Russian Caravan, my blend of choice. The assistant then made us some tes to taste as well as detailing what was in the blend. Every blend is different even when the name and ingredients are ostensibly the same so it’s useful to be able to try before you buy. This version seemed acceptable and as there was a three-for-two offer on at present, I bought three packets. I can come back and buy more if my parcel continues to be held up.

Inside Pret

We retired to a nearby branch of Pret A Manger for refreshments before continuing on. I noticed that, apart from ourselves. No one in Pret, whether staff or customers, was wearing a face covering. So much for the government’s Plan B.

The Royal Courts of Justice

We crossed the road by the Royal Courts of Justice to the bus stop.

Aboard the 76

We caught a number 76 bus which carried us back along Fleet Street and then to Finsbury Square.

Triton Court, Finsbury Square

From the square, we walked along Chiswell Street towards the Barbican.

PC World

We were aiming for the computer and electronics store, PC World, where Tigger wanted to enquire about wifi-connected data storage devices.

What should we do next? Presumably, we should head home and think about lunch. Instead…

At the cafe bar

…we continued up the road to the Barbican Cinema where there is a nice cafe bar.

Coffee and croissants
Photo by Tigger

There we allowed ourselves to be wooed by coffee and croissants!

Cold and wet

When we emerged, it had started to rain. This did not bother us too much, though, as we were intending to return home anyway.

Aboard the 153

It was’t long before a 153 bus arrived and we went aboard.

Back at the Angel

The bus carried us safely back to the Angel and home where I think we shall stay, comfortably sheltered from the wet and the cold!