Tigger starts her holiday today. She had an early appointment and left me to catch up with her later.

Black Sheep Coffee

This is where we met: Black Sheep Coffee at King’s Cross.

Busy King’s Cross

Because it’s a week day and still early, the streets were very busy.

King’s Cross Station

We paid a visit to King’s Cross Station. This is the departures hall with its striking treelike support system.

Ticket machine

We had come to talk to a ticket machine to collect train tickets already bought online. More about that in due course.

St Pancras Station

We went back out into the street to a bus stop opposite the magnificent St Pancras Station.

Bus along Oxford Street

We took two buses. The photo was taken on the second as it carried us along Oxford Street

Willesden Lane

We left the bus at the beginning of Willesden Lane.

Old Grange Cinema

We walked back to Kilburn High Road where the old Grange Cinema stands, now diverted to other purposes.

GB Corner
Photo by Tigger

We paused at the quirkily decorated GB Corner cafe where we had tea.

Old State Cinema

Afterwards, we went to a bus stop, passing the once famous State Cinema, now apparently serving as a church,

Bus to Victoria

We caught a bus that was heading for Victoria.

Around Victoria

We left the bus in the neighbourhood of Victoria and started prospecting for lunch. There were lots of restaurants but none took our fancy. In the end, faute de mieux, we settled on Leon.

Fine dining at Leon
Photo by Tigger

We had halloumi wraps and beverages: coffee for me and tea for Tigger.

Aboard the 11

After eating, we boarded a number 11 bus.

Westminster and its famous clock

It brought us to Westminster, the Houses of Parliament and what is possibly the most famous clock in the world, popularly called Big Ben, currently undergoing refurbishment.

New Scotland Yard

We viewed the famous police HQ, New Scotland Yard,…

Battle of Britain Monument

…the Battle of Britain Monument…

The Thames

…and, of course, London’s river, the Thames.

Victoria Embankment Gardens

We took a stroll in Victoria Embankment Gardens and…

A pair of greese

…so did a pair of geese. They later settled down in the sun, looking very calm and contented.

A beetle on my hat
Photo by Tigger

A beetle landed on my hat and was duly photographed by Tigger. (I carefully moved it off my hat into the grass.)

Admiralty Arch

We visited Admiralty Arch though it was not looking its best with building works going on.

Nelson’s Column

Nelson is still perched atop his column in Trafalgar Square despite demands in certain quarters that he be removed. I think it unlikely that protestors will manage to dislodge him as they have done with other effigies but who knows what human ingenuity might achieve?

Aboard the 73

We now took two buses, the second being the 73 which would carry us home to the Angel. We sat in our favourite rear-facing seats at the back.

Reaching home, we were both quite tired and glad of a rest. This outing might be seen as practice for what is to come. But more of that when it happens!

Composed “on the hoof” during our ramble.