As mentioned in my previous post, today is a special day, namely my birthday. It is Wednesday which happens to be the day of the week on which I was born: a fact that may enable you to work out my age! (No, I’m not going to give you the answer!)

We awoke to heavy rain though, according to the weather forecast, we can expect drier conditions later.

Caffè Nero
Photo by Tigger

By the time we set out, the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. For breakfast, we came to the rotunda-shaped Caffè Nero.

Breakfast
Photo by Tigger

We each had one plain croissant and one strawberry croissant with our coffee.

Bus station

We need two buses and a ferry to reach Swanage. For the first bus, we went to Poole bus station.

Open top deck

We chose to sit on the open top deck. Pray for fine weather!

The harbour

We passed by the harbour and reached a district called Sandbanks where this bus terminates.

Bus on the ferry

The second bus starts by boarding the ferry. Unfortunately, any view is blocked by the ferry’s superstructure either side of the bus.

The other side
Photo by Tigger

On other side, the bus leaves the ferry and engages in a fairly long run through varied countryside to Swanage.

Approaching Swanage
Photo by Tigger

First view – Station Road

We arrived in Swanage at last and left the bus to walk along Station Road.

The Brook Tea Room
Photo by Tigger

After being buffeted bu the wind on top of the bus, it was a relief enter a quiet venue, the Brook Tea Room.

Cream tea

For “lunch”, we had a cream tea. This also served the purpose of my birthday cake 🙂

Walking on the pier

We went onto the pier. There is a small admission charge.

Views from the pier

We walked to the end of the pier. There were people fishing and people strolling like us. We found seats and stayed for a while.

Pretty fish
Photo by Tigger

Tigger photographed this pretty little fish in a tank in the pier gift shop.

Tea and toasted tea cakes

It started to rain so we went into the pier cafe and ordered tea and toasted tea cakes. It worked: when we emerged, the rain had ceased!

Shopping arcade

We walked through this shopping arcade. I somehow neglected to note its name.

A view from the bus

When we went for the bus, because there was a likelihood of rain, I didn’t want to sit in an open section. Tigger, though, wanted to sit upstairs. We were lucky: we were able to grab a pair of upstairs front seats which have a measure of protection from wind and rain. Even luckier: it did not rain after all!

Boarding the ferry

After a drive through the countryside, we reached the ferry and the bus ran onto it. The ferry pulls itself across by running along a massive chain.

Reaching the opposite shore

The ferry hauls itself across the water and then runs onto the hard surface of the slipway. Vehicles then drive off the ferry onto terra firma.

Sandbanks and Poole Harbour

We stayed on the bus until it reached Sandbanks. This is on one side of Poole Harbour which is one of the largest natural harbours in the world. We sat beside the water and watched the gulls while we waited for our bus.

The hopper

From Sandbanks, we caught a bus to Poole bus station and from there, a hopper which pursued a roundabout course but eventually dropped us off near our apartment. Here, we made tea and had a little rest.

Prospecting for supper

While we were having our rest, there was a thunder storm with heavy rain but fortunately, by the time we thought about going out for a meal, it had cleared up. We went out looking for a restaurant fairly near our apartment.

The Quayside

We went as far as the quayside without deciding for anything. As I fancied a curry, though, we plumped for an Indian restaurant near where we are staying.

Quay Spice

It is called Quay Spice and when we first saw it, I was not sure that it was even open as it seemed dark. Perhaps because it was only 7:30 (is 7:30 early for dining?) we were the only customers.

Inside Quay Spice

It was rather dark in the restaurant and the music (pukka Indian, as far as I could tell) was a little loud.

Side dishes

Rather than a traditional main dish each, we chose three side dishes and two rice dishes to share. The food was quite good and the service as attentive as it needed to be. Would we go there again? Maybe, if we pass this way again another year.

We didn’t have far to go to return home. We made tea and relaxed. That was my birthday this year. I wonder what next year’s will be like?

As usual on the first morning in a new place, my job was to find out how the shower works. All showers are different and can spring nasty surprises on you until you know their little foibles.

The enemy

This shower has two heads. The top one starts cold and then switches to scalding hot water, causing me literally to jump out of the shower compartment to avoid injury. The lower one can also scald you until you work out exactly how to set the knob controlling its temperature. (Clue: this works with delayed action.) In addition, the floor of the shower is slippery so you have to exercise extreme caution when moving or your feet slide out from under you.

Coffee #1 for breakfast

Having played with the shower, we set out on today’s jaunt which, as the title tells you, is to the seaside town of Weymouth. As our train leaves at 9:45, we bought a takeaway breakfast at Coffee #1.

Level crossing closed

Continuing up the High Street, we found the level crossing closed. The train soon came through and the barriers lifted to allow us to go on our way.

Poole Station

We reached an almost deserted Poole Railway Station and settled on a bench to have our breakfast. While we were thus engaged, it started to rain and we both sheltered under Tigger’s umbrella.

Aboard the Weymouth train
Photo by Tigger

The train came (a minute late), bringing welcome shelter. When this photo was taken there was water on both sides of the train!

Dorchester South Station

We broke our journey in Dorchester, a town where Tigger spent time in her youth.

Eldridge Pope Brewery

The town was once famous for its brewing industry, as witness the Eldridge Pope brewery building.

All you need is love
Mike Chapman

This sculpture by Mike Chapman (2018) to commemorate the First World War has two titles, All you need is love and The hug.

The Almshouses

The picturesque almshouses have been repurposed. They were founded in 1615 by Sir Robert Napper.

The old Corn Exchange

This building with a fine clock tower is the Corn Exchange, built 1847-8.

Dorset Museum Cafe

We popped into the museum cafe for refreshments.

Sunshine in South Street

As we made our way back to the station, the sun came out, making a pleasant change from the clouds and rain earlier. Will it stay fine, though?

Victoria Jubilee Clock

To my mind, this colourful clock tower is the symbol of Weymouth. It was erected in 1887 for the jubilee of Queen Victoria.

The sandy beach

Among the attractions of Weymouth are its sandy beach and sea.

Memorial to King George III

King George III visited Weymouth and was fond of the place. In return, the citizens erected a memorial to him.

Sand sculptures

Weymouth, owing to the qualities of its sand, is a well known centre for sand sculpture and hosts a permanent, changing display by various sand artists.

Boat trips

We went for a trip in this boat.

Sitting in the stern

We were two of only six passengers and we had good seats in the stern.

Here are some of the things we saw:

Nothe Fort

Breakwater Fort

Breakwater Lighthouse

A close-up view of the sea!

The sea was quite choppy at times and we were sometimes splashed by waves breaking against the boat.

The Pavilion

We went to the Pavilion (a favourite haunt of Tigger’s in past times) for tea and coffee and stayed quite some time. (We needed to fill in time as we were expecting to meet someone later.)

Carousel, Alexandra Gardens

Afterwards, we walked through Alexandra Gardens where there are amusements for children, including this period-flavour carousel.

Weymouth Harbour

We went to the harbour to take a look at the colourful boats.

The Golden Lion

We passed the Golden Lion pub which has this fine, rather antique-looking, lion as its sign.

Caffè Nero
Photo by Tigger

We stopped off at Caffè Nero to wait for our meeting and there learned that it had been called off.

Weymouth Station

So we walked back to Weymouth’s unlovely modern station.

Aboard the Waterloo train

Here we boarded a train for Waterloo which will take us to Poole and our temporary home.

Level crossing closed – again

We walked home from the station and found the level crossing closed for a second time – possibly for the train we had just left!

Sainsbury’s

We saw a familiar sign announcing the presence of Sainsbury’s and we went in. We bought enough items to make an evening meal and then continued on to our apartment.

Thus ends our outing to Weymouth. Tomorrow is a special day but we will discuss that it due course.

St John Street

It is 8:30 and we have come to the bus stop in St John Street to catch a number 341 bus to Waterloo Station. From there we travel to Poole in Dorset where we will spend four nights, returning home on Friday

Aboard the 341

Though it’s the rush hour, we managed to find seats on the bus. Yes, those are our suitcases, beside the exit door.

Waterloo Station, upper level

We reached Waterloo Station at 9:00, 65 minutes before our train was due to depart. We ascended to the upper level and bought breakfast at a place called The Balcony. Sitting at one of their tables gave us a close-up view of the famous station clock. (Do people still meet “under the clock” in this age of mobile phones?)

Aboard the train

As soon as our train’s platform was confirmed (and they usually don’t give you much warning) we went aboard. We had to travel in the first five coaches as the train divides at Bournemouth. There were very few passengers and we easily found seats at a table. WiFi is available but it’s so slow as to be useless.

Trundling through the suburbs

We trundled through the suburbs to Clapham Junction, where a few more passengers joined the train, and the set off towards our destination at no very great speed. (I read somewhere that today’s train journeys often take longer than the same journeys did in the days of steam.)

The Delfino Lounge

By the time we arrived in Poole, the weather had closed in and it was raining. We hurried to the nearby shopping centre and went into the Delfino Lounge for lunch.

Art on the walls

The walls of the Lounge are covered with an eclectic collection of art.

It’s looking brighter

By the time we had finished lunch, the rain had stopped and the weather was looking brighter.

Costa Coffee

Instead of a hotel room, we have reserved an apartment for our stay. We can access the apartment only at 3 pm. As we cannot leave our luggage with them, as we could at a hotel, we have to keep it with us which is a disincentive to moving around. We have therefore come to Costa and will wait here until the apartment is available.

Sunshine and rain

When the time came, we left Costa and made for the apartment. We found that even though the sun was shining, it was also raining. Gardners and water companies will be glad of the rain after the long drought but it will take more than a few showers to refill the reservoirs.

The key store

To access the apartment it was not necessary to contact a human being. We entered the building by typing a number on a keypad to unlock the front door. In the hallway is this stack of key stores and typing a number into the appropriate one opens it to reveal electronic keys to our apartment. This is on the first floor and there is a lift for when we are feeling lazy.

The lounge

The kitchen corner

To be going on with, here are a couple of snaps of the room which combines the roles of lounge and kitchen.

Old Burton’s

After a little rest, we walked up the High Street, where we spotted this old Burton’s store with a foundation stone dated 1938.

Level crossing

A feature of this town is the railway line that passes through it. High street traffic is periodically halted when the level crossing gates close, though there is a pedestrian bridge if you don’t mind climbing the stairs.

Aboard the 10

We walked to the bus station and boarded a number 10 bus which took us to Westbourne where we were meeting a friend..

The Duck

We entered a cafe bar called the duck where we spent some time.

Poole Road

Afterwards, we went to a bus stop in Poole Road.

Aboard the M2

We boarded an M2 and went for a ride. (We might as well make the most of the all-day bus pass!)

Somewhere in Southbourne

We exited the bus at its terminus at Southbourne.

Back on the M2

As evening was coming on, we did not tarry here and when the bus that brought us here had turned round, boarded it again, to the surprise of the driver!

During the journey, it started raining heavily and then came the thunder and lightning. There was a series of bangs as passengers closed the bus windows to stop the rain coming in.

Poole bus station

After what seemed a long journey, the bus delivered us to the bus station at Poole. In the station was a small but well stocked shop where we bought food for supper.

The final bus

We then boarded our last bus for today which took us near to our apartment so that a few steps brought us home, bringing to an end our first day in Poole.

We did not perform our usual shopping run today for a reason that I will explain later (but that you can perhaps guess – wait and see if you are right!)

Chapel Cafe

We had intended to go the Sizzies Cafe for breakfast but found it closed. That’s the second time this has happened and we are wondering whether it has closed permanently, being a victim of the economic downturn. Instead, we went to the Chapel Cafe that we tried out a few days ago. Service was faster today than last time (see Visiting the Tate Modern) so perhaps we will adopt this cafe until Sizzles comes alive again (if it does).

Angel Central

We did pop into Sainsbury’s though only for a single item and found it strangely quiet. We arrived before they opened and went to sit in Angel Central to wait.

Chapel Market

Afterwards, we set out for a ramble, passing Chapel Market which, in contrast to Sainsbury’s, was very lively.

Pigeons relaxing

As part of our enjoyment of Sunday, we called in at Myddelton’s deli. We had a choice of tables but unfortunately, another customer arrived and sat at the table next to ours where she began pollutung our air by smoking, so we took our coffee to Myddelton Square Garden and drank it in the pleasant company of the resident pigeons.

Artist at work

Tigger is a fan of artist Dan Kitchener and so, as he was at work only a short bus ride away, we went along to take a look.

A work in several parts

The work is commissioned by a hotel. It is in several parts on several separate surfaces, making it impossible to see the whole as a single piece.

Weather faded

This huge piece nearby, by the same artist, was created in winter, against the artist’s advice. As a result, it shows fading at the top through the effects of the inclement weather when it was painted.

Walking in Southampton Row

Two very different façades

Walking along Southampton Row, we saw many designs of buildings, including these two very different types of façade.

Grounds of the Imperial Hotel

We entered the grounds of the Imperial Hotel where we found an unusually styled building with a clock

A grove of sculptures

There was also a grove of Classical-style sculptures.

Old sign

Out in the street again, we passed this old signset into the pavement. It points the way to the Turkish baths though these baths ceased to exist long ago.

Decorative mouldings, Hotel Russell

We arrived at the magnificent Hotel Russell which would deserve an entire blog post to itself alone. The above is just one element in the decorative scheme.

The hotel cafe bar

We entered the cafe bar, which is open to the public.

Tea for two

We ordered tea for two which came in separate one-person teapots.

Russell Square Underground Station

After our tea break, we walked past Russell Square tube station with its unusual blue name plate. Though London’s tube stations share a “family resemblance”, each is unique and different from all the others.

Brunswick Centre

We entered the Brunswick Centre, an estate of apartments and shops. The shopping mall was very busy.

Picnic lunch

We bought a picnic lunch in Waitrose.

The Marchmont Community Garden

We took our purchases to the Marchmont Community Garden and settled on a vacant bench to enjoy our lunch in pleasant surroundings.

Cartwright Gardens

After lunch we walked along Marchmont Street and Cartwright Gardens – familiar territory to us from when we used to wash our laundry at the launderette here.

The British Library

We reached the Euston Road and the British Library where there is a bus stop.

Aboard the 73

We soon caught a number 73 bus which carried us up the hill to the Angel and home.

At home now, we have a few jobs to do to finish preparing for… well, for what comes next. All being well, I shall be able to tell you all about it!

This morning started, as mornings often do, with a visit to the deli for coffee.

The Curvaceous Tree

I paid a visit to my “friend” the Curvaceous Tree in its corner in Myddelton Square Garden.

At the deli

We found a table outside the deli where we could sit and enjoy our coffee while watching the comings and goings in Amwell Street.

Passing the end of Exmouth Market

We passed the end of Exmouth Market but didn’t visit it today.

The Bowler

We passed the pub called the Bowler, which probably dates from Victorian times and saw that they are covering its elegant original façade with a modern cladding. It’s such a shame when this is done as the modern decor is never as pleasing as the original. Even though the original tiling is still in place it will have been damaged by fixing the cladding.

Great Delicatessen

We stopped off at this Greek deli and cafe called (a little boastfully, perhaps) the Great Delicatessen.

Pink lemonade

We both had pink lemonade from the cold cabinet. You may be able to see that the lettering moulded in the bottle glass is Greek.

Inside the Great Delicatessen

Leaving the deli we caught a bus.

Farringdon Street

The bus brought us to Farringdon Street in the City of London.

Office block staircase

We walked along Farringdon Street and found this staircase which I was glad not to have to climb. The building also had a lift but it was out of order. We saw someone coming down the stairs with several suitcases. He had to make several trips up and down to bring them all to street-level.

The lone survivor

On one side of the street was a large building site. Over a broad area, all existing buildings had been razed except this one. How has it survived? Perhaps the owner was the only one to refuse to sell ti the developers. Good fir him or her, if so, for not giving in to greedy developers.

Unearthly faces

This building was extensively decorated with various figures including faces. Space constraints meant we could only photograph part of the façade and we chose the doorway. The faces look unearthly, even slightly demonic.

Holborn Viaduct

“Underneath the arches…”

Our path led us under Holborn Viaduct, a very decorative road bridge built between 1863 and 1869 and still an essential part of the road network.

A canopy past its best

We were now approaching Smithfield Market, in years gone by London’s biggest meat market where thousands, perhaps millions, of cattle came to be slaughtered. This canopy, now in a sad state of decay, links two building, providing a path between them protected from the weather.

Closed toilets

This triangular building, now shuttered and perhaps destined for demolition, probably held toilets for market porters.

Smithfield Market

The main entrance

The market building has domed towers. If you didn’t know its true nature you might think it served a more noble purpose than a place of slaughter.

Cloth Fair

This street is called Cloth Fair which betrays what activity once took place here.

Church of St Bartholomew the Great

One side of the medieval Church of St Bartholomew the Great. The founder of the church, Rahere, also founded the nearby St Bartholomew’s Hospital (known popularly as St Barts).

Founders Company’s Coat of Arms

In this area many livery companies have their halls. This is a representation of the coat of arms of the Founders Company done, interestingly enough, in Coade Stone, one of several artificial stone materials, which proved more long-lasting and resistant to decay than natural stone. The original recipe was lost but there are claims that ut has been redeveloped.

The Wax Chandlers’ Hall

Nearby is the Wax Chandlers’ Hall with its coat of arms above the door.

Lunch

We went to Marks & Spencer to buy a picnic lunch. We took it to the churchyard of St Mary-le-Bow where there are tables and seats.

St Mary-le-Bow-

And yes, this is the Bow Church within the sound of whose bells you need to be born in order to be considered a Cockney.

FestLatAm at the Guildhall

A Latin American festival, called FestLatAm, was taking place at the London Guildhall. Tigger wanted to take a look. When we arrived, we found that there was a fee for entry and as there didn’t a lot to see, we gave it a miss.

St Mary’s Aldermanbury

We passed this seemingly isolated tower. It is the remains of the Church of St Mary’s Aldermanbury. Dating from medieval times, the church was gutted in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren, it was again gutted by fire in 1940. The walls were removed to the US, leaving the tower alone.

Pret A Manger

We made a final pitstop at a branch of Pret A Manger and then walked to Barbican Station and caught a bus home, ending today’s jaunt.