We were meeting friends today whom we had not seen since before the Covid pandemic.

Myddelton Square

We set out bright and early (well, early for us…), passing through Myddelton Square. The weather was dry but cold and, as you know, I hate the cold!

Aboard the 205

We caught a number 205 bus which would take us to St Pancras Station where we intended to take a train to our destination. It turned out that those trains were not running today. Why? No idea…

E L & N

As Tigger had not had breakfast (and I didn’t mind having a second one!), we called in at E L & N for coffee and croissants.

Midland Road

Afterwards, we went out into Midland Road to catch a number 214 bus.

Aboard the 214

This bus took us to Old Street where we transferred to a 21.

Lewisham Shopping Centre

The 21 brought us on a longish journey south of the Thames to Lewisham and its shopping centre where we were meeting our friends.

Costa Coffee

We met up in Costa Coffee and spent quite some time there, chatting and catching up.

Hanging cups

This branch of Costa has an unusual decoration: cups of all sizes hanging from a light fitting.

Exhibit, Migration Museum

On the way out, we came upon the Migration Museum and went in. It is quite a large space with many departments on the theme of people who have come to Britain from abroad, settled here and made a contribution to their new homeland.

Chopstix Noodle Bar

For lunch, at our friends’ suggestion, we went to Chopstix Noodle Bar in the shopping centre.

Lunch in a box
Photo by Tigger

You choose your items (a small number are vegetarian) at the counter and these are served in a box. You can take this away or eat from it at one of their tables. This is not the worst meal I have ever eaten but it was also far from the best.

The Market

Outside the shopping centre, a large market was in progress. It might have been interesting to explore it but we did not do so today. Another time, perhaps.

The River Quaggy

The River Quaggy runs through Lewisham. It’s quite narrow here where I photographed it but may be more impressive in other sections.

London Shivan Kovil

In the street where I photographed the river (Clarendon Rise) stands a Hindu Temple, London Shivan Kovil, dedicated to the god Shiva whose image appears on a wall.

Lee High Road

We went for a walk along this busy shopping street called Lee High Road.

Large Police Station

We passed in front of this police station, one of the largest I have seen. We were told that it includes stables for police horses though these were not visible from the street.

Church of St Stephen

I could not help noticing the contrast between this traditional, human-sized, church and…

Oversized modern buildings

…these oversized modern buildings that turn the environment, in my eyes at least, into something more akin to a nightmare. London used to have a height limit for buildings and its rescinding has had dire but foreseeable results.

Aboard the P4

We saw our friends to their bus and we then caught a single-deck P4, heading for Brixton.

Horniman Museum

We did not go to Brixton, however, but stopped off at the Horniman Museum. We did not visit the museum today – though it is certainly worth visiting.

Museum cafe

We went to the museum cafe and, despite it being busy, managed to find a table. We had tea before starting on the next stage of our journey.

Aboard the 185

We now caught a 185 bus which carried us across the Thames into more familiar territory.

Victoria Station

The bus deposited us at Victoria Station where we found a number 38 bus ready to depart.

Evening sunshine at the Angel

The 38 delivered us safely to our home neighbourhood at the Angel crossroads. The sun was shining but it was still cold. I was glad to go indoors into the warm with a relaxed evening in view.

(PS – Have fun looking for the misprints!)