I met Tigger at the bus stop on her way home from work.

Moon
Photo by Tigger

The moon was shining high in the sky. So romantic! 🙂

In the hotel

We went to the DoubleTree Hotel (part of the Hilton empire) and ordered coffee in the bar. A Christmas wreath was still flashing in the window.

A view from the bar

The scenery isn’t very exciting for such a prestigious company but it’s warm and the seats are soft and comfortable!

Deli and illuminated tree

Afterwards, we went for a little walk, passing by the deli where we photographed the illuminated tree (the only tree in the street with lights on) outside it. (The iPhone’s camera is not good at photographing lights as it dulls them for reasons best known to itself.)

Myddelton Square Garden

We walked round Myddelton Square. The gates of the central garden were locked for the night so we made do with a photo taken over the railings.

Tigger has a day off work today (like last Tuesday) and so we are going out and about but in a fairly relaxed way.

We started by walking down to King’s Cross Station. The temperature today has again risen a few degrees (to a majestic 11°C) making it quite pleasant out.

For our coffee, we went into King’s Cross Station Departures and…

…took the escalator up to the terrace. We bought coffee from the Costa takeaway outlet and sat at a table neat the rail, watching the activity in the station.

From our seats we had a good view of the unusual roof support that holds up the station roof while leaving the busy floor space completely free.

After our coffee, we went round into York Way and caught a number 17 bus.

The bus brought us to Archway though we did not go near enough to the famous road bridge to take a photo.

We walked down Junction Road, looking for somewhere for lunch. We noted a couple of “possibles” but then spotted the Garden Cafe.

It was not at all busy and we were soon served. We had a good cafe lunch of the sort we like.

After lunch, we went back along Junction Road, passing this building still bearing an inscription identifying it as once the premises of the London Friendly Society. A history of this enterprise and its modern heir, see here.

We visited this cut-price store in case there was something to interest us. There was: Tigger bought some wool for her crochet projects!

We then visited the first of today’s libraries – or rather, we failed to visit it because it closes on Tuesdays. Archway Library is situated in the basement of a residential tower and therefore looks rather dark and gloomy but once inside, that impression fades.

We then went to the bus stop to catch a bus for the next stage of the outing.

We boarded a 17 again, though in the opposite direction this time.

We left the bus partway along Caledonian Road (or The Caledonian Road, as some call it).

Turning up Bridgeman Road, we came to the handsome West Library. Built in 1906-8, with a contribution from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, it is now a Grade II listed building.

Note the strange metal snd glass “lantern” on the roof.

We asked if we might take photos inside but received a flat “No!” in response. Boroughs do vary in how willing they are to allow photography inside their buildings.

On a nearby corner, we spied St Andrew’s Church, completely enshrouded in netting, to what purpose I do not know. I have not seen any other examples of this.

Back on the main road, we found a branch of Costa Coffee and went in for a welcome coffee break.

Continuing on, we noticed this old pub, now obviously repurposed as a residential property but painted in a contrasting colour as though to draw attention to it and its past life.

Not far sway we discovered another example of changed usage: this old church or chapel has resounded to its last sermon and is now a shop selling paint.

We now caught a 153 single-deck bus which carried through the Angel down St John Street.

Thus we came to our third library, the Finsbury Library, the one that is nearest home.

We went into the library and spent some time in there. Tigger was studying some books and I was writing this blog post!

Leaving the library, we passed this handsome building with its clock tower which is currently one of the sites of the London Metropolitan University (it has buildings all over London). It was not far from here to home so we walked rather than taking the bus.

At home, we made tea and settled in for a relaxed evening. This was a welcome break from the workaday week.

The weather should be dry today though the temperature is a few degrees colder than yesterday.

City Road bus stop

We went to the bus stop in City Road opposite the clock tower to wait for our bus.

Aboard the 43

We boarded a number 43 bus, destination London Bridge.

Sculptures at Bank

We, however, left the bus at the stop called Bank (because it is beside the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street, aka the Bank of England). Opposite, these sculptures on a façade were becomingly illuminated by winter sunshine.

Towards the Docklands Light Railway-

We entered Bank Underground Station and went down three escalators so that it felt ad though we were heading to the centre of the earth.

Aboard the DLR

We boarded a Docklands Light Railway ( DLR) train. In case you do not know these trains, they are driverless, being operated by computer. There is a human staff member on board who controls the opening and closing of the doors, checks tickets and, in an emergency, can unlock the controls and drive the train. Most of the time, though, the computers run the train.

Cutty Sark Station

We left the train at the station rather verbosely called “Cutty Sark (for Maritime Greenwich) DLR Station”. It turned out thst because of works, the escalators were closed and we had to climb 121 steps to the surface.

Coffee and croissants
Photo by Tigger

Arriving puffed at street level, we thought we deserved a treat and went into Ole & Steen for coffee and croissants.

Into the streets of Greenwich

Leaving the cafe, we went out into the streets of Greenwich. In the distance in the above photo, you cam see one of Greenwich’s more famous inhabitants, the tea clipper, Cutty Sark.

Church of St Alfege

We walked through the grounds of St Alfege’s Church and.,.

St Alfege Park

…strolled round what was once the church’s burial ground but is now recast as a public park.

The Picture House

We passed by the Picture House and…

The Town Hall

…photographed the Town Hall with its unusually tall clock tower, though only from a distance on this trip.

Cutty Sark in view

As we walked about the streets, ever and anon the Cutty Sark would come into view. It is as though this famous ship is the symbol of Greenwich.

William IV
Samuel Nixon

We passed through the gate guarded by Samuel Nixon’s William IV and thereby entered the grounds of the Royal Naval College, the Greenwich Hospital for Seamen and the National Maritime Museum.

Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle
Yinka Shonibare

Outside the museum, apparently as a permanent fixture, is Nelson’s Ship in a Bottle by Yinka Shonibare. Would Nelson be amused or insulted if he could see this object, I wonder?

Portico

We walked through this portico,…

Greenwich Observatory

…had a distant view of the historic but still relevant Greenwich Observatory and…

The Thames

…came down to the bank of the Thames.

A view of the Cutty Sark

We visited the Cutty Sark though only from the outside this time.

Entrance to the Thames Foot Tunnel

This neat and pleasant building is the Greenwich entry/exit of the historic Thames Foot Tunnel. We did once walk through it but gave it a miss today.

Goddard’s of Greenwich

For lunch, we visited Goddard’s of Greenwich pie and mash shop. They serve vegetarian and vegan options. The place was crowded and the seating rather cramped. As for the food, I prefer not to express an opinion though Tigger seemed to enjoy hers.

Greenwich Market

We took a turn round Greenwich Market which was very busy.

Dress and fabric stall

As well as stalls and lock-up shops selling a variety of goods, there were also food stalls and a pub, so the place was pretty lively.

The train arrives
Photo by Tigger

We thought of returning home by bus but the route would have been long and a little complicated so we took to the DLR once more, traipsing down the 121 steps to the platform. (It’s not so hard going down, of course!)

Aboard the DLR

The train was busier than the one we came on but we found seats without trouble. The DLR carried us swiftly to Bank, where we changed to the Northern Line for the remainder of the journey.

Up the ling escalator

At Angel Station, the long escalator carried us up from the underground tunnels to street level.

Back at the Angel

A short walk through familiar streets brought us home and ended our New Year adventures for this year.

Tomorrow, Tigger returns to work once more and life resumes its normal pattern. If we could be on holiday all the time, would we enjoy it as much? I suspect that we would but we are unlikely ever to be able try it and find out.

We went out to have a look at the brave new world of 2023 and also to meet Tigger’s daily walking target. You will no doubt have discovered, as we did, that the New Year world looks very much like the Old Year world. We can only hope that looks are deceptive and that 2023 will be better for all of us than its predecessor.

King’s Cross St Pancras

We walked down the hill to the two stations. Their proximity to one another leads locals to refer to them as “King’s Cross St Pancras”, as though they were a single entity.

King’s Cross Departures

We walked through King’s Cross Departures where there was hurried movement as a train was about to leave.

Illuminated tree
Photo by Tigger

We walked up St Pancras Road between the two stations where there stands this tree decorated with coloured light-tubes.

Goods Way

We continued up the road between buildings (several of which are still being built) which I think is called Goods Way in memory of the fact that this area used to be the arrival point of freight carried by trains.

Regent’s Canal and Granary Square

This led us to the Regent’s Canal and, on its other side, Granary Square, named in memory of the grain warehouse that once stood here.

Regent’s Canal

In times past, barges would have been loaded and unloaded here but these days there is scarcely any movement to be seen. I think most canal barges these days are used as houseboats.

Granary Square

Often packed with crowds of people, Granary Square was virtually empty today as there were no “events” in progress.

Granary Square Fountains

The fountains were working but at their lowest setting.

Stable Street

On the lookout for coffee, we walked along here, a road called Stable Street. It’s tempting to think that perhaps there were once stables here for the horses pulling carts laden with freight.

Gail’s was open

The only cafe we found open was a branch of Gail’s. This is not one of our favourites but it was a case of “any port in a storm”.

Croissants and coffee

We ordered croissants and coffee – a second breakfast m, in fact!

Seated
Tschabalala Self

We spotted this sculpture called Seated by Tschabalala Self. There is information about the artist and the work here.

Shops and entertainments

We walked through this shopping and entertainments centre. Most businesses were closed but for one:

Curling

The curling rinks were open and attracting players.

Canal lock

We crossed the Somers Town Bridge which gives a view of the canal lock.

St Pancras Waterpoint

We passed under this venerable industrial artefact, called the St Pancras Waterpoint.

Camley Street Natural Park

We found the Camley Street Natural Park open and went in. This old coal yard was cleaned out and turned into a unique nature reserve surrounded by streets, railway stations and the canal.

The pond

There are several different habits for different sorts of plants and animals. Among these is an extensive pond.

One of the paths

There are paths to follow which link the various habitats. The park is both an enjoyable amenity and also an educational centre: there are labels explaining the plants, trees and habitats.

Railway tunnel

We walked back towards St Pancras Station, passing through this tunnel under the tracks.

Midland Road

We followed Midland Road to the bus stop. Tigger had “closed the ring” (completed today’s walk target) so we felt it was legitimate to ride the bus home!

Aboard the 214

We caught a number 214 single-deck bus which carried us past King’s Cross Station and up the hill to the Angel and home. Now we are looking forward to lunch!

It’s another grey and wet day on which to end this ill-favoured year, 2022. We set out bravely, however, the more so since Tigger had made a pleasant suggestion. This was to have our morning coffee in one of our favourite cafes.

Bus stop, St John Street

We betook ourselves to the bus stop in St John Street where we had not long to wait for the bus we wanted.

Aboard the 38

We caught a number 38 bus which carried us into town.

Shaftesbury Avenue

The bus dropped us in Shaftesbury Avenue.

Approaching Zédel

A short walk brought us in sight of our goal, Brasserie Zédel. The building contains three cafe-bars and a restaurant but we were interested in the street-level French cafe.

The French Cafe

The cafe presents as an early 20th-century Art Deco establishment, with photos and pictures on the walls. For me, a visit here is a nostalgia trip, especially as such cafes have almost disappeared from France where they were created.

Coffee and accompaniments
Photo by Tigger

We had hoped for croissants but, unfortunately, we were too late: there were none left. We made do with a pain au raisins and a pain au chocolat.

Going downstairs

Before leaving, I went downstairs (the décor continues on the staircase) to visit the toilettes.

Old-fashioned luxury

The décor here is also old-fashioned and luxurious. Needless to say, there is nothing so vulgar as electric hand-dryers. Instead, good quality disposable towels are supplied.

Out into the rain

We set out again into the rain. Fortunately, it was a little warmer than yesterday and not as windy. (Today I had no fear of losing my hat!)

Golden Square Gardens

We passed through the colourfully named Golden Square though it didn’t look very golden in today’s dull light.

Carnaby Street

We walked down the famous (?) Carnaby Street which was still heavily decorated with Christmas lights.

Animated display

There were other animated displays such as this walking figure.

Liberty

We visited Liberty’s store. Its “Tudor” façade was reputedly built using timber recycled from the breaking up of Britain’s last wooden warship.

Looking down the light-well

We took the slow, old-fashioned lift up to the fourth floor where I took my usual photo looking down the light-well.

Lonely reindeer

I photographed this lonely reindeer, seemingly forgotten in a corner, as symbolic of the store’s disappearing Christmas decorations…

No Christmas decorations

…which have been removed from most departments.

Regent Street

We went out into a wet Regent Street where we caught a bus towards Covent Garden.

Sagar Vegetarian Indian Restaurant

We stopped off to have lunch at Sagar, a vegetarian Indian restaurant.

Starters (top) and main course
Photos by Tigger

We were a little disappointed in the food that we found rather bland.

Covent Garden Piazza

We walked into the main square of Covent Garden, where the fruit and vegetable market used to be held, now a place for trendy shops, stalls and entertainments and referred to as the Piazza.

Inside the market hall

We walked through the market hall which was crowded.

Opera House Shop

We cut through the Opera House and in the shop found a seat where we rested for a while.

Drury Lane Theatre

We then continued on, passing in front of Drury Lane Theatre (whose entrance, as you probably know, is in Catherine Street, not Drury Lane).

Delaunay Counter

Before catching a bus for home, we went, as a final treat, to another of our favourite cafes, Delaunay Counter.

An elegant setting

It is an elegant setting for coffee and cake or light snacks. It has a “continental” character, though whether German, Austrian or Swiss (or maybe all of these), I don’t really know.

Coffee and cheescake
Photo by Tigger

We had coffee and cheesecake, a pleasant way to round off our outing.

Aboard the 341

Nearby is a bus stop which we reached at almost the same moment as a number 341 bus. We went aboard and it carried us home to the Angel.