London Punishes!

First of all, London is gigantic.

Secondly, it's a very, very old city, and as such, its street layout is byzantine, making it exceedingly easy to get lost. But nobody wants to hear how I got lost at night in Ilford for two hours on foot. (If I don't lose weight this summer, my body should just stop.)

So...pictures!



I came out of the station, and saw this doohickey a banging away. It was six o'clock. It was next to the statue of Boudicca, possibly the hottest, baddest redhead in history.



The Round Pond. Went there in the pouring rain, so had it pretty much to myself and the swans. (One of them barked at me. Barked!) So, a little work was done on the Lilly Grant today, in the form of questions answered in the first book.

1. Was there a wooden copse for Miss Thammavongsa to rise out of in Kensington Park. Yes. It is reasonable.

2. Would it have been possible for Miss Thammavongsa to drive Bingo's car through the gate? No. Highly unlikely...the entrance to the Broad Walk seemed constructed against just such a possibility, and she would have destroyed the car trying to run over the barrier.

3. Can Bingo Elkins see to the Round Pond from his flat across the street? I am willing to give myself a pass on this one. As the buildings are currently constructed, no, although if I had moved his flat just down the street, you could say he could. I was vague on the exact location. Few of the buildings across the street have balconies, either. But we are dealing with a billionaire here, so maybe he had it fixed!

In other news, I'm familiarizing myself with the London underground and its bus system. A really efficient system, and worthy of emulation. I'm also struck by the diversity of the city. On my way into town, I passed through Sikh Town, India Town, Pakistani Town, and the place I'm staying at is in a neighborhood of Romanians. Pretty cool, and the stores are open late! If I ever come back under budget, I'll be able to get some cheap food there.

Not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow. Might go back out to Kensington Gardens and see it (hopefully) when it isn't a rain-a-thon. I might also bop around Kensington.

Toodle-pip!