All the sights of London - Waitrose, M&S, Primark, New Look...
Vanessa and I returned safe and sound from her 18th birthday trip to London, if sore of foot and light of purse!
Despite setting off on that appallingly snowy Saturday a couple of weeks ago, we left the bad weather behind to spend three sunny (if freezing days) in the capital.
Of course, the original as-long-as-her-arm list of stuff to do didn't get done.
Once we were settled into the hotel, we bought a 48-hour sightseeing bus ticket and off we went.
But it was not the architectural marvels of one of the world's greatest cities that provoked comment from Vanessa.
"Ooh, there's a Sainsbury's... and a Waitrose... and a Marks & Spencer... and a Primark... and a New Look!"
This became something of a running joke throughout the weekend, until it began to wear a little thin and I threatened to throw her off the top deck.
I really underestimated the cold, highlighted by our decision to spend a couple of hours on an open-topped bus. I actually reached the point where I had streams of tears running into my ears.
Also underwhelmed by the usual sights of the bus trip were a noisy teenage Spanish football team, who only took photos of sports cars or screamed at attractive girls.
I truly feared they may explode when we passed the Aston Martin garage on Park Lane!
A great deal of our time was spent shopping – Camden, Notting Hill, Carnaby Street, Regent Street...
Vanessa insisted we go to Selfridges, which I warned her would be pointless, because we couldn't afford anything there.
After an hour of aimless wandering, desperately trying to find the exit, she agreed it's boring to look at things you can't afford and we left.
And that night, knackered, we ended up back in our room, in our pyjamas by 7.30pm. Party animals we are not!
We also managed to mistakenly gatecrash the red carpet area of "some film premiere" in Leicester Square – only later realising we'd missed Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon and some old bloke called Clint Eastwood by a couple of hours!
There's also that priceless (and free) stuff that happens when you're away. We were staying just off Edgware Road, which has a strong Middle-Eastern flavour.
We were sitting in a restaurant when there was a cacophany of fireworks, car horns and shouts. We'd ended up in the middle of the Egyptian community's very noisy celebrations after the national team had won the African Nations Cup.
I tell you something – they were a joy to celebrate with – you certainly wouldn't feel safe walking home in the dark among a crowd of English football "fans".
Email to a friend
Print this page- Sunderland’s astonishing rise even surprising Martin O’Neill
- Sunderland striker Campbell fresh to face Middlesbrough
- Derby train wrecked
- Martin O’Neill defends David Meyler after criticism from Tony Pulis
- Middlesbrough 1 Sunderland 2 (aet): O’Neill relieved to avoid shoot-out lottery as Sessegnon wins it
- Sunderland striker Campbell fresh to face Middlesbrough
- Sunderland’s astonishing rise even surprising Martin O’Neill
- Middlesbrough 1 Sunderland 2 (aet): O’Neill relieved to avoid shoot-out lottery as Sessegnon wins it
- Martin O’Neill defends David Meyler after criticism from Tony Pulis
- Kieran Richardson says there is plenty more to come from James McClean
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sunderland
Friday 10 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -3 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South west
