Another bitterly cold day (and I'm getting a sniffle now) but it's on the DLR out to Greenwich for the Cutty Sark. When we changed lines at Canary Wharf from the Jubilee line to the Docklands light rail, we forget to tap on our oyster cards and the beginning and end of the journey so essentially got the trip for free, though in our defense the 'tap on/off' terminals are not very well signposted.
The Cutty Sark was still there and I had recalled it was badl;y damaged in afire during restoration, however the attendant in the shop told me that the main timbers and fittings had already been removed for restoration and so although the fire was severe , the restoration of the ship could still be done using the original materials
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| Cutty Sark |
We wandered around the market area for a while but although there weren't many stalls up, the shops around the edges of the market area were doing a roaring trade and we certainly helped. The quirky nature of the shops and their stock was still prevalent and a shop where we had brought a print was still there and trading.
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| Market stall area - most were still setting up |
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| View of a Greenwich St towards the Cutty Sark |
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| The squirrels in the park are very friendly |
We tried to find a cafe that we liked to go to but a few places had changed hands , not unexpected after 15 years, so we stopped in a Waterstones bookstore for a coffee & regroup.
We took our purchases back to the flat and changed ready to go into Covent Garden , as we were going to meet Heather there for dinner at a place called 'Flat Iron, a steak house, and there were a few stalls that Deb thought I'd be interested in.
Alas the stalls had changed ( I think they rotate the types of stalls on a regular basis) but all was not lost as we visited a few other shops that were having some year end sales and picked up a few bargains.
Covent Garden was as busy as I remembered it, and despite the very chill air (the temp really falls when the sun gets below the horizon) the place was packed with shoppers and buskers entertaining them. Several stores were having end of year sales so I'm sure that helped bump up the crowd numbers. Unfortunately the stalls that Deb had spotted the day earlier weren't there, they must change stall holders on a regular basis to provide variety , so instead we took advantage of those eoy sales and bagged a few bargains.
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| Inside one of the Covent Garden halls |
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| Street theater Covent Garden style - there were several buskers entertaining the crowd |
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| Whiskey Exchange - 9000 whiskey's on offer, but sadly closed when I turned up. |
We went to scope out the restaurant that we were going to meet Heather at,m and there was already a long queue forming to get in. We duly took our place in line, and while Deb waited, I scooted off to try & find a Whiskey shop nearby, and although I did find it, it was closed (perhaps not such a bad thong). I returned to Deb and we quickly made it to the front. We were told there was a 1.5 hour wait time but if we wanted to book, we could leave a mobile number and they would text us when the table was ready. Brilliant so we duly left our details and before we have even walked away, Deb had got a text with a link to an app that allowed us to view our place in line, so we went around the corner to a bar to await our turn (and Heather duly turned up as well).
When we got in, and their estimate of time was pretty good, the place was humming and we were quickly seated. They have a standard 'flat iron' cut or you can choose a cut & style of steak , but we wen't with the 'flat iron' option. It was absolutely delicious and cooked to perfection (and the chips were cooked on dripping , yum-mo)
Afterwards we left, bade our farewells to Heather and went back to the flat to repack all our belongings ready for the trip out of London tomorrow.
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