Big Girls Big Weekend (Part Two)

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We’d stayed at a hotel in East London last night, after a full day out around the city (see yesterday’s post)

After a full shower (and hair washing - with the new shampoo & conditioner - for me), and another shower-dilate-douche trick for me too, we went downstairs for breakfast. Caroline’s chest took away the breath and words of one guy who was leaving the lift… and quite rightly so, as she did look the part (but I might be a bit biased here). The breakfast is the usual ‘continental buffet’ offered by the chain, and we were both stuffed. After returning to the room for the last time, final preparations before getting ready to leave. Once again, a 474 came round the roundabout just as we were walking out, but we got the next one behind, TL905 I think, and continued to Canning Town, arriving there around 1120.

Already having to contend with the top western end of the service being off for engineering work, the Jubilee Line controller must have been having a hard time of it. When we got to the station, we were advised (via a message on the whiteboards) that the Jub was suspended between London Bridge and Green Park, following signal failure at Waterloo. This meant that the Stratford side was running as far as London Bridge, and the Wembley Park service was running as far as Green Park, and then presumably turning back via the old Charing Cross spur. So, we packed into the train, which seemed to arrive after a longer gap, and everyone was detrained at London Bridge.

We took the stairs towards the Northern line, same as just about everyone else, but heard on the way there an announcement about the suspension of the Central Line, between Marble Arch and Bethnal Green… which was cut off just after that, with no explanation. So we listened – same thing happened again. I was slightly concerned that two central London tube lines had been suspended (plus planned engineering works), and it was barely lunchtime by this point. We got back to Kings Cross, and were going to go elsewhere, but we decided (after the upheaval and delays so far) to call it a day (weekend?). We’d just missed a Foxton train (translation: almost all stops to Cambridge, but passengers going to Cambridge are quicker waiting for the next non-stop Cambridge Express), so waited for the 1252 to Cambridge semi-fast. We found the last few seats in a nearby pub, and we had time for drinks and nibbles, before the train back to Royston. 44 minute journey, and we got in bang on time. (I found out, once I got home, that the Central Line was suspended was following a fire alert at Holburn, which would explain why the announcement was cut.)

So, we returned home, unpacked, and have generally relaxed. I’ve been typing up the story of the weekend. It was fun. OK, so I could have blown the budget for the entire weekend maybe just on the room, but… it was important not to. Caroline admits she had ‘mostly a good time’, and it wasn’t too much for her to develop anorak-na-phobia. Lets not forget, that was the primary reason for doing this trip, and spoiling her – so I am glad that she did.