Battersea and Greenwich

Yesterday, 4 September, Chris and I took ourselves off to Battersea Power Station to see the new shops and maybe the top of the chimney. Catching the Tube to Battersea is a little more complicated than most stations as it is located on a separate branch of the northern line, so you have to make sure you’re on the train that heads down that branch, not the usual one. A little confusing for everyone. However, we made it.

The first thing we noticed was just how big this complex is. It is gigantic. A couple of floors on each of the wings. The boilers and turbines used to be housed here. But now, fashion shops and cafes and restaurants. It’s a nice space I thought, a little sanitised, but it was clean and inviting and welcoming at the same time.

We did decide to pay the money for the tour to the top of the northern chimney stack. At least I think it was the northern. This got you into a small group that headed through various rooms and special effects and eventually to the bottom of a spiral staircase, at the top of which were the glass doors of a lift that takes you to the top of the stack, such that the floor of the lift is at the highest point of the chimney stack. So, in effect, we were all sticking out the top on an on again off again rainy day looking out across London from 109 metres in the air. The trip up was accompanied by a light show that circled the chimney and felt propulsive. It’s a long way up. It’s a long way down too. Gulp. However, I felt safe enough and any thought of acrophobia disappeared, and I enjoyed the time that we had up there. The views were wonderful and even the rain, which stayed away the whole time were up there, couldn’t dampen our spirits. The whole tour took 40 minutes. And both of us felt that it was money well-spent.

In the evening after dinner, a pint at a local pub, The Roundabout, was followed by a leisurely walk back to our apartment where we started a new Netflix drama, Untamed, with Eric Bana starring, and Sam Neil along for the ride. Episode 1 was good.

Today, 5 September, we took an Uber ferry down the Thames to Greenwich. We’ve been before so we didn’t retrace our steps, just walked leisurely through the grand marine buildings, took another quick look at the chapel built for the sailors convalescing there, had a nice lunch at Grind, and Chris bought a new cap in one of the shops. We also meandered through the markets where Chris purchased a 1907 edition of Dickens’ Little Dorrit and a book of Andrew Marvell’s poetry. Very nice. After that, we headed back to the ferries and caught the next one going our way all the way back to Westminster. A 40-minute rest on the Thames. Beautiful.

The city was very busy. We had to stop at Downing Street to let someone important drive out through the gates, surrounded by police of course, but we couldn’t see who it was. A walk then down to Trafalgar Square followed and we stopped by The Horse & Guardsmen for a pint. We ended up having a very important conversation about our life and future while we rested at the Horse & Guardsmen, which is a good thing. When you’re in a relationship, talking is always the right thing to do.
Dinner at home tonight and short stroll outside in the cool air. A lovely evening. And a good day.Read more