London – Day 2

Our day officially began with a Turkish breakfast in Deptford market yard.

Followed by wander around the market. Then it was time to get into town.

Head into Bermondsey (which is considerably trendier than it was the last time I was there about 30 years ago) to visit the Peter Layton glass gallery. Well, of course. You can’t come to London with a glass blower and not go there.

We were able to watch Louis Thompson (and his assistant) creating.

Finished piece will be like these.

On a previous trip to London, Dirk has stumbled across the beautiful Blackfriar pub and was keen to see it again.

So we had a wander along the south bank (oh, look, there’s Shakespeare’s – recreated – Globe theatre) and over the Millennium bridge.

Arrive to find pub packed and signs on all the doors announcing that “due to today’s march, all beverages will be served in plastic glasses”. What? Was it some sort of football hooligan march? As I’m ordering our pints, I ask one young woman behind the bar which march it was, she says, in heavily accented English that someone told her, but she can’t remember. She asks her colleague who, in less heavily accented English, replies, “EDL.” Well, that explains the clown at the other side of the bar wearing a Union Jack trilby. English Defence League. Ugh. Yes, a football hooligan march. Oh, as I later discover, there was also a pro-Palestinian march, but I doubt the plastic glass policy had anything to do with them.

Prior to moving on, I make a trip to the Ladies, where I see this sign on the inside of the cubicle door.

Good for them.

Next stop Kensington where, bizarrely, we are going to a country music festival at (of all places) the Royal Albert Hall. My friend Rowan is working backstage for the event and has managed to get us on the guest list – not because she thinks either Dirk or I are interested in country music, but because she thought he might enjoy the hall itself. Which he does. He is quite gobsmacked by it.

The last time I was in the Royal Albert Hall was in 2008 to hear the Dali Lama speak. The time before that it was classical music. It was a bit of a shock to see so many people wandering around in cowboy hats and boots. Yee haw.

The first act after we got there was Corey Kent. Never heard of him and definitely not my cup of tea (or bourbon), but it was absolutely surreal. Managed to have a quick hello in the corridor with Rowan, who assure me the next act up were quite good, but the jet lag had caught up with us.

Time to head back to Deptford and a last pint at a different pub.