Day Out in London

What an eventful day

Okay normally I blog about cycling which involves training towards my charity challenge in September but I had such an amazing day that I thought I would share it.

I have never really understood how someone can say it has been a long day, as apart from when the clocks go back any day can surely only be 24 hours? However considering I woke at 5.45am and went to bed at 2am this morning, I made the most of it. This may have also contributed to me having a day of relaxing blogging rather than cycling.

The reason I woke so early was I had a train to catch at Bristol Temple Meads at 8am so I needed to leave just after 7am. This is where I had my first 'LOL' of the day, In carriage B, a child was playing with his handheld computer console when he got bored. So he got a pen and paper out, wrote A to Z down the left hand side of the paper and started to think of sports for each letter. A for Archery B for Baseball etc his mum helping when he seemed stuck. His mum then went to the buffet cart to get some snacks, this is when getting to L he put Lion Taming, classic, I can't wait for the 2028 Olympics in Africa when Lion Taming makes an appearance!

Which reminds me thought I better get something cycling related in. 2012 Olympics will be ther first time that Bike Polo makes an appearance. Like Polo but on bicycles, does exactly what it says on the tin. Bristol has a group of cyclists that get together on a Thursday at 6.30pm in Bedminster, Dean Lane. It was announced by someone in the Critical Mass Friday before we set off. I was thinking of going along in the next couple of weeks to see if I am any good as it will be the closest I may get to entering the Olympics. Unfortunately Baseball was his B, hopefully in the future on trains or other places of boredom kids in the will put down Bike Polo.

I arrived in London went for a spot of brunch, then on to the main reason I went up, to watch Arsenal in the Emirates cup. This is when I got off the Tube and decided to see the flats at the old Highbury. We (me and my Dad) were looking round the outside when a resident went through a gate into the complex, left the door open and a few Arsenal fans ventured in, so we thought why not. The flats are in place where the stands used to be, even down to the point the address for the properties come East Stand etc. The communal garden is where the pitch used to be.


I think the Arsenal groundsman would be livid if he could see the state of the grass at Highbury now









After security asked everyone to move on we made a swift exit. We then walked to the Emirates where i bought two drink and some biscuits this will become clear later. Right a moneysving tip without a shouting tenor in sight. The shop didn't have any prices, slap bang outside the Emirates I knew it wouldn't be cheap so I bought products with promotional prices on the packaging and got 2x500ml of Irun Bru and packet of HobNob biscuits as I knew I couldn't get overcharged, £2.38, a bargain.

Next into the Arsenal shop i picked myself up a lunch box when the phone went, it was my friend saying did I really have a 42" chest? The suit company had given the wrong details to the Reading shop, amateurs.

We then went into the Stadium, had a couple of Beers and took our seats ready to watch Celtic v Lyon. The game was really good for a friendly, loads of action, when about 15 minutes in I clocked the party of people in the seats in front were two families linked by a newly married couple. Now you may well ask how did I know this? Because they spent the rest of the game looking at the Wedding and Honeymoon Albums. I love People watching, now back to the story, this is where the drinks come in. By this stage I was a little parched, so I opened up a bottle of Irun Bru and it must of fizzed up in my new lunch box, it went everywhere, like a Golden shower all over their photobook they weren't best impressed. The football game by the way ended 2-2.

Then on to the big game, Arsenal versus AC Milan it was a mixture of 1st Team and Squad players, forgotten how exciting it is to watch live football. Highlights were seeing new signings Koscielny and Chamakh and the youth of Wilshire and Frimpong. A tip for fantasy fans get Koscielny in he looks quality and had a great understanding with Vermaelen. The game ended 1-1 with Chamakh scoring for Arsenal on his home debut, after a man behind was moaning Arshavin hadn't done anything only for him to set the striker up 14 seconds later, comedy timing.

After the game we walked to Islington and had an amazing meal in a Turkish restaurant called Gallipoli 102 Upper Street. It was a little cramped but the service and food were excellent. In the middle of this I got a phone call from the suit company saying they had mixed up my measurements. I wondered if they were in fact having the longest day ever as it was now 7pm and still ringing customers! When it came to paying for the meal the waitress commented on how alike we were, which I couldn't work out to take as a compliment or insult.

We then went to a pub towards The Angel called the Bull, we had 3 pints. This might make me a tourist but it was amazing to get served in a pub in London, everytime a pint of Doombar and Peroni was bought the round came to a different amount. When then I realised I had a train to catch. Now here comes another moneysaving tip. Get yourself train tickets a soon as they are released off their website. So, First Great Western and other local providers will release tickets 9 weeks in advance, you will then be able to get a ticket like me, £12 from London to Bristol. However it means you have to get a particular train.

So it was 9.50pm we necked off our pints and after 6 beers and half a bottle of wine each we walked extremely fast to the Angel station, on the underground I changed tubes at King's Cross and arrived at Paddington with 10 minutes before my train left. I sat on the train reading my programme when I fell asleep, luckily the train ended at Bristol and not South Wales as I was woken by the cleaner 15 minutes after the train was due to arrive in.

This was now 12.30, I decided to start walking when it bucketed down with rain. Lesson to learn, now if you are a lass out on the town I understand you may have spent alot on your barnet but do not try to run for shelter in heals, in the rain. I must have seen 3 separate occasions where they tripped and fell. I then walked past a bus stop at 1am and found a night bus, this is where I made my 2nd 'LOL'. For anyone doesn't know, the bus is a flat £2.50 to any stop.

The driver asked everyone where they wanted to go, when a pissed up Bristolian quips "the moon, drive". He didn't even flinch and said "that will be £2.50".

It was then time to go to bed.