Now, Where was I...

From where I left off on Xmas eve, we decided to head out into central London to see the Xmas lights and other displays. Our travels included Piccadilly Circus, Chinatown and Covent Garden, with Leicester Square and the small fairground that had been set up there was the highlight. Here we had a rather interesting dinner where the service was somewhat askew, but at least we didn’t have to pay for one of our mains. A good size they were too, so once again, we rolled out of a restaurant to continue on our way.

This included a bit of entertainment by some of the punters attempting to win at the sideshows and the foolish folks getting on the large ‘windmill-ish’ ride. A brief call from family, and then we entered a tube station in a rather unconventional way to make our way home (see the pic). The Tube was packed too, as we were getting close to 11.30pm which was when the last Tube before Xmas was due.
That’s correct, “the Last Tube before Xmas” is what I said. This is because London basically closes for Xmas day. No public transport is running on Xmas day. Double priced taxis, yes, but nothing else - no tube, no trains, no trams, no riverboats, nothing.
So, this meant that Xmas was a home gig. Our plan of a Xmas lunch in our housemate’s restaurant was scuppered simply because the only way to get there was to walk. A nice lay-in with presents and phone calls home made for a nice day off. The rest of the day we ‘made do’ to create our own unique Xmas day. It may have included shepherd’s pie with a sweet potato mash, Finding Nemo and the Doctor Who Xmas adventure with Kylie, but it won’t be a Xmas day that will be forgotten, and that’s what you want. No offence to families, but ‘family Xmas’s’ do tend to blend into one another over the years unless of course something memorable happens. You know, like half-sloshed ‘uncles’ trying (unsuccessfully) to quietly put together a swing set without waking the young kiddies inside...