Last Full Day in London: PCR Test, Lunch with Roz, Riding the Elizabeth Tube Line, Dinner with the Colcloughs

 Last Full Day in London: PCR Test, Lunch with Roz, Riding the Elizabeth Tube Line, Dinner with the Colcloughs

London

Saturday, May 28, 2022

    Finally the day arrived when we would have to face reality--our wonderful two-week break together was drawing to a close and we had formalities to fulfill, packing to accomplish and departure worries to consider.

Getting a PCR Test:

    We awoke to join our friend Bande for breakfast. He had warmed fresh croissants for us and with butter and lovely ginger preserves, we had a nice breakfast washed down with mint tea. After showers, we got dressed and left for an urgent errand on Oxford Street. Llew had received word from American Airlines that he needs to take a Covid-19 test and be proven negative to be able to board his aircraft. The very reason why we had postponed going on vacation to the UK, six months ago, and had gone to Dubai instead, was threatening to engulf us once again. Quick inquiries with Bande informed us that the large Boots Pharmacy on Oxford Street did walk-in tests and that we could get the results in 24 hours (because Llew was not supposed to do the test prior to 24 hours before his flight took off)! 

    A bus towards Marble Arch from Edgeware Road then saw us get off right after Selfridges to reach Boots, where sadly, we drew a blank. I also spied a store called Ola London with the kind of clothes I knew Chriselle would love. So, I nipped into Ola, bought her two dresses and a blouse (to send back to the States with Llew) and then joined Llew at Boots only to be told that a 24 hour return result was not possible. He was told to go to the Bio-Clinic on Morton Street where 24 hour results were available. 

    So our quest for Morton Street behind Bond Street Tube Station began. Except that Llew heard the name incorrectly--it was Molton Street, not Morton. We walked several blocks away from Bond Street before realizing that we were on the wrong track. I then stopped a lady on the road and asked if she knew where Morton Street was. She whipped out her phone and began to check when she asked what we needed.  When we mentioned PCR tests, she said, "Oh! You need Molton Street, not Morton Street!" A quick check on her phone found us the location and in a few minutes, we were making inquiries there.  However, walk-ins were not possible. We needed to register before the clinic would conduct the test for a fee of 89 pounds (for 24 hours results) or 55 pounds (for 48 hours results)--extortionate prices!!!!

 Well, we had no choice--so I left Llew to return to Boots, where there was a wifi connection, to do the registration while I excused myself and went to NYU. I had to drop off a book for the Assistant Director of the campus and decided to find my way there. But first, I decided to stop at the House of Fraser department store on Oxford Street to buy a glass and chrome hand soap pump I needed for my bathroom. It is such a sad sight to find Debenhams, BHS (British Home Stores) and C & A have closed down--these were the stalwarts of Oxford Street for generations.  It's a good job that Marks and Spencer and Selfridges are still there--also who knows for how long! Happy also to see that Peter Jones is still at Sloane Square. And, of course, one hopes there will always  be Harrods. Even if the prices are astronomical, its presence reassures, as it means that the moneyed still have deep pockets! 

    House of Fraser did have the glass pump container I wanted. I bought it for 15 pounds and nipped out and because I exited through one of the back streets, I simply continued walking on it parallel to Oxford Street. This allowed me to avoid the jostling crowds and discover some new and interesting parts of London that I had never before traversed. There was a beautiful brick-clad church, for instance, right ahead of me and I simply had to take its picture. On I went through streets totally unfamiliar as I headed in the right direction. I expected to reach Tottenham Court Road anytime and when I did, I discovered that I was, in fact, at the right end of Bedford Square and, within minutes, I was at the entrance of NYU-London. Sadly, since it was a Saturday, there was not even a porter on the premises. I had expected either Mark or Mo to be there even if there were no students or faculty members around. But it seems that their routine too has changed following the pandemic. Luckily, I found a mail basket attached to the main door and I was able to post my book with a note to Ruth for whom it was intended. That errand done, I walked to Bury Street, opposite to the British Museum to bring a small gift of tea for my cleaning lady. I know that they sell tea in very good packaging in that store--the place from which I have purchased tea and biscuits for years. That errand also accomplished, I walked briskly to Holborn and took the 98 bus back to Oxford Street. As planned, I met Llew at the Boots. He had registered and as it was close to 1.00 pm, we bought a couple more things from Boots before he got his test done. 

    For his birthday, Llew had been given a beautiful tin of English Breakfast Tea from Fortnum and Mason by our friends Mary and Sam in the Cotswolds. But, of course, it was not decaff and since Llew does not drink regular tea, Mary had advised us to get the tin exchanged at the F&M store in Piccadilly. So that was our next errand. However, I felt uncertain that the store would make the exchange without the receipt or proof of purchase. I, therefore, told Llew that we ought to call Customer Service and find out instead of making a trip there in vain. As expected F&M could not carry out an exchange without the bill and so that saved us having to get there. Instead, we called our friend Roz and asked if she could get to the spot we'd picked for lunch early as we had finished earlier with our errands.

Off for Lunch to Lisson Grove:

    It was hard to believe that we had reached the end of my almost month-long stay in the UK and had not yet eaten fish and chops. When our friend Bande told us that a place in Lisson Grove served the best F&C in town, we simply had to try it out. We told Roz where to meet us and off we went, via Marylebone Underground Station (which is also a National Rail station) and met her 45 minutes later. In taking that path, we happened to pass by the London HQ of BNP Paribas on Harewood Avenue, an address with which Llew was familiar as he had worked for the bank for several years.

    The F&C was delicious--I had the cod, Roz had the cod goujons and Llew had the shrimp scampi...but our order was terribly messed up by an Oriental girl who was clearly new at the till and had no idea what she was doing. We also ordered mushy peas to go with them but our delivery did not include it. We sat outside on a really nice afternoon, but somehow all the confusion with our order spoiled our mood and we really did not have a very good time. Later on, our friend Bande told us that we ought to have gone and sat in the proper restaurant (The Seashell) next door as we had, by mistaken, sat at the take-out place which is simply not the same. Oh well! Next time...

    About an hour later, we bid Roz goodbye and ran along. We really had to get back home to do our packing before we left for dinner that night. Llew was getting anxious as he takes a look at all my buys and panics at the thought of my having excess weight. Back on the Tube, we arrived at Paddington and resolved to use the brand-new Elizabeth Line on our journey in the evening to our friends, the Colcloughs, as we wanted to have the privilege of having used it a day after it had been inaugurated by the Queen on her very own Platinum Jubilee week. 

Packing and Getting Ready to Leave:

    And so, we spent the next couple of hours working on our baggage. Llew had brought a whole bunch of my things from Southport and I had not even opened them or looked at them. So it was good to see my supplies of decaff tea and coffee, some of my shoes, perfumes, etc. waiting to be transported to Bombay. I divided the weight of all the things I had bought in London between the two bags and with that aspect cleared, we weighed the baggage repeatedly and felt satisfied that we had done our best to avoid being hauled up for excess baggage upon departure. 

Off for Dinner to Chelsea--By the New Elizabeth Line--but first, the Chelsea Flower Show:

    Our friends, Bishop Michael and Cynthia, had invited us to their home in Chelsea for dinner at 7.00, but we left earlier so that we could figure out the use of the new Elizabeth Line. Luckily for us, there was a station stop at Paddington--so we walked up to Paddington and discovered that there was a brand-new entrance to the new Elizabeth Line: a high-speed new Underground Line that will get you from Ealing to Central London in 15 minutes (it currently takes about 90 minutes). When we arrived there, we also found that there is a stop at Heathrow Airport--so, in the future, if we are arriving in London and staying with our friend in Paddington, the Elizabeth Line will be much cheaper an option that the Heathrow Express which has swelled to 25 pounds in fare for a single ride. 

    The stations of the Elizabeth Line are wide, spacious and very well lit. Announcements are clear (if a tad too loud), the stations have double doors (for additional security and to ensure that no one can fall down by accident or enter the Tube lines) and the trains run right through with no doors connecting cars. When our train did arrive, we found that everyone was excited to be on the new line (not just us) and were all taking pictures of themselves in the brand-new cars. The line is Purple (for royalty) and the seating reflects this color choice--the upholstery is in striped purple as well.  Clearly, a lot of thought has gone into the construction of this line which has been on for at least six years. Maybe it was a good thing--this way, it was ready to be inaugurated on the very week of the Platinum Jubilee when all of the UK (at least all Royalists) are jubilant! 

    We got off at Tottenham Court Road, changed to the Northern Line going south, then the Circle Line and were in Sloane Square about 20 minutes later--as the Elizabeth Line is really very fast. You can feel the velocity of it when you are riding it as the stations just fly by. 

    When we arrived at Sloane Square, we found that all of Chelsea was jubilant too because this is the week of the annual (and very famous) Chelsea Flower Show that goes on for two weeks each May. When I had lived in London, I had made sure to get tickets for it and had the privilege of spying Ricky Gervais at the show with his partner, Jane Fallon. Since it is such a huge community affair, all the retailers along the King's Road, have gotten into the act and go out of their way to present the most amazing floral facades at the entry of their shops.  This year, the theme is the Platinum Jubilee and almost every big-name retailer on the street (Ralph Lauren, Hatchards, Club Monaco, Les Nereides, Massimo Dutti, NARS and Aspiga --to name only a few) had gorgeous flower arrangements to welcome their patrons. People were walking with bags full of plants and bouquets of flowers that they had obviously bought from the show which is truly a gardener's paradise. I remember how blown I had been by the show when I had seen it in person myself. It is a real stunner and every horticulturist in the UK tries to be a part of this event. Seeing it all from the top decker of a bus was an inspired idea as we could whizz through the street, get off at M&S to buy the lemons I wanted to take back to India (yes, bags of them!) as you cannot get them at a reasonable price there (sour limes yes, no lemons). I have to say that Llew indulges me in all my hair-brained schemes and, a few minutes later, armed with lemons from M&S, we crossed the street, jumped into a bus going down Sloane Street and were at our friends' place about ten minutes behind schedule.

Dinner with Our Friends:

    Bishop Michael (retired Anglican Bishop) and his wife, Cynthia, are like my relatives in London--we are that close. Cynthia and I consider ourselves to be sisters. When I had lived and worked in London, they had taken me under their wing and, through the years, our bond has grown firmer and more cordial. They never allow us to leave London without a meal at their place. I had met them at the beginning of my stay here and with Llew in town, they called us over again for dinner. With drinks (a G&T for me, a lager for Llew) and crisps for nibbles, we caught up on a whole lot. Then, we adjourned to the dining table to enjoy a simple but very good home-cooked meal--Chicken in Tarragon Sauce, carrots, broccoli, boiled whole potatoes. Dessert was ice-cream with stewed fruit--apples and plums. While we were at dinner, Llew received his Covid-19 test results and discovered, much to our relief, that he was negative. It was a great end to a fraught day. More than the pleasure to be derived from the food was the sheer joy of the Colcloughs' company and we had a lot to gab about before it was time to say Goodbye--to them and indeed to London.

    We took a bus from right outside their home to Sussex Gardens and were home, having our last lingering looks of London with its fully illuminated monuments, as they flew behind us. It had been an absolutely wild two weeks with Llew and just as fulfilling a ten day period (partly alone and partly with Amy) before he had arrived. It amazes me how much we were able to cram into our travels in the UK and how well we used every second. But, I have to admit that I had begun to experience tourist fatigue and with all the walking we had done, our feet had begun to protest. So, we were happy to call it a day and return to the comforting pace of routine.

    We were back at Paddington in less than half an hour and since our friend Bande was still awake (it was just before 10.00 pm), we had a chance to bid him goodnight before we crashed for the night.    

    Until tomorrow...when I shall write about our departure from London, I say...cheerio!