Boatgirl #8: More London Delays – London, England

7: More London Delays

March 4, 2002
I’m back in London, and the boat’s delayed AGAIN. It’s not leaving on March 6, in fact they have no idea when it IS leaving. Hmph. OK.

I have enjoyed being in England, really, I have. Especially going to the gym with my grandparents. Yes, they’re 80 – and they still go to a gym. That’s why they’re cool and I like hanging out with them. Their gym is priceless too; I mean, “leisure center”. Not only does it have a full bar, should you desperately require a gin-and-tonic after your racquetball game or yoga class, it also serves all sorts of fried heavy food including full English breakfasts with bacon and eggs. That’s why I love England.

However, I don’t know how much pubbing and clubbing I can take, or afford in England.

I went to my cousin Anna’s birthday, thinking it was just drinks at a friend’s house. Then it was, “We’re all going around the corner, to a bar”. OK, I was already too drunk to argue.

We all piled into taxis and cars, following the birthday girl’s directions. We arrive, 20 minutes later (I must discuss the meaning of “around the corner” with her), in Brixton. At about midnight. Not the most salubrious of neighborhoods.

Her boyfriend has all of us on a list, so we follow him down the dodgiest of alleys. It occurs to me, that this isn’t the smartest thing to be doing, but we’re in a large group and oh well, here we go. We go in, it’s upstairs, tiny, but the music’s great and someone hands me a mojito. And another one… I think we left around three, can’t really remember. My liver is throbbing.

But, it’s horrendously expensive and a pain in the arse to get up to town from my grandparents’ house, and they’re feeding me every five minutes. I think we’re going to try to somewhere, for a few days, as Darin will now definitely not make the boat. And, for some reason, he doesn’t want to spend the last week of his vacation in Shirley. Possibly Lisbon or Barcelona. Somewhere warm, or at least warmer. Must do some research…

Did you like this article?

    

 

Share it

 

Place a comment