Heading Home

It has been a good trip and I have gotten a lot done but now it is time for heading home.

This evening I took the tube into town with one of my colleagues. He had a couple stops he wanted to make and the places he was going sounded interesting so I asked if I could tag along. It was an interesting trip. The Bakerloo tube line was shut down while we were on it for signaling problems. Luckily, a quick glance at the map told me that we were only a short walk to the nearest tube station on another line. It would be a circuitous route, but we could still make it. …famous this words.

We made it from Marylebone to Edgware Road without too much problem. I was even able (without too much problem) to suss-out where we were and where we needed to be to get back on route. The train came and it was a sardine tin! My colleague and I made it on the train (just) by heading onto separate cars. We made it into town and found the first shop only to find that it had just closed. Peering through the windows, we were able to determine that the prices at the shop were not as good as he could have gotten back at home.

It was then off in search of the second shop. This one for something he had to get. (His girlfriend had made one request. This would not be the one to miss!) Unfortunately, after a bit of walking along the high street, we had not found the shop he was looking for.

I offered that I knew of one in the Waterloo train station and that would put us on the right path to getting back to our hotel. (Right path, wrong direction…) So, it was back to the tube and onto a southbound train. As we entered the tube station at Leicester Square, I prodded my colleague and indicated that he should listen. They were announcing the partial shutdown of the Bakerloo line still.

Now, I am not sure if it was the hour, or my growing readiness to head home, or what, but we sat on the train right past the stop we needed and had to double back. It was a wasted trip anyway. The shop was out of the item he wanted. So it was back on the tube and off to another branch of that particular shop. There was one in Euston Station, on our route back to Maida Vale.

The shop was also out of the item he wanted; he said he would check the branch by the hotel. It was a small branch, but perhaps. I asked a stocker in the shop if there was another, larger, shop anywhere around. She suggested I try the one on the other side of the booking hall.

And success! My colleague was able to find the sought-after item and we were headed back to the hotel. Well, we were headed back by way of a curry from the take-away.

This task for me this evening was to pack my cases. Cases packed, I am finally enjoying my curry and a beer. Soon it is off to bed. Tomorrow we head home.

Wherever you are today, I hope your quests have met with successful endings!

Don Bergquist - 18 November 2010 - London, Middlesex, UK