Squared and Rouged

Dear ________,
The Hyde Park Corner stop on the Piccadily Line was a stone's throw away from our shortlived picnic area. We hopped on the tube to Piccadilly Circus and lost our bearing once we joined the mob aboveground whizzing past us, from the right, left, front and back. What a Crazy Circus indeed!


We located a tourist information center close to the tube exit but couldn't find a free (is there such a thing?) map on the shelves (In Delft's tourist punt, maps are given out gratis). Maybe nothing is free in a big city like London.....We doubled back to the Circus, joining the massive crowd, mostly tourists on Spring Break, and crossed to the other side of the Roundabout. Somehow, we ended up in West End, where billboards and gigantic theatrical posters for hit musicals and drama productions plastered conspisciously on the facade of neo-classical buildings.

The overwhelmed Sadia made her point loud and clear as her clueless parents wended their way on the dusty streets of London, in search of Trafalgar Square. Yeah, trust us not to bring along a map (actually, we did possess one the previous day but Sadia had mangled it to pieces). At this rate, our legs also seemed to be at the tail end of their mileage. We needed a recharge. Eureka! A Pret up ahead! Fully sated by the caps and sandwiches (and a panini bread for Sadia), we got direction from a Pret staff and finally we're at the Square!

Trafalgar Square faces the National Gallery on the north side. There is also an alfresco cafe on the Square, situated alongside the steps up to the Gallery. There, seating on the fountain with me, Sadia ate her Pret-endorsed banana with gusto. The calming sound of water streaming out from the two fountains restored our moods. We soaked in the evening rays and watched the multitude of people, milling about and congregating on the Square, some of whom took a half-day off from work in conjunction of Good Friday the following day. Oh yeah, in the fountain photos, please do not mind the gap roosting on my immediate left. :)












A day's worth of physical exertion had taken its toll on us. We gladly adjourned to our hotel thereafter, worn out and famished. After resting our feet and a nap for Sadia, hubby went down to get some grub at Simply Food. That night, a meeting with my cousin, Lindsey had already been set up. However, since she'd be working late, we're asked to eat first. So around 7:30pm, Linjy came by and brought us to one of the restaurants at Hay's Galleria - Cafe Rouge. Desserts and coffee were on Linjy's tab. I quipped that she'd get her treat when she comes to visit us in Delft. Creme Brulee for me, fruity crumble for hubby and chocolate crepe for her were downed with cafe latte, cappucino and earl grey tea respectively.




It was a warm Spring night so we decided to walk off the calories along the riverfront walkway which was full of earlybird revellers - mostly yuppies in workclothes - seating on the elevated concrete rails that separate the river from the pavements. Sadia, who had warmed up to Linjy earlier, practically dashed from one side of the riverfront to the other, shrilling from excitement of the seemingly endless horizon for her to cover. I literally had to yank her by the hood of her jacket lest she treaded on broken glass (from bottles of alcoholic variety) or stepped into the path of a splash fountain that jets water out at a fixed interval. Breathless, we convened back to the room and caught up on old times. It was getting late for her to walk back to the tube station so she instead took the bus home to her rented digs in Canary Wharf. The last time I saw her was back in December 2002 when she returned to Malaysia to play Pengapit (Maid of Honour cum Fanner for the Bride) duty for my twin so I had a cracking good time touching base with her. Five years my junior, I can't wait to dress up for her wedding next *pressure, pressure* ;)




Till tomorrow,
Tita