Kings Cross

Kings Cross is a railway station in London. Like the Doric Arch from the Euston Railway Station down the road, its namesake is long gone. We used to live within walking distance of Kings Cross, but now that we live further afield I do not frequent it very much anymore… except for this week.

The first of my interesting encounters came when I spotted a locomotive on a side rail. The image left is a model of it. Maybe it is usually there but this is the first time I've seen it. It is a nominated locomotive for hauling the royal train. Until I saw it, I was unaware that there was such a thing.

My second encounter was with a champagne bar. Self proclaimed as the longest champagne bar in Europe, it opened around the time we moved here and has been haunting me to take my beloved to it as a treat ever since. I finally got around to that this week. The champagne was fantastic. We ordered a little cheese platter to go with it, which came with inedible stone chips in the shape and colour of toasted bread. The bar runs along side the platform where the Eurostar arrives. The Eurostar is a high speed rail service between London and Paris. In my head, this location always had a little bit of a romanticised air. There is a high glass wall that separates the bar from the train. I had always been under the impression that the train traveled under the English channel in a tunnel. But seeing the train roll in, I now wonder if it is simply traveling on the seabed. Wow, was it filthy. Still, I had a lovely time indulging in a little bubbly, and I am glad we finally went.


Photo Credits

Queens Messenger Model: Olivia's Trains
Searcy Champagne Bar: Design My Night
Platform 9¾ Film Location: Laura Porter

A Garden and a Floor

Last weekend we visited St Dunstans in the East. It was built in 1100 and repaired and added to until it was destroyed in the Blitz in 1941. The ruin was turned into a public garden in 1971 and is occasionally used for outdoor services. It is even more stunning than the photos suggest. The parish was merged with All Hallows by the Tower, which we also visited. It was also stunning, but in different ways. It has the most amazing roman flooring I have seen so far. It is from a house around 300. I never get tired of seeing bits of really really old buildings. There are some impressive roman artifacts on display in the crypt, and the crypt itself is beautiful. There has been a church here since at least 675. It was also burned in The Blitz but it was restored.

Photo Credits

St Dunstans Garden: My Beloved
Roman floor: All Hallows by the Tower

Overflow at Hatfield Railway Station

Last Wednesday, I was walking up the stairs from Platform 2 at Hatfield Railway Station.  I was in the midst of a thick pack of people. A little girl shouted at the top of her lungs from the station car park, which you can easily see from the stairs, "Daddy! Daddy!".  I saw no response from anyone around me. Seconds later an equally loud shout, "Daddy! Daddy! I had the best day!" A short pause, "I made a new friend!"  Most people in the pack produced a modest smile, me included. A group smile in a pack of commuters is a rare event for me.  In fact, this was my first.  That little girl was so happy that it spilled over into us. I too would like to be so happy that it overflows into a group of passing strangers.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons