Day 29 – A decent coffee, a reminiscence, and a nautical adventure

Ozone Cafe

Coffee in Europe is not always that great. Getting something that approximates a decent flat white The closest is a cappuccino but even those come in range of ways. Sometimes a café crème in Paris can be a reasonable approximation. I found a well reviewed café called Ozone which has New Zealand connections and we decided that it would be worth a try. Interestingly they have two cafés in New Zealand, one in Auckland and the other in New Plymouth.

can be a challenge.

Buiding outside the Old Street Station

The place was near Old Street Underground and we found it reasonably easy to get to although there were a couple of wrong turns as we got ourselves oriented.

The place was very industrial but the food and coffee were good. So good that I even had a second cup of coffee.

Bev had lived in Hackney about forty years ago and we were very close to it , so with map in hand off we went in search of the flat she had lived in for about 6 months. My navigation went well and soon we were there. The apartments were still there but there were many changes, not the least of which were the burnt out ones across the road which had been completely rebuilt. The building Bev lived in looked very middle class and the nearby pub she and her husband had spent time in still remained but now had a second level.

Bev's former local pub

After much reminiscing, we got a bus back to Waterloo. Being on the bus was like having a tour of London as we had the front seats upstairs on a double decker bus. We walked across Westminster Bridge and to the riverboats, one of which we took to Greenwich. A walk through Greenwich Park took us to the Observatory where the Prime Meridian is located. We could see the meridian line but unlike the last time I was there ten years ago, it costs an arm and a leg to get into the museums (I am sure it was free the last time I was there).

We wandered around the Queen’s house which has variously been the home to queens, and then the rangers of Greenwich who looked after the schools for the children of the navy as well as the Naval College. It was very interesting as it was designed by Indigo Brown a famous architect of the 17^th century.

As a treat for our final night in London we went for a meal to Providores, the NZ chef Peter Gordon’s, London restaurant. Unfortunately it involved us literally walking past the restaurant and some unplanned additional exercise due to the street numbering being somewhat weird. Nonetheless we had a wonderful meal that was all about fusion food. It was a great night.