January 5th 2015: London: A day of wicked events

Monty the Motorhome is feeling a little vulnerable today. We woke this morning to find that several cars had been broken into on the site overnight. This is a little concerning as the place is surrounded by high security fences and it is well secured.

We later found out that the cars had not been secured, so it looks like an opportunist crime, and I would not be too surprised to find someone on the site may have been responsible.

So we left Monty well secured (as always) on leaving for our last day in London. First however a Full English Breakfast at the Abbey Wood Cafe, down by the railway station. What a find. This is a typical ‘greasy spoon’ type cafe. Full of workmen from the local Crossrail construction site, as well as a number of locals. Chirpy staff, who could have come straight from an Eastenders set, served up great big portions, complete with toast and a large mug of tea - all for £4.90. Great prices for London.

Then on to the National Gallery, where we joined one of the free guided tours that takes in a small number of pictures over the period of one hour. We’ve done these tours before and found them very rewarding. 

After a reviving cup of tea we had a look at the special exhibition of Monet paintings, entitled ‘The Water Garden at Giverny’, which brought back pleasant memories of our trip to there last September. Lastly we took in an exhibition of paintings by the 19th Century Norwegian artist Peder Balke - dramatic landscapes of mountains and seascapes - a real treat.

Evening was falling as we walked down The Mall to Victoria, where we killed some time getting a snack and watching the world go by from a coffee house. 

Our day was completed by taking in a show - the musical “Wicked’. The plot takes the original story of The Wizard of Oz and develops a theme about the Wicked Witch of the West (a prominent baddie in the original story) which shows her to be very misunderstood! Marvellous special effects and lighting, as well as great entertainment.

A really enjoyable way to round off our London trip as it’s back home tomorrow.