In Chancery

In which your heroine goes to the market, wanders the Inns of Court, sees some Art, and the travel gods giveth and the travel gods taketh away...

I slept badly, despite being very very tired, but woke to find that it was Not Raining and that the Tube was kindly running on the District line, which just happens to be the most useful one for me. I topped up my Oyster Card (or thought I did - stay tuned) and travelled into the City.

First, I went to Covent Garden



Then, I walked up to the Temple, where I saw a dragon



From there, I went to Lincoln's Inn Fields and Gray's Inn - little garden parks that "by the courtesy of the Masters of the Bench are open to the public ... for the enjoyment of rest and quiet" They are oases of green and quiet and not habituated by tourists (except me)



I made my way to Lamb's Conduit street, where I stopped for a coffee and a snack and found the delightful Persephone Bookshop. I then walked back along Chancery Lane, to Fleet St and to Somerset House, where I visited the Cortauld Galleries, a wonderful small museum featuring Impressionist paintings and the Roger Fry collection of art (including some Vanessa Bells, which gave me quite a frisson). I was most delighted by some woodcuts by Winifred Gill and by an exhibit of photographs of London.

I then endeavoured to get on the Tube again, at which point I discovered that the Oyster Card machine had eaten the money I gave it that morning without recording it on my card (part of that was my fault for thinking that when it said "Thank You" it was finished and not once more swiping my card). However, a very kind person at Embankment station gave me the authority to travel back to Earls Court, and although I lost my money it was not a great loss and the day was worth it.

I was too tired to do anything much else but load some of my photos on Flickr and fall asleep in front of the TV. I woke again in time to write this, but am still pretty stupid with tiredness. Tomorrow, the Tube strike is rumoured to be over, so travel should be a little easier. I have quite ambitious plans - we shall see what the day brings...