London Bound

Thu 13 Jul

The packing was a bigger problem than we had anticipated. Books, brochures, and our Caunes marble sculpture all add considerably to the weight factor to the extent that our two main bags are seriously over the British Airways (BA) limit of 23 kilos apiece and of course way over the 20 kilo limit for Qantas. After some abandonment of miscellaneous clothing, brochures, and other bits and pieces and, re-distribution between the contents of checked luggage and 'carry-on', we settle for 27 kilos for my bag and 23 kilos for Donna's. Not great but we will take our chances. Our 'carry-on' bags feel as though they are filled with lead!

Notwithstanding a couple of scratches; a broken tail light; and a broken filler tank cover, the handback of the car to Citroen was remarkably simple as the included comprehensive insurance covered everything. We ended up with nearly 6000 kms on the clock and a total fuel expenditure of around 350 Euros. Very economical these small diesels and overall a great way to lease a car for more than 17 days in France. We had ours for a total of 82 days with a leasing cost of $3400 AUD.

The flight to Gatwick was uneventful and the Gatwick Express rail trip to London's Victoria Station was efficient and cheap. A cab had us at the Victory Services Club in Seymour St, Marble Arch in no time.

The Club (VSC) has a reciprocal arrangement with our United Service Club in Brisbane. It is an 'all ranks' club for retired and serving members of the British Armed Forces and is celebrating its centenary this year. Some of its 220 rooms are quite modest with a bed, washbasin, chair, and wardrobe and shared ablution facilities. In the newer Memorial Wing there are rooms with full en-suite, television, and so on. The restaurant and bar facilities are of a good standard with the dining room employing a buffet system for all meals. The cost of accommodation is most attractive considering the Club's central position ranging from 31 Pounds per night for a small single room in the Old Club house and up to 112 Pounds for an en-suite family room in the Memorial Wing where we paid 98 Pounds (incl breakfast) for a double with en-suite and TV.

On a more poignant note is the number of young wounded Servicemen including amputees and paraplegics using the Club. Regrettably, these men represent the often overlooked consequences of the war against terror and we have been most fortunate in this respect in Australia.

Seymour St runs off Edgware Rd which is a fairly main thoroughfare with Oxford St at its southern end and adjacent to Hyde Park. The most striking thing is the dominance of Muslim ethnicities in the area...it is total and a little intimidating at first with the many shrouded women and the men smoking from 'hooka' pipes on the footpaths outside the restaurants. The area is locally known as 'Little Kuwait'. Secondly, one taken aback by the cars on the streets..all big and all expensive! Mercedes 500 Series and BMW 700 Series are commonplace with Jaguars, Bentleys, and Aston Martin cars well represented. How do these people afford these vehicles? A second-hand Mercedes 320 was listed at 44,000 Pounds. In Australian money this is $110,000! Jobs we saw listed ranged between 18,500 to 28,000 Pounds for secretarial and basic managerial positions. Once again, how do all these young men afford these cars or am I missing some sort of point here?

This evening we had a window seat in the wonderful Italian 'Cafe Uno' on the corner of Seymour and Edgware (seemed a bit out of place in this neighbourhood). As the frascati washed down some typically Italian fare we observed the world passing by and wondered if it really was London that we were in.