I’d reached the point where I knew that The Boy Child was more than ready for a change of scenery, but one that didn’t involve going too far or walking Tilly. I settled on a night at my Club in town and few hours strolling the streets of Central London.
Getting there meant a journey on the Tube, something we haven’t done since the beginning of March … We complied with the current travel stipulations and wore face masks. I had thought that The Boy Child might have been constantly fiddling with his, but he coped really well.
We were both anxious about the Tube, but the train was fairly empty and the few people we saw in our carriage were masked up. We were, however, rather alarmed to see people on the platforms either not wearing masks or wearing them incorrectly. There didn’t appear to be any TfL staff enforcing what is currently UK law.
Once in town, we were amazed at how quiet it was, even though common sense told us that would likely be the case. Several roads around Covent Garden were blocked off to vehicles. A number of cafés, bars, pubs and restaurants were open, but an equal number remained closed.
Road traffic was noticeably quieter – just look at Whitehall at 4 pm on a Wednesday …
The roads around Trafalgar Square were also light on pedestrians, giving us a clear view of The End – the newest temporary installation on the square’s fourth plinth.
Our visit was the same-but-still-very-different to visits in the pre-Covid world, but we had a lot of fun doing the tourist thing. We were both grateful for the change of scenery and the opportunity to do something that felt remotely normal.
You might also like this post: London Calling.
This West London Life 
What fun to have some time away, & have it feel OK & somewhat normal. I am still so impressed how cities are rising to the challenges & that ways are being found & implemented to make it possible to be “open” & yet applying social distancing.
I’ve had a look at some of the other statues that have “graced” the 4th plinth … I liked Nelson’s ship in a bottle & the statue of Lamassu made of date syrup cans. What has been a favourite of yours & TBC’s? Certainly an interesting use & change of space.
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The blue cockerel has been mine favourite, although I did like the ship in the bottle.
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I bet it felt like a real adventure! It is strange that TfL staff aren’t enforcing mask wearing but reassuring to see how few people there were in the carriages. I guess this is an excellent time to be doing ‘tourist’ things, when the volume of tourists is so low! I’m so pleased you had a good time.
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I’m pleased we went into town … we might try the overground next … 6 minutes to Paddington and my beloved Little Venice. 🙂
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Have you been to St Katherine Docks yet? It’s a lovely marina area with cafes and restaurants near Tower Bridge. Numbers are picking up again on the tube but not anyway near it used to be. But slightly worried how it will be come September time when people go back to school, work etc
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So far, we’ve only been into town just that once … although we might venture in over the long weekend.
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How nice to have had so much space to yourselves … though Whitehall does look a little eerie. I think much of the Civil Service won’t be back till next year; if ever, in the same numbers. It is very irritating when staff bottle out of enforcing the rules (fearing an aggressive or violent response, I suspect) – I see young people in local buses not wearing masks – I think they take them off once they have gone past the driver and since there’s no conductor any more, there’s no-one with any authority to remind them. You both seem to have managed to find ways of enjoying your trip away from home, which sounds really positive.
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I’m constantly surprised by how many
people are still not wearing masks or wearing them incorrectly.
Going into town worked well – I’m thinking of planning a weekday walk once TBC is back at school.
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