Back on the Slough Express

I wasn't sure how England would feel after a month in the States.  Would we forget what side of the road to drive on?  Would Bill kill a swan? Would we go into withdrawal for good pizza ?  (I think we ate 25 pizzas over the past month to get our fill)   

We actually slipped right back into our routine.  After a very very very long sleep we got up refreshed and ready to head to the city and reconnect with one of our favorite neighborhoods - Spitalfields.

Not that we didn't notice the graffiti before but on this visit it really seemed abundant.  While there's always plenty of stupid scribbly graffiti there's also a lot of really interesting artistic stuff on walls around here.  This is only a sample. Plus we noticed that there was a walking tour with a guy describing the graffiti that we crossed paths with several times.  We also saw this bird in process.

I like to try to have one destination for the day - the rest of the day can be spent wandering aimlessly but it's nice to have one new thing that we want to see/accomplish for the day.  Today's destination was Pellicci's.   This is a diner in the east end that we would NEVER have just stumbled upon on our own.  I read about it on my new favorite blog -Spitalfields Life.   There are several posts where a photographer takes pictures of people with a 1 or 2 line story of their history with the dinner  - everything from "I've been coming here my whole life" to "I just wandered in to use the loo."  My goal in 2013 is, of course, to be featured in one of these posts.  However, it won't happen from yesterday's visit since we were the only photographers there.  

The place is small but gorgeous with marquetry walls, art deco glass and tiles.  Our waiter was great - more than happy to be in my picture and to take pictures of us.  "She was born for the camera!" he told Bill - and he was right.  As we were leaving he handed me a little brown bag.  He wanted me to have a piece of their home made bread pudding for the road!  I told Bill we are going back every chance we get.

Fletch - I made sure to include my food in this shot!  (Veggie breakfast with egg, baked beans, tomato and my first serving of bubble and squeak)  Also check out the couple at the table with us.  They were writing a musical play while they ate.  Is it eavesdropping if we are all at the same table?  I basically ignored Bill and just listened to them the whole time.  So when they got up I asked "Where can we go to see your show??"  The answer was Paris on January 25. 

This area is a vintage clothing mecca but there are also lots of boutiques with new clothes.  Here is a pair of boots I won't be buying.  Is camel toe appropriate for ANY article of clothing??

Fletch update!

Fletch sent us pictures of a sandwich and of Quasimodo Souvenirs.

Leave it to Fletch to go to the Louvre, one of the places to see human artistic expression at it's highest form, and takes a picture of his footlong sandwich.

At least his comment about the souvenir shop was funny.  He said the architects of the 850 year old church would have been proud that Quasimodo Souvenirs was now attached to it.