Good and Bad Weekend! Walking photos!

[pyat]

The weekend trip to London, Ontario, was mostly positive. The single largest negative factor was the fact that I'm fairly ill. This, combined with insomnia, meant that I spent a great deal of the trip lying in bed, not sleeping. And not for any lascivious reasons, alas.

Still, it was quieter than if we'd stayed home with the girls, and we saw some interesting things, had some fun, and ate some good food. I've always enjoyed visiting London. It has a very strong alternative/geek/fannish community, and the city itself is interesting architecturally and as a place to walk around. It is a large city, but still small enough that it is easily encompassed by a casual tourist.




Our hotel! Built into a 19th century armoury for the local Hussar and artillery regiment.


Interior of the hotel lobby/lounge at night. It was formerly the parade grounds for the armoury, and is now enclosed and roofed, but manages to provide a sort of open air feeling at night.


As the sun went down on Saturday, I went for a long walk. This is one of the many souvlaki stands that dot downtown London. Other cities have hot dog vendors or fish and chips - in London you get souvlaki.


In the middle of this block is City Lights Books, one of the best used book stores I've ever been to. It was closed, but we came back in the morning.


Klingon Graffiti.


Imperial Hobbies after closing time... yet in the back, a game of Warhammer continues. I believe I bought my first copy of Call of Cthulhu here.


One of the many odd alleyways and courtyards that dot downtown London.


Cast-iron spiral staircase leading up to our room.


The interior of City Lights Books, the next day. A veritable maze! This is taken from about halfway down the main aisle - a similar length of store is behind me.


Saucy photo of velvetpage, lying in bed while chatting on the phone.

Comments

[mrs-dm.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the pics, Pyat. I always get an attack of nostalgia when I visit London (and see pictures of it). Mostly, I guess, because it's associated with memories of my carefree 20's and pre-baby life with doc_mystery. I wouldn't mind living there again, but there's no way I'd work in the London hospitals again. If you want to see a real dungeon in London, check out the basement emergency room of the Old Victoria Hospital (if it's still open). I spent way too many nights on call there. They referred to it as "The Pit". (Shudder!)

Doc_Mystery and I were going to spend our 10th wedding anniversary (August 22nd) at the Delta Armouries, where we got married. But I think we'll also take a little spring jaunt to London in the next month or two.

B of M