Day 14 - Last day in London

I should've left the window open last night. Perhaps the heating was a little too cosy and my sleep a little too deep. The bags under my eyes are so pronounced I may as well have been Shannon Briggs after his slugging by Vitali Klitschko for the WBC.

I go to Lena's Cafe on Praed St and add another healthy looking photo to my collection of classy English breakfasts. Nothing beats a snag lying prostrate in baked beans, crispy bacon, egg yoke dripping into wholemeal toast, fried mushrooms and tomato ... and black pudding with its subtle bloody taste when you lick your lips.

Being Taurean I like to plan, I like things going according to plan. As I leave London tomorrow I want to know just how long it takes to walk from the hotel to the line that takes me to King's Cross Station. It's a good thing I do this, because the fastest line to King's Cross National Rail Terminal is a much further walk than the other Paddington lines.

After collecting tomorrow's train ticket I walk down to Piccadilly Circus for an Oxford St bus. I can't resist popping into an electronics store to suss out the latest gadgets. While clothes and beer are cheap in London, electronics cost about the same as in Australia.

From my vantage point atop the bus I watch the hustle and bustle on the street below. After pleasantly crawling the bus comes to a complete standstill at Marble Arch. For half an hour we are blocked by people protesting for Palestine, I think. But I'm not sure - all their placards are in Arabic.

 I have Indian for dinner at a restaurant close to the hotel. As there are not many patrons, the two waiters practically stand in front of my table and watch me eat every mouthful! Luckily my biography of Percy Bysshe Shelley is absorbing, allowing me to forget the scrutiny of these two waiters, eager to report to the chef that of all things, my reaction to the papadums and chutneys was most favourable.