British Holiday Chapter 8: A bad flat in Bloomsbury

Paddington is kind of like home

It's good that paddington is like home, because we sat there for two hours waiting for our airbnb host to be ready. Unlike home, it's not that fun for two hours.

Anyway, we finally got to the flat. I had the least confidence about this place of all the places we had planned to stay. Trash on the stoop, a front door that wouldn't open all the way, flaking paint in the hall and an assent not unlike the approach to the Bucket's country flat all went to show that my instincts are pretty good. Still, I wasn't prepared for what we found.

Start at about 2:00 for the stairs

The place we were staying had been basically student housing for some unknown number of centuries. You know what students are. The place made me itch as soon as I walked in. The feeling persisted for several days.

Laundry was hanging up all over the place. Illumination in the kitchen was provided by a lamp clipped to a cabinet door; just duck behind the table to cut it off. Try not to electrocute yourself as the cord is draped over the laundry. The floor of our room was at such an angle that we couldn't leave round things on the floor. The shower was full of black stuff and it was too small to avoid touching the sides.

I went out to get some nourishment. Rakka stayed behind. I found myself in Waitrose in Brunswick Centre. I believe I've been past Brunswick Centre before, on a different trip. It stands out because it is so ugly.

Bloomsbury looks spooky at night when you haven't seen it in the day

I like Waitrose. They have G&Ts in cans.

In the morning things didn't look quite so bleak. Nice weather helped. I went up on the roof (tripping over boots on the stairs and fearing for my life on the rickety stairs) for a quick recky round.  

Rooftops

Quite a collection of chimney's. A view of the Shard, BT Tower, and the top of St. Pauls (I think). The Parsons Library was across the way. It looked like much too fancy a neighbor for the likes of our flat.

Our room was across from the Parsons Library

But then again, the Parsons Library is part of Goodenough College, so maybe it was appropriate after all.

Is your College the best? Eh, it's Goodenough.

Next time, we'll talk about actually doing things.