London Visit part 1 - aka a room WITHOUT a view

We do not venture that often to London and if so it is usually for work purposes or on our way somewhere else (see previous posts about it here). This trip was not that much different though it was much less stressfull than usual (especially in comparison with my infamous visit in December 2003 when I was feeling really cold and in low spirits mainly because of the exchange rate of the pound and zloty at that time...). There were not any illustrator agents to meet, there were not any deadlines (well, except one but it was rather a pleasant one) and it was just two of us in a tiny hotel room in central Victoria, which really deserves its own post (but I will not do that, you will be able to see it right away). Food was good, most friends were able to meet us, albait some in their lunch break which I much appreciate (hello Ewa! It was great to catch up and see how radiant and happy you were - our meeting left really warm feelings in my heart! - more about it in part 3) and we  had a great time!

We arrived a bit late beacuse that little chap decidet to venture out on a walk on the East Coast train line. It took the train staff quite a while to chase him back into the field:

I wonder if his fellow cows placed bets on him escaping to the other side of the track...

When we arrived in London, we have realised why our hotel room was so cheap - the window was not included in the price...We were contemplating drawing one but as it would not work with out a Magic Pencil (check out a Polish children cartoon with the same title), so we decided to put up with it:

Nethertheless none of us was hounted by claustrophobia and we decided to head into town straight away as we concluded that we would be coming back to our dungeon only for some sleep and a shower, spending rest of our stay exploring the capital. One cannot beat Victoria's area as a base even though it has a slightly depressing feel to it, provided by thousands tired travellers dragging their suitcases and The Identity and Passport Service Office (opposite a very pleasantly run business of The Capri Sandwich bar).

London is full of weird architectural solutions and that jumble of old and new is sometimes surprising indeed:

It usnerstandable though as each square meter (or yard perhaps costs a fortune - though the size of the offices of the Salvation Army in a very prime spot next to Saint Paul/'s cathedral astonished us the most - maybe the ground belongs to the church after all and they managed to obtain a favourable rent rate indeed.

I hope one day Monika (who is an architect and photographer in Krakow, not to be mistaken with my dear Berlin friend MoniCa - so now you know, a different spelling helps sometimes) and I will be able to go for a trip to London (and not stay in a cellar room in Victoria but maybe somewhere in Marylebone or Kensington perhaps?) to enjoy all these quirky sights!