Crystal Palace Station

Crystal Palace Station is my local station in London and it now has a roof over platforms 3 - 6. I'm not entirely sure the millions spent on it to keep a bit of rain off you are worth it but the deed is done and the roof is in place. No excuse for getting wet whilst waiting for the train.

The Crystal Palace Market

Lunch on Monday was at The Crystal Palace Market on Church Road in the Triangle. Previously an establishment serving up cheap noodles, now it's a fish restaurant with the emphasis on "not cheap"! Excellent quality food. I'm very pleased we gave it a go.







I especially recommend the fish burger.

The Neo India at Crystal Palace

Dinner on Saturday evening was at the Neo Indian in the Triangle at Crystal Palace. I was a bit disappointed. The staff were rushed and I found one of my dishes was a touch undercooked. I'm not recommending people stay away. I think they just needed more staff on that evening.

Duck Pond Market in Richmond

This was a pleasant "artisan" market near the riverside at Richmond which we stumbled upon on Sunday. The photos give a flavour of the market. As a honey, preserves and dairy producer myself, I found some of the stalls to be of particular interest.

White Cross at Richmond

Our walk along the riverside at Richmond brought us to the White Cross pub. Time for lunch! Don't expect the food to be cheap here but it was excellent quality.







I decided to have a pimms. At £9.30, it was sipped rather than gulped!

Walking along the riverbank at Richmond on Thames

I went to London on Saturday, returning home yesterday, Tuesday. On Sunday we decided to pay a visit to Richmond on Thames and took a very pleasant walk along the riverbank in the sun. The last time I was anywhere near here was over 20 years ago when researching my PhD. I went to the Public Records Office at Kew. At some point I will return to Kew to go to Kew Gardens.

My first journey by Virgin East Coast

Virgin Rail has recently taken over the franchise of the East Coast and I've now had my first journey with them. Not a great deal to report. The trains were the same though the loco was rebranded with the Virgin logo and colours. Generally, all went well. The delay on the way to London was the result of a trespass on the line, hardly Virgin's fault. Return journey went like clockwork. The significant difference seems to be an absence of train guards.

The only fault I can find is that the food from the buffet car was astronomically expensive. The following tea and bag of crisps cost £2.95!