Erk's Northern Hemiwanderer, June 2014

[erkpod]

Day 6, Sunday 7 June 2014
London, England

The breakfast/dining/bar area at the lodge has lots of funky stuff. I'm often in the spotlight...





I knew the 98 bus can take me to Willesden Green High Road or Central London via Kilburn from out the front of the lodge. Today I learnt that I can get the 206 bus from out of the lodge to Wembley.

I decided to see if the locksmith I found on the Willesden Green High Road was open today so I walked there.



My new Austrian friend is looking for a place to live in London so I found a couple of local estate agents for her to check out.

There wasn't much doing on the High Road. Not even Sainsburys was open until 11 & the locksmith was closed today. I'll take the bag & catch the bus there tomorrow.



One of many interestingly named fried chicken stores.

 

[erkpod]

A mere small sample of emergency services vehicles sighted today. Getting through the streets is hard.

 

[erkpod]

I ended up catching a bus to Willesden Junction which is on the London Underground (Bakerloo) & Overground lines.











The Overground lines could really use some names apart from the destination station.

I caught the train to Kilburn High Road.

 

[erkpod]

I jumped off the Overground at Kilburn High Road - at least I have an alternative to the Underground if the Jubliee goes pear shaped or I want to go another way.

 

[erkpod]

I then decided to jump on a bus to Wembley. I would have got off & walked around but there were teen & tween people heading to an event so I didn't bother.





There must be a small army of people to change parking restriction signs around Wembley, assuming they bother.





I was going to get a train from Golders Green but I was outside zones 1 & 2 which I'd paid for by train & didn't feel like paying more so I had lunch there instead & caught more buses.

 

[erkpod]

For some reason, I decided to catch a bus through Wembley again. The cars & buses were going in the one direction to get to the stadium. I saw a couple of 2012 Olympics signs still up.



I ended up passing 5 different bus depots today. Should I go up to one & tell them that this bus was due out 5 minutes ago?

 

[erkpod]

On one bus through Ealing, I found something that I hope a particular parking warden (to use the British term), gets it back. After documenting it & showing it to the CCTV camera, I handed it to the bus driver when I got off the bus.





Who knows how long it was sitting there for & who could have taken it instead of handing it in?



Who knew that Burger King had a sense of humour?



Some English road signs are strange.

 

[erkpod]

Various styles of buildings as photographed from my bus rides

 

[erkpod]

On the way back to the lodge in the bus, I found Eric Road.

Of course I got off the bus...











Even though Eric Road Church End NW10 is a small road that leads to a locked gate & a small car park in a run down area, it still has my name & it was a highlight of my day.

 

[erkpod]

To finish this afternoon, I found an issue with a bus information display at the stop before Eric Rd.

 

[whatmeworry]

While talking this pic, I got heckled by teenage girls for taking a selfie. There's some irony...

Let Erkpod take a #selfie

[video=youtube;kdemFfbS5H0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdemFfbS5H0&feature=kp[/video]

 

[erkpod]

Let Erkpod take a #selfie!

At least with my selfies, I highlight something. Many selfies I've seen are cropped/framed so tight you have no idea where the person/s are.

 

[erkpod]

There's some interesting things in/around the bar/dinner/breakfast/entertaining areas in the lodge.

 

[TomVexille]

Nice collection of bikes there

 

[markis10]

Let Erkpod take a #selfie

[video=youtube;kdemFfbS5H0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdemFfbS5H0&feature=kp[/video]

I would suggest perhaps two days in a row being near teenies heading for a 1D concert is not a good thing!

 

[erkpod]

I would suggest perhaps two days in a row being near teenies heading for a 1D concert is not a good thing!

That's why I tried to avoid it. Doesn't help that I'm staying near Wembley. I should check out a stadium tour.

 

[erkpod]

Monday 9 June
Day 7
London, England





Off to the locksmith on the Willesden Green High Road. The guy thought that if I can lock the bag with the broken key in it, all good. But how do I lock the other side & the other bag?


He will try to remove the broken key ("No promises I'll be able to do it, though") some time today. But he can't cut me a new key & suggests I go to a luggage shop.

So here I am - heading back to Golders Green on the bus unless I see one sooner.







If this doesn't get sorted today, I'm going to be rather annoyed.

 

[erkpod]

So I took the chance to get a bus past Eric Road again. Small things amuse me.

 

[erkpod]

Key update:

Broken key removed by locksmith.

Could not get a spare key or another one cut despite going to various locksmiths, key cutters & luggage shops.

 

[erkpod]

More bus pics.