Day 32 - A day at Lord's
The total itinerary for the world trip was set around attending day 1 of the England v Pakistan test at Lord's. You can imagine the disappointment when London decided to produce one of it's better summer days and deliver rain for all bar 1.5 hours.
After attending Tony's for lunch yesterday it was agreed that another visit was in order prior to us leaving England so we headed over for a proper English breakfast. The kids again ordered eggs and chips whilst Jacqui went with the eggs, tomato, bacon and black pudding option. We all tried the black pudding however did not take an immediate liking. I suppose it is similar to trying vegemite for the first time. After a good breakfast it was off to Lord's for a day of cricket.
When we arrived there was light drizzle falling so the covers were on the ground and the toss was delayed. Unfortunately the drizzle and light rain persisted so an early lunch was taken with a view of the first ball being bowled after 1.00pm. This opened up the chance for some celebrity spotting and gratuitous pushing of Zac into the eye line for the chance of a photo. First celebrity was Mark Nicholas however we were too late to nab him however we soon saw Phil Tuffnell heading for a smoke so he became victim number 1. After that we hung around the bottom of the media centre and as Nikla described it, grabbing a photo with a celebrity was like shooting fish in a barrel. Next to come along was Pakistan legend Ramiz Raja followed by Michael Atherton. After playing paparazzi we then headed to the seats for lunch.
Luckily the weather cleared up enough for the covers to be removed and for play to commence. In the next hour and a half we saw a wicket, 36 runs, a couple of 4's and a referred decision being overturned. Then unfortunately the weather closed in, it became dark and the batsmen left due to the inbalance between the natural and artificial light. Shortly after the drizzle then heavy rain set in and it was clear that it was day over.
As mentioned above this was extremely disappointing as the Lord's ground would be a picture if it was bathed in sunlight and the weather for the remaining 4 days is supposed to be clear and sunny. Then gain, there are not a lot of Australians who have had the chance to sit in the stand at Lord's and watch some cricket being played as well as having the chance to go on a full tour.
We decided that play would not commence so we left around 4.30pm and made our way to the zebra crossing on Abbey Road made famous by the Beatles on the cover of their Abbey Road album. This was quite comical as we wanted to simulate the photo however as this was a busy road on the same day as a test match at Lord's we had to spend time dodging traffic. There were also others there with the same thought process so to see lot's of people walking back and forth across the crossing, pausing for a photo and then moving on was funny. Although the drivers in the cars who had to keep stopping every time someone walked across the road were not seeing the funny side.
Finally, we caught a break in the traffic and the other tourists so we made our way onto the crossing whilst Nikla jumped out onto the road and took the snapshot.
After Abbey Road, we then made our way to Kings Cross station to view the trolley in the wall at platform 9 and 3/4 made famous in the Harry Potter movies. After pausing for more photo's it was onto Brick Lane for some true English Indian food. Now to describe Brick Lane, think China Town and fill it full of Indians. Every restaurant is an Indian restaurant with a person out the front attempting to entice you into their restaurant. Nikla and Stephen were looking for a restaurant that they had visited before however it appeared to have closed down so it was down to some negotiation. We chose a restaurant that offered the first 2 rounds for free and a 30% discount of the bill so not bad. The meal was very nice and relaxing and then we made our way back home.
The remainder of the evening was spent finalising packing and ensuring we are ready to hit France. Stephen and Jacqui took the chance to duck out for a quick ale at the pub across the road before we finally were ready to hit the hay for some sleep.
After attending Tony's for lunch yesterday it was agreed that another visit was in order prior to us leaving England so we headed over for a proper English breakfast. The kids again ordered eggs and chips whilst Jacqui went with the eggs, tomato, bacon and black pudding option. We all tried the black pudding however did not take an immediate liking. I suppose it is similar to trying vegemite for the first time. After a good breakfast it was off to Lord's for a day of cricket.
When we arrived there was light drizzle falling so the covers were on the ground and the toss was delayed. Unfortunately the drizzle and light rain persisted so an early lunch was taken with a view of the first ball being bowled after 1.00pm. This opened up the chance for some celebrity spotting and gratuitous pushing of Zac into the eye line for the chance of a photo. First celebrity was Mark Nicholas however we were too late to nab him however we soon saw Phil Tuffnell heading for a smoke so he became victim number 1. After that we hung around the bottom of the media centre and as Nikla described it, grabbing a photo with a celebrity was like shooting fish in a barrel. Next to come along was Pakistan legend Ramiz Raja followed by Michael Atherton. After playing paparazzi we then headed to the seats for lunch.
Luckily the weather cleared up enough for the covers to be removed and for play to commence. In the next hour and a half we saw a wicket, 36 runs, a couple of 4's and a referred decision being overturned. Then unfortunately the weather closed in, it became dark and the batsmen left due to the inbalance between the natural and artificial light. Shortly after the drizzle then heavy rain set in and it was clear that it was day over.
As mentioned above this was extremely disappointing as the Lord's ground would be a picture if it was bathed in sunlight and the weather for the remaining 4 days is supposed to be clear and sunny. Then gain, there are not a lot of Australians who have had the chance to sit in the stand at Lord's and watch some cricket being played as well as having the chance to go on a full tour.
We decided that play would not commence so we left around 4.30pm and made our way to the zebra crossing on Abbey Road made famous by the Beatles on the cover of their Abbey Road album. This was quite comical as we wanted to simulate the photo however as this was a busy road on the same day as a test match at Lord's we had to spend time dodging traffic. There were also others there with the same thought process so to see lot's of people walking back and forth across the crossing, pausing for a photo and then moving on was funny. Although the drivers in the cars who had to keep stopping every time someone walked across the road were not seeing the funny side.
Finally, we caught a break in the traffic and the other tourists so we made our way onto the crossing whilst Nikla jumped out onto the road and took the snapshot.
After Abbey Road, we then made our way to Kings Cross station to view the trolley in the wall at platform 9 and 3/4 made famous in the Harry Potter movies. After pausing for more photo's it was onto Brick Lane for some true English Indian food. Now to describe Brick Lane, think China Town and fill it full of Indians. Every restaurant is an Indian restaurant with a person out the front attempting to entice you into their restaurant. Nikla and Stephen were looking for a restaurant that they had visited before however it appeared to have closed down so it was down to some negotiation. We chose a restaurant that offered the first 2 rounds for free and a 30% discount of the bill so not bad. The meal was very nice and relaxing and then we made our way back home.
The remainder of the evening was spent finalising packing and ensuring we are ready to hit France. Stephen and Jacqui took the chance to duck out for a quick ale at the pub across the road before we finally were ready to hit the hay for some sleep.
