Last night I wandered round my old haunts in Covent Garden.
The Royal Opera House is - as ever - standing tall & proud. The evenings of happiness watching La Boheme, La Traviata or Swan Lake came flooding back. The sheer excitement of being in one of the greatest & ornate "entertainment" buildings in the world is something that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
Just round the corner there's the Maple Leaf - a "Canadian" pub - where I had my first "official" pint (& many unofficial ones too!). Still open, still heaving and still manned by Canadian bar staff. Not only brought back flashbacks to my student days but also of my Canadian friends - some of whom I will be seeing soon when I visit Vancouver in September.
Then ... finally to Maiden Lane where I hoped to have a night-cap before venturing back to my plush suite at The Langham. I stood outside 130 Maiden Lane hoping to be welcomed into Le Palais du Jardin restaurant ... only to find that it was no longer there ... no Maria ... no Mr Amadhi. When I worked at the BBC - I came here nearly every day for a glass of pinot and a bowl of onion soup ... a good waste of my pay packet! I had two birthday dinners there ... numerous dates and many, many happy times. The whole block is now being redeveloped into something insignificant. A part of me died there & then ... another whole part of my life ... "gone". I am trying to remember all the good times and will try and forget the hoardings that surround the building.
Memories ....
Song of the Day: Yesterday's Man - Madness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6ecRdoa_yw
Weather: Positive
the royal opera house
maple leaf
le palais du jardin - 130 maiden lane
