Blog From America 2 (What's so special about Earl's Court???)

The trip is already steadily going downhill. Yes, superfast and supermodern rail from home to London, but then it all began to sour somewhat. It took an hour and a bit from home to the city, but nearly as long to cross London on the Picadilly Line. Twenty-three stops! Worse, it was absolutely crowded. No seats for at least half the way (in fact, not much air to breath either). I thought that arriving in London at around 8 pm would mean it was pretty quiet, but no, we were all squashed together like sardines for half the journey. Then, lo and behold, the train all but empties at Earl's Court. I have been quite puzzled ever since, wondering what on earth there is at Earl's Court which so entices hundreds of commuters to disembark there with bright smiles on their faces. Indeed, so puzzled I would be most grateful for any reasonable explanation that furthers my understanding of the delights Earl's Court has to offer. Is there some major attraction there, maybe? Or perhaps there was a rave or something tonight (though most of the people who got off looked fairly professional, certainly not the ecstasy-popping crowd). Then I began to wonder if the stop immediately following Earl's Court - West Kensington - is widely known among Londoners as high up on the list of targets for various terrorist groups. If so, I do rather wish they would at least let us provincials know so we too may disembark and sample the delights Earl's Court has to offer. Anyway, explanations shedding any light most gratefully received.

Otherwise, made it to my hotel only to discover it is quite literally located at the end of a runway, with jets taking off just a few feet overhead from my room (I'm on the very top floor) by the minute. Also, the TV here only has seven channels, four of which seem to be Bollywood movie channels (which is fine, I suppose, if there are subtitles, which there aren't), the rest apparently (quite boring) news channels. Personally I think it's deliberate, aimed at ensuring guests go to bed early ready for your early morning flight. Oh, and to cap off a wonderful day, earlier I went out and invested in some quite fine and luxurious sock especially for my trip, only to find out just now that I forgot to pack them. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.