Back to Holland...

After we dropped our bags off at CitizenM near Amsterdam Zuid, Jimmy went to his conference and I headed over to Bob and Lisa’s, where there was evidence that spring was on its way.

Lisa was working, so Bob and I made a plan for the afternoon. 

We walked along the waterfront...

...to check out the views from the rooftop of Nemo, the science museum.

We spotted our destination: the National Maritime Museum...

…where we saw an excellent exhibit on where food comes from, including food both imported into and exported from the Netherlands. 
 

Jimmy’s Birthday...

While we didn’t have a party for Jimmy’s birthday, we went to a party that day for Tristram’s 60th. On our walk to the pinball arcade, we saw this interesting sculpture on the side of a building...

…and a beautiful pub that we should visit sometime. 

That evening, we had a sophisticated dinner of ready-made salads and cheap wine on a train heading to Harwich, where we caught the overnight ferry to Holland. We had submitted our passports to UK Immigration for our visas as soon as we had returned from the US back in late January and received them back just in the nick of time to book this trip for Jimmy to attend a conference in Amsterdam.

The ferry’s public spaces had a major renovation since our last journey in January. We paid extra for lounge access, which was a lovely space with drinks and snacks at night and a light breakfast in the morning. 

Once again, we ran into trouble when entering the EU because we supposedly overstayed our visa. Jimmy almost lost it, but somehow I kept my cool, which is such a role reversal; I couldn’t help but laugh that we had troubles at the airport, train station and ferry terminal. We were brought into secondary by a Dutch immigration officer covered in tattoos on biceps that were about the size of my thighs; he was much less scary than he looked. Luckily I had an extra document with me this time: proof that we had deregistered in mid-December in Voorschoten and had returned our Dutch visas in early January. He said that someone had failed to file a necessary document and promised that he would take care of it. Although we had heard that before, he was a man of his word and we’ve had no further problems entering or exiting the EU.  
 

Also Spotted in Finsbury Park...

Along my walk back and forth to the station, I saw a school with some nice big murals...

….some cool neon signs... 

…and some funny foam people. 

 

An Awesome New Banksy Mural...

I was thrilled that I had no plans on March 18, so as soon as I heard the rumors of a new Banksy mural in London, I set off for Finsbury Park to find it. At first glance, it just looked like a bunch of random blotches of paint with a figure in the left corner. 

However, when standing in the optimum position, it was very cool as the green streaks morphed into the leaves on the barren tree. It was unclear if the figure was holding a pressure washer or pesticide can. The green paint apparently matched the color used for signs by the local government. Shortly after arriving, I learned that Banksy had taken credit for it on his Instagram account, which I have been following since the infamous shredding of Balloon Girl at a Sotheby’s Auction in 2018. 

While everyone else stayed behind the short fence, this woman disregarded social norms. 

Not only was I glad that I had the chance to see it, but happy that it was before the massive crowds that likely arrived after it was confirmed to be authentic. Sadly, just a few days later, some jerks threw white paint across it. The owner of the building eventually put up high fences and plastic panels to protect it. I still haven’t been back as it would be interesting to see it when the tree has its own leaves. 
 

Getting Royally Bushy...

I love it when the hash takes us to new places. On March 16, London H3 started from a pub near the Hampton Wick train station. While the trail quickly brought us along the Thames...

…most of it was in Bushy Park, the second largest royal park in London...

…and home to many deer, including white ones.

We also ran through Hampton Court Park...

…where we spotted Hampton Court Palace, built in 1525. 

It’s always a special treat when there’s a drink stop at any of the hashes in London. I had Opee’s hash cup with me, so he had to improvise when he wanted some wine before I arrived. Hence the chips bag wine glass was born (ironically, the same thing happened just this past Saturday).

 

Celebrating St Patty’s Day...

On March 15, we joined some of Jimmy’s colleagues to celebrate St Patty’s Day at a Wetherspoons in Soho. The place was packed and serving shockingly cheap Irish whisky. Most surprising was that they were still serving drinks at 10:55pm, but kicked us out at 11pm with security guards handing out to-go cups while ushering everyone to the door. Rather than join the group in trying to find somewhere open, we took a nice wander around Soho before heading home.

 

Not Doing That Again...

After a friend cycled late at night through the Rotherhithe Tunnel under the Thames and said it wasn’t bad, I thought I’d try walking through it. So I walked over to Limehouse and made my way to the tunnel, which was opened in 1908 with two lanes for cars and sidewalks for bikes and pedestrians on both sides.

I quickly learned why it doesn’t show up as a suggested walking route on any of the mapping apps I use: the ventilation is horrible! I was constantly breathing in exhaust fumes for 1.5 kilometers. The first half of the tunnel was nicely tiled...

…while the second half was just boring cement. There were distance markers along the way, which seemed to taunt me by reminding me how much longer I would be stuck under the river. 

While this isn’t actually the view upon emerging from the tunnel, I went out of my way to remind myself how lucky I am to live next to this amazing river.