Fri, 11 March 2016, 9:33 am: While I’m at Cafe Pronto working on my bacon and egg sandwich…
and another couple of coffees “Americano…”
….maintenance crews are working on several blocks of Blackfriars Road, south of the South Bank of The Thames between the Mad Hatter Hotel and the eatery where I sit.
This week I’ve walked between the Hatter and Cafe Pronto every day, and each day I’ve dodged wheelbarrows and navigated detours while sidewalks are jack-hammered and bricks are re-stacked and burly men are hollering across at one another. Progress seems slow, especially since I’m not sure what exactly they’re doing. I just know the roadworks fit the theme of constant construction that I see all around me in London—- and that I saw too on my 2014 visit.
10:12 am: As I’m finishing my breakfast, the road crews outside all put down their tools and step off their earth movers. It’s their lunch break— they’ve been working since dawn, as the interrupted sleep of those of us staying at the Mad Hatter can attest. A dozen or more of these construction workers pile into Cafe Pronto.
And this is when I’m glad that I’ve become a regular customer this week. Rather than waste time in what’s suddenly a long queue to either place an order or pay a bill, I feel comfortable enough to simply leave cash on my table (of course I know exactly what my tab totals), gather my things, and walk out.
But not before finishing my notes. You don’t think I actually remember all these details off the top of my head, do you? Every activity of every Europe trip is documented in handwritten or voice-recorded notes. Where I went, what I did, what I ordered, how much it cost, how friendly the staff was, what conversations were happening around me. I recall it all. It informs my future trips—- and it will enhance YOUR trips that I plan for you.