The Number 211 Route

Tuesday 22 September 2009

This was the bus to get us to the 33.  Mary and I (Linda still enjoying Berlin) met at Waterloo, after difficulties finding the head stop, which proved to be right outside the main entrance, up that street that we thought only taxis use.  We were off by 10.07.  Along York Road and past the Shell Centre, we wondered what was to happen to the old Eurostar platforms, but the answer appears to be 'nothing much' though I know Linda and Roger enjoyed the 'Railway Children'.

We spotted the Duck Tour as we headed past St Thomas's and over Westminster Bridge (it being a beautiful sunny day, we thought earth had 'not anything to show more fair' but realised that had been said before).

We managed a glimpse of the fairly recent statue of Nelson Mandela as we nipped around Parliament Square.

 Victoria Street was, as usual, quite slow, and then we passed the station and the coach station and came to the junction with Ebury Bridge Street, where the remains of a Second World War plane were dug up while I was at the Churchill War Rooms.

 On along the Pimlico Road, we came to the hole in the ground where the intervention of the heir to the throne has prevented building on the Chelsea Hospital site.  Then we were into Chelsea proper, and heading along the King's Road and then the Fulham Road.  we passed the Royal Brompton and Royal Marsden Hospitals.

Since we would pass the Charing Cross Hospital later, this was a four-hospital bus.

The attractive houses, little square gardens and posh shops made this a pleasant route.  We passed Daunt books, famous because our friend Rachel shops there, and he (Daunt) writes for 'Slightly Foxed'. (Of course since this journey he has become lord of the Universe, or at least head of Waterstone's) The Servite Shop was one of several charity shops  which indicated we were getting beyond the rich bit. 

After Stamford Bridge we passed the Sir Oswald Stoll Foundation. 

This was a much loopier way to get to Hammersmith than the 9 or 10, but none the less enjoyable for that, and we arrived at 11.20, in perfect time to head to the lower Bus garage and hop onto the departing 33.