I had a bloody good time.
On Saturday 11th February I was scheduled to work and did everything I could to get the day off. I managed it. The week before I had met up with Tom who had said about the idea of doing a Spoons bar crawl. That Saturday was also the day a protest was taking place that I really wanted to attend. It was to demand the treasury allocate 10% of the transport budget to cycling by 2020.
A handful of days ago Tom said it may not be happening. I was gutted. But I still wanted to go down to attend the protest. I decided to provisionally book a hotel. Thankfully I did as a couple of days later Tom messaged to say the bar crawl was going ahead. I know the team leader of the Ibis hotel where I was due to stay. I messaged him to ask about storing my bicycle. As it was a cycling related protest, bringing my bicycle on the train seemed more than likely. He said it would be fine and also invited me out on Saturday night. Everything came together! I loved the plan.
I didn’t bring my bicycle down in the end. I cycled from my house to Wellingborough Train Station. I firstly went to a home design museum. In my last year at university, I had a module which explored the relationship between people and things. Walking through this museum, the Geffrye Museum, reminded me of that. How people’s relationship with the items they use on a day to day basis changes, how the items change and how it makes them who they are.
I then made by way to Trafalgar Square. I was shocked at how many people were there for the protest.
I saw this bad boy. This pod reaches incredibly high speeds. Essentially a bicycle with a shell, its aerodynamic outer makes it glide past the traffic.
Just before the protest march from Trafalgar Square to the Treasury, I cast my eye on this guy standing on his own. He looked beautiful. As I approached, I confirmed he was. I started speaking to him. I cannot remember what I said but we soon were talking about the Critical Masses we’d been on and our love for cycling and for London. A guy on a similar wavelength to my own. My gaydar was playing up. Even if we don’t enter a whirlwind romance, a friendship with him would be lovely.
Obesity, pollution, invest in the solution!
Here’s a video of the protest.
After taking part in a die-in and after listening to a lot of speakers, I went to my hotel room for a rest and to get some much needed battery power. I got the tube and met Tom and his friends in a Wetherspoons. And then we went to another and another and another.
I decided to firstly pop back to the hotel. I changed my shoes and topped my phone up a little bit. I got the tube to Leicester Square and walked to Heaven. I stood in the queue.
I was standing there for so long. It was well over an hour. Eventually, I got into the club and met up with some friends.
Just as I was taking a photo, the laser shone into the camera lens. It’s quite pretty.
A few times I lost my friends but the atmosphere in Heaven is that which makes it seem so normal to just dance on your own. I stayed until 5am. As the club closed I got this shot.
It was a whirlwind trip and I fitted so much in.
See you soon London.
Sam x
