Yesterday Dave and I had to go down to Croydon, in far south London, to get our UK visas renewed. This is the official government permit that allows us to live and work here, so it's a big deal. We had an 8:25 a.m. appointment and we left home at 6 a.m. to give ourselves plenty of time to make the rail and tube connections, walk to the visa center and go through security.
The process went smoothly, and after we submitted all our paperwork we had about an hour to wait until we got everything back and learned whether or not we'd been approved. So, to kill some time, we went to the mall.
Yes, there is a mall in Croydon, and it comes with all the blandness of malls everywhere. Especially in the early morning when not much is open.
First, we went to Starbucks, from whence the top photo comes. What you probably can't really appreciate is just how filthy that furniture was.
Not far away was a dry fountain featuring several misshapen, green-patinaed lions.
Dave waited at Starbucks while I wandered around with my iPhone camera. (No, that is not Dave. That's an old guy who was sitting to our right. That is Dave's briefcase on the bench nearby, though.)
It makes sense that the children's play area would feature a pint-sized London tour bus.
And here's one of my stranger finds -- a rack of sweatshirts at Topman reading "St. Petersburg, Florida, 1989." I suppose this has retro appeal (for someone) but since I lived and worked near St. Petersburg in the late 1980s, I was a bit weirded out. It felt like a personal message!
Anyway, the good news is, our visas were approved so we remain in England with the Queen's permission.
Man, that's a dreary mall. I loathe malls and am grateful that most of them, out here in LA, are outside which makes them a tad more tolerable.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on being continued expats!
You have to wonder what that large stain is on that couch, especially considering where it's placed. Eww .. and what an ugly mall.
ReplyDeleteLove the photo of the old man and the shot from above.
"God Save The Queen" for letting you stay. :)
I'd send the Queen a little thank-you note if I were you. But please do let her know the condition of that mall while you're at it. She may not be aware how dowdy it's gotten.
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Steve & Dave. Now run thence, for that mall is disgusting.
ReplyDeleteMy first thought when I saw that first photos was oh, I wouldn't want to sit there. But, those sweatshirts from 1989 Florida are very, very strange. I agree, I would have felt like it was some sort of message too.
ReplyDeleteI don't know - I would have had to buy a shirt, just to make sure that the universe knows you got the message :)
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats on getting approved!
What was the message of the sweatshirt, though? Don't leave me hanging!
ReplyDeleteIf I had to work at that mall I think I would be totally depressed all the time.
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