A Week in Leeds (Part 1)

I'm going to do my Leeds week in just two posts because it was mostly  one long round of eating and drinking with friends. 

This was my one really uncomfortable moment all the time I was away; Preston station where I had to change trains. Very few masks and precious little social distancing. However I did have the delight of seeing someone chucked off the train I caught from Preston to Leeds for having the wrong ticket, refusing to pay to put it right and mouthing off at the conductor. He and his mate were escorted off the train at the next station. 

I tried to get some pictures of the Penine countryside from the train, but wasn't notably successful! It is hard to take photos from a moving train though. 

Return to The Weetwood, where I always stay when I'm in Leeds, if I can get a room. It's important to book early most of the time or you fall foul of weddings. Not this time though. 

On Sunday I had lunch  in Saltaire with an optometrist  friend and his wife. I had time to wander round Saltaire for a brief while before they arrived, and took some photos. Sadly when Titus Salt built his model village for his workers to live in he didn't foresee the advent of the motor car, so the streets tend to get clogged up these days with cars, which rather ruins the perspective for photographs. I did my best though. 

On Monday I should have been going to York, but the person I was supposed to meet sadly couldn't make it so I went into Leeds City Centre, partly to see how much it had changed and partly to do some shopping in some 'proper' shops. I got a Le Creuset oven dish for my brother-in-law in John Lewis, who apparently no longer do 10p carrier bags so I had to fork out 50p for a sort of jute one. It's still about somewhere, and I shall attempt to use it to death. Annoyingly their restaurant, where I had planned to have lunch was closed, but that was the end of the annoyances for the day. I went off to choose  a new perfume in L'Occitane de Provence, and really the girl I spoke to couldn't have been more patient, pleasant or helpful. I have said harsh things here before about being pestered in the Meadowhall branch so I feel I should praise where praise is due. I needed a new perfume because of course the one I had before they no longer do; I find this constantly happens with perfume - and lipstick colours, as well. Obviously I don't wear either often enough. My next and last stop was Waterstones where I bought a book, of which more later. I  did have time and cause to wonder when the centre of Leeds became  50% jewellery shops, there were always a few, but I was gobsmacked by how they had multiplied. 

Inconsiderately West Yorkshire buses or whoever they are have changed all the bus numbers since we lived there (come on guys, what are you thinking? It's only been sixteen years!) which explains why I got on a wrong bus on my way back to the hotel. It said it went to West Park, and I wanted to be just past there, but it turned out the bus went to a different part of West Park. So when I got off I had a bit of a walk, which you know was fine because exercise. On the other hand I had walked quite a long way in town and it was very hot, so I could have lived without the extra steps. But despite that and the other minor inconveniences it was a Good Day.