Reacquaintance

Our previous visits to Kolkata have always seemed a bit rushed. Today we have the luxury of just being able to wander at our own pace and visit a couple of places that we have missed out on. It's a good job that there is no hurry as our drug induced slumber is not disturbed until 9.40 when D's phone rings. It is somebody trying to sell something but not in English.

It as a lucky break as we just make breakfast in time for tea and omelettes. The Fairlawn is a bit eccentric in some ways and the omelette is not really improved by adding sides of chips and baked beans. The tea is excellent.

First call today is the tailor's shop round the corner. R's high fashion, high security, low tech handbag needs a replacement zip. 'Yes Madam. One hundred rupees, two hours'. Ye cannae whack it.

Next up, the Oxford Bookshop, as reading material is required for the upcoming train trips. On the way we observe that the Kolkata Pavement Redevelopment Corporation have managed to spread their devastation from Chowringhee onto Park Street. This has only taken them four years. A suitable volume of RK Narayan stories is purchased and R is restrained from buying a large collection of cookery books.
Time for a refreshment so we cross the street to Flury's. Do they always have a police armoured car outside? Are the donuts that good? If you believe the books Flury's is an institution. An Art Deco tea room cum restaurant with an impressive cake counter and prices to deter the riff raff. We went in for cups of tea regardless and very good they were.

By this time D was feeling the urge to indulge his tram habit and knew just where to go. A modest hike along Park Street took us to the number 25 tram stop just as a tram was arriving. Luckily it had 1) A destination board in English and 2) A destination that we had heard of -  BBD Bagh. Negotiating three lanes of fast moving traffic to reach the tram provided the day's excitement quota.

Kolkata trams are just brilliant. Many were painted in Battleship Grey in the 1950s and appear not to have been touched since. They travel quite slowly, giving passengers the opportunity to take in scenes of everyday life as it plays out on Kolkata's streets. A highlight of the 25 tram is the way that it is routed along one way streets in the opposite direction to all other traffic. And some people think that Edinburgh's trams are exciting. The tram ticket prices have gone up a bit since our first visit but they are still great value at 6 rupees (about sixpence).

Our plan is to return to base on foot with a couple of stops en route. The first leg is along Ganguly Street. We wonder if this is named for the cricketer. Wiki sheds no light on the matter. Lonely Planet recommends the Broadway Hotel Bar which is just off our route. We decide to investigate. The bar is a vast room with slightly shabby furniture and walls in need of a coat of paint. We were ushered to a corner table and ordered a beer and a pot of tea. The beer was cold, the tea hot and the prices very reasonable but it somehow missed the mark.

On the way back to base we stopped at R's favourite art shop where she stocked up on pencils. Our route took us down Chowringhee, through the colonnades full of market stalls. There is a new greeting for foreigners - " Hello. Pound coins". Nearly every stall is selling cloth shopping bags that advertise the Stockholm Stadtsbibliothek. Ideal souvenir of Kolkata.

Our plan had been to clean up and meet J, a fellow traveller who had been on D's big European train trip, but he messaged to say that his train was 12 hours late. Ouch. We scrubbed ourselves up nevertheless and hit the town. Park Street still has its Christmas/New Year illuminations in all their glory. We had to get used to the fact that the one way direction of the traffic had switched since this morning. Even the armoured car outside Flury's had turned round.

To start with we decided to revisit the Oly Pub, a hostelry with a vociferous fan club, but one which had underwhelmed us on previous visits. This time we went upstairs and found a cheerful spot with a noise level that was just about tolerable. We were at least three times the age of anybody else in there but nobody seemed to mind.

For supper we opted for Peter Cat, another well established restaurant, where the waiters wear Afghan costumes. LP does not explain why. We got in just before the rush and enjoyed fish kebab with peas pulao and onion raita. The waiter felt impelled to warn us that the kebabs were spicy but they seemed fine to us. The raita was made with a very thick, very sweet yoghurt. Not unpleasant but rather unexpected. Must be a Bengali thing.

On the walk home we noticed that the traffic was much busier than last night. Everyone back to work. The Fairlawn beer garden was much quieter which seemed to confirm. We skipped the lure of alfresco beers and headed for bed.