Meeting up with midnightxpress   today to see how many stations we can collect in a day. This will be a guerilla affair, of dashing between platforms surface and station, so naturally I wear a corset and heels...nothing like wearing practical clothing for such endeavors, and indeed this is nothing like practical clothing.

However, due to general fidgety malaise I am awake early. In the bath, I hatch a plan: if I stop wallowing about in the bubbles I could head up the Piccadilly Line to where it joins the Victoria at Finsbury Park and still get back down to Kings Cross in time for our rendevous. Occasionally, back when I was commuting from Welwyn Garden City into New Cross for college I would have to change at Finsbury Park (although looking at the map I can't remember why) and I remember there being balloons on the platforms.

Time to see if my memory is failing me...




( Time to investigate my misty rememberances (image heavy with lots of balloons) )

Finsbury Park is indeed the pastel disco station, or at least it is if you come in on the Piccadilly. In contrast the Victoria Line platforms are terribly drab. Pity the Victoria Line, it must feel such a poor relation when the Piccadilly Line Platforms look like they were decorated by the Circe Du Soleil. There are indeed huge, glittering mosaic balloons - I run between both North and South platforms to get pictures of them all, each different and spectacular. I think manical cackling might have been involved.


Upstairs, the station building is a squat ugly thing, it hides it's prettiness beneath a concrete bunker; like wearing fine French lingerie under a boiler suit. It's grey and overcast above...there are various squat little shops, but all is a little dismal. I look for someone to bother for the picture and chance upon a pair of chaps making diary plans.

I make my introduction and the chap I've picked on not only agrees, but says 'would you like to hold my badge for the photo' . Joy!!! He's a revenue inspector! The badge is very US cop...'step away from the gap, sister'...I am delighted. He probably thinks I'm insane but I trundle on my merry way a happy bunny after this encounter.


I arrive back at KX, via the Victoria this time as it's a few stations shorter, exactly on time.