In Search of Shrove Tuesday Pancakes

The lonely pancake van at Victoria Tower Gardens. The stage, not quite set up, at Covent Garden. Better pancakes than they were serving at parliament and Covent Garden anway.

This being Shrove Tuesday( the day before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday), we decided to join the rest of the English in traditional observance by attending the pancake races. We set off for the Victoria Tower Gardens to watch members of parliament race members of the press to a finish line while flipping pancakes. Knowing the event started at 10:15 and lasted for an indeterminate amount of time, we set off at 10. That's when our troubles began. As we entered the station, the train--the slow one on the district line--was at the platform getting ready to depart. We hurried down the stairs to catch it. The warning bell rang as Scott carrying Cecily squeezed through the doors. Laura shouted, "We won't make it!" as the doors slid shut squarely on Scott's shoulder. Although the doors weren't pressuring him they weren't reversing either. "We'll see you at Westminster." Laura cried, as Scott and Cecily disappeared into the train. The two little girls left behind were more than a little dismayed but all was better once when all caught up with each other again at the Westminster station some 20 minutes later. We hurried out of the station and down Whitehall but were puzzled to find the gardens empty except for maintenance workers. That's when it dawned on us. We were in the Victoria Embankment Gardens. The Victoria Tower Gardens are on the other side of Westminister Palace. Off we hurried, hoping to catch the last race, but our timing was now deeply flawed. We arrived to find only a lonely pancake van. It was the beginning of a quest which would end in a most unexpected manner. Read down the blog to find out more about this adventure!