Apparently, yon big tree thing was known as The Hanging Tree, due to the executions that were rumoured to take place there. It's an impressive tree all the same, as you can see.
The Crystal Palace is right smack in the centre of the city and used to be a good student pub, back in the days. Nowadays it's a good tourist pub. I ventured in for old times' sake and exchanged almost 5 English Pounds for a pint of fine ale. Impressive prices - I bet not too many students frequent nowadays, which would be a damn shame. Friday nights I recall were always good nights out, but no matter how crowded the bar in the CP would get (and it would get busy - back in those days we got grants to go to Uni, for goodness' sake) there was always one table kept reverently free. About 9 o'clock the student body would part to let a little white-haired elderly lady through to her seat. The bar staff would fetch her a glass of sweet sherry and she would quietly sup while us Bright Young Things enjoyed ourselves. Good times.
Still, on the particular night I wandered in a couple of weeks ago, the bar area was quiet and since I was in a good mood I thought I would engage the young lady (of student age) on the other side of the jump in some conversation. I remarked how the place had changed since my last visit. She replied cheerily enough, asking if I had been in a couple of years ago and saying that the place had had a re-fit since then. I smiled and said, well, I was actually comparing it to when I came in here as a student, back in the early 80s. And that, dear friends, was the end of that conversation.
This was it at night:
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