GC13ZB7: Wobbly Bridge

Found on 2009-08-13 at 19:00:00
Placed by: frozboz
Size: Small (Difficulty: 2.5 / Terrain: 1.5)
Location: London, United Kingdom
Geocaching.com: GC13ZB7

This one has been the hardest one I've done yet! It required me to summon all my powers of stealth and people-knowledge to make a swift grab. Difficulty: 2.5 Terrain: 1.5 Muggles: 5 !!!

I originally intended to bag this as a lunchtime cache n dash on Monday but was completely overwhelmed by the density of the muggle around here. It seemed like the hot weather had brought all the office muggles out to sit on the grass in front of the Tate. Had a quick glance at GZ but couldn't decipher the clue and didn't really do a proper search enough to call it a DNF.

I went back to my office, dejected, thinking I'd return on a cold, wet December day. But 'Wobbly Bridge' just sat there at the back of my mind, taunting me from across the Thames. So I decided to take advantage of the wife being out tonight and go it alone after work rather than catching the tube and heading home before sundown.

I arrived back at GZ as my GPSr beeped to alert me to the dreaded "low batt". No matter, I knew the place, it was deducting where the cache was that was going to be the problem. Oh and that flipping hint! Do you know I spent half my afternoon googling those famous characters trying to find out who they were and what relevance they had to Tate Modern?! It was not until after sitting on the green opposite looking around and going over the names in my head did I then piece the subtle connections together.. 'Har Bl**dy Har' very funny.

Muggles everywhere, tourist muggles, love-bird muggles, shifty looking muggles and one guy sitting with his wife on the grass who kept glancing over at me whilst I did my best to look casual. First I dropped my rucksack and opened it up. I was wearing sunglasses so I rumaged around with my head down whilst I cast my eyes up to scan the wall.. just couldn't see anything - not a glimmer not an suspicious pile of sticks anywhere. I then went to stealth mode 2: talking to myself on my mobile phone. Did that for about 15 mins - talking to myself and raising my voice as muggles walked past. Easier to glance for long periods at the wall, harder to hold a conversation. Then I thought I should give it a break and go try Thorium Lockbox instead. Well that was pointless - muggles there too and it would be even easier to draw attention to oneself.

I came back to GZ and decided to try a different tack. I sat down on the grass and observed my surroundings. Here's the thing, no-one seems to care if you're just sitting there. You can stare at things for a very long time and it will not seem out of place. Plus I still had my shades on - that made it easier. It was after sitting there for 15 mins I clued in on the hint. Then it was just a game of waiting. Man-with-wife muggle still glancing over occasionally was going to make this impossible but I was now focused and determined - then - I spotted a group of Japanese photographer muggles coming up the path and saw my opportunity.

The Japanese photographer muggles gave me the perfect cover whilst I stood behind them and shielded me from the view of man-with-wife. I stood back up and went to GZ. I dropped my bag again and used a combination of talking to someone on the phone whilst searching for something in my bag. I looked up occasionally and looked around like I was totally having a conversation.

Then, the perfect moment came. The only way I can describe it is as though time slowed down, I glanced up no-one looking over from the wobbly bridge, I glanced over man-with-wife looking at wife, Japanese muggles taking photograph, and finally a break in the constant stream of passers-by... I made the grab-of-faith, I swiftly stuck my hand into the hiding place and my fingers clasped the container, swiping it out of there.

I cannot describe the rush of adrenaline and pride as I tucked that cache into my bag and examined the contents.

Took 3x Beaver TBs, left Signal Geolaminate and 2x "where's George" $ bills that I found hitch hiking with another TB.

!T4TC! [^][^][^]