Dispatch from London
This trip is a lot different from our last long vacation. Then (2009) we were going mainly to warm places and we managed to pack everything we needed into two roll-on bags. This time, we're visiting Scotland in October and Paris in November. We needed two big bags to contain all the warm layers, walking shoes, rain pants, and so on.
Tom and Mark were kind enough to drop us at the Santa Rosa Airport, where we got the bus to SFO and our 7:30 pm flight to London. The train from the airport had us in town in about 1/2 hour and voila!, 16 hours after leaving quiet, rural Forestville, we're in the middle of busy, busy London.
I like London a lot more than I did the first time we were here, in the late 90's I believe. That time it was so hot (90+) that we willingly, eagerly even, moved to a room in the basement of our hotel because it was the coolest room they had. (No AC in any room, of course...."We don't need it.") This time the weather has been spectacular -- low 70's and blue, blue sky.
London is a lot like New York -- only cleaner and with nicer parks, more confusing streets, and much more polite people.
There are hordes of tourists here but the Londoners seem to be able to handle all of us and all of them with great aplomb. The streets are packed with cars but no one is blowing their horn. People in retail establishments actually greet you and ask if they can help you. In two days of riding the tube around town I have three times been offered a seat on a crowded train by a young person. (Ralph, too, has been offered a seat but he is quite annoyed about it and will probably deny it or else edit out this sentence of the blog.)
One of our major activities so far has been walking around the spectacular public parks, particularly Regent's Park, which is very close to where we're staying. Imagine Central Park but immaculately trimmed and full of wrought iron hardware that looks like it was painted yesterday in black and gold. Sometimes the hardware even has the monogram of the actual owner of the park.
A visit to the Albert and Victoria Museum, the museum of crafts and design, has been on our agenda since we first started planning the trip. When we got there, we asked the guide the way to the 6th floor (it was not obvious!). We got a quizzical look -- "Ceramics and furniture?" I don't think many people go there. We both really enjoyed the exhibits and learned a lot. The furniture was arranged not by date but by technique -- joinery, marquetry, finishes, etc. Not everyone's cup of tea, I know, but I liked it.
Before we left home we decided we would see as much theater in London as we could. The acting and production qualities are the best anywhere and the ticket prices are 1/2 to 1/3 of what they are in New York. Thursday and Friday nights we saw the two parts of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan but the staging of these shows won me over. Who wouldn't like a play where 15-foot evil spirits come out of the ceiling, hover over the audience, and then swoop up one of the characters off the stage. Plus, there was enough fire shooting out of magic wands to make me a little nervous. So what if the story line was a little contrived.
Saturday night we had a complete change of mood. We saw The Jungle, the story of the refugee camp that arose outside Calais in 2015, only to be bulldozed by the French authorities a year and a bit later. We both left the theater feeling like we'd been punched in the stomach.
Finally (for today), what would a trip to London be without stopping at Buckingham Palace? I have to say that, aside from the guards, it looked a lot like many other buildings in London. I actually found the Victoria Memorial right across the street more impressive.
And... "and so on" included nice(r) pants and shoes, since we knew we were going to the theatre in London. Which lead, to my complete amazement, to Ralph's polishing his shoes. Some of you might think, based on long observation, that neither of us owns a pair of leather shoes. Wrong! We can get gussied up when we have to. But nothing in my experience prepared me for the sight of Ralph polishing his long-neglected black shoes. I don't expect to ever see it again.
Tom and Mark were kind enough to drop us at the Santa Rosa Airport, where we got the bus to SFO and our 7:30 pm flight to London. The train from the airport had us in town in about 1/2 hour and voila!, 16 hours after leaving quiet, rural Forestville, we're in the middle of busy, busy London.
I like London a lot more than I did the first time we were here, in the late 90's I believe. That time it was so hot (90+) that we willingly, eagerly even, moved to a room in the basement of our hotel because it was the coolest room they had. (No AC in any room, of course...."We don't need it.") This time the weather has been spectacular -- low 70's and blue, blue sky.
London is a lot like New York -- only cleaner and with nicer parks, more confusing streets, and much more polite people.
There are hordes of tourists here but the Londoners seem to be able to handle all of us and all of them with great aplomb. The streets are packed with cars but no one is blowing their horn. People in retail establishments actually greet you and ask if they can help you. In two days of riding the tube around town I have three times been offered a seat on a crowded train by a young person. (Ralph, too, has been offered a seat but he is quite annoyed about it and will probably deny it or else edit out this sentence of the blog.)
One of our major activities so far has been walking around the spectacular public parks, particularly Regent's Park, which is very close to where we're staying. Imagine Central Park but immaculately trimmed and full of wrought iron hardware that looks like it was painted yesterday in black and gold. Sometimes the hardware even has the monogram of the actual owner of the park.
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A visit to the Albert and Victoria Museum, the museum of crafts and design, has been on our agenda since we first started planning the trip. When we got there, we asked the guide the way to the 6th floor (it was not obvious!). We got a quizzical look -- "Ceramics and furniture?" I don't think many people go there. We both really enjoyed the exhibits and learned a lot. The furniture was arranged not by date but by technique -- joinery, marquetry, finishes, etc. Not everyone's cup of tea, I know, but I liked it.
Before we left home we decided we would see as much theater in London as we could. The acting and production qualities are the best anywhere and the ticket prices are 1/2 to 1/3 of what they are in New York. Thursday and Friday nights we saw the two parts of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan but the staging of these shows won me over. Who wouldn't like a play where 15-foot evil spirits come out of the ceiling, hover over the audience, and then swoop up one of the characters off the stage. Plus, there was enough fire shooting out of magic wands to make me a little nervous. So what if the story line was a little contrived.
Saturday night we had a complete change of mood. We saw The Jungle, the story of the refugee camp that arose outside Calais in 2015, only to be bulldozed by the French authorities a year and a bit later. We both left the theater feeling like we'd been punched in the stomach.
Finally (for today), what would a trip to London be without stopping at Buckingham Palace? I have to say that, aside from the guards, it looked a lot like many other buildings in London. I actually found the Victoria Memorial right across the street more impressive.
Great pics and wonderful commentary on the sights and sounds of London. I have very fond memories of my visit there and am excited to live vicariously as you travel. Enjoy!!!
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