Wandering London

London thoughts—from Julianne

At museum of London.  Serious about archaeology and history here.  Beautiful museum—sleek, well displayed.  Prehistory and Romans hold me—maybe I will get up the energy for middle ages.  Not that interested in Sherlock Holmes despite my love of mystery stories. A great trove of photos has recently been bequeathed from Christina Bloom who took photos of much of early 20c London.  More will be done with her archive later but a small but moving exhibit of military men preparing to go off to WWI.  Lots here but, as usual, more than I can absorb.

The museum was developed around a section of the original Roman wall which you see out a long window or can go into the garden to walk along.  I just love this stuff and love the idea that this large complicated city values pre-history and history enough to create such a good museum.

Getting here was a wander.  Decided to take the 55 across Oxford Street to find Workshop Coffee—the other “coffee place to visit before one dies.”  So much construction that the bus went way off its route. But… Found. Tasted.  In both of the highly regarded places the coffee was sour to me—not my preferred taste.  A generation thing possibly, since Cara and some other younger friends seem to prefer a lighter roast which is a bit more sour than the dark roasts that I prefer.  I can quit visiting the coffee places on the list though.

Once out of the coffee stop, I found St John’s gate.  It is a museum too but I did not remain.  It led into a series of streets which included many priory, abbey and other buildings and streets.  The area is north of the original city wall.  I lunched in the churchyard of St Bartholomew now a parish church but originally an Augustinian abbey.  It was founded in 1123 so I am thinking the area was central in the high middle ages.  Monastic orders were still a major organizing principle of society at the time—really until the 1500’s. What a pleasure to be able to wander and find something intriguing around every corner.

Traveling in London has much to recommend it.  Interesting things everywhere, a given.  Everyone speaks English more or less so it is easy to have a conversation or eavesdrop on others chats.  Hygiene is easy—may not seem like that much of a thing but my travels have been more or less below  third world standards and I am appreciating the British legacy of science including hygiene.  Clean restrooms everywhere!  Several friends recommended using the busses to get around and I must thank them.  Busses are easy, go everywhere, you can see everything.

There is something to be said for fitting in physically too.  Until I open my mouth, I appear local.  Folks are friendly, easy to chat.  When we were at the proms the other day I felt even more at home—way many folks with wild white hair.  It seems to be a thing around here—men with longish white hair which goes where it wants.  Women have the same hair but tamped down a bit.  Somehow the proms attracted even more of them.  We plan to go to the John Ruskin House for a folk music evening on Sunday-will there be even more?  I may have really found my demographic.

Other random thoughts—

On Sunday morning we have the pleasure of a bell concert from the Church of St John the Divine a few blocks away.  Not even a big deal—just an ordinary local church with real bells and people who know how to ring them.  Maybe there is some sort of mechanical program to ring them but we get the pleasure.

BBC—great TV and in English.  We are following some British history shows which fit right in to our tourism.  Also, good newspapers. Not quite as hollowed out as the great papers in the US though no doubt locals would note a difference. And every paper seems to have sudokus—I am in heaven.

I have been pretty successful in my effort to ride every form of public transportation:  bikes, busses, tube, overground, national train.  Our host pointed out the DLR and Emirates cable car and more options—I might miss them.  We were at Greenwich and that is where we would get them—oh well! 

Our house is an ordinary townhouse in south London.  It is a pleasure to stay here and we have pretty much the run of the whole place.  Most other guests are a day or two but we had a couple of Australian guys in the beginning and enjoyed them.  It is a bit cool for breakfast in the garden but we persevere some days.  A few white roses are still peeking out and we clip them for the breakfast nook.  Today an orange rose emerged and is on the breakfast table now.  Somehow this must be the season for them as they are abundant all over London.  Glorious displays in the village near Hampstead Heath.  Anyway, we are much bonded with our house and neighborhood and it begins to feel like we really live here.  Nancy has even found a screwdriver and tightened the soap dish. Gary, our landlord, has a wealth of information about London and British life when we have time to chat in the kitchen.   Our grocery… Our bus routes…  We had a sweet time at the local market, held in the church ground about 8 blocks away.  Many local goodies for our meals this week.  This is what we had in mind when we began to wander.

Personally, I am enjoying the absence of something.  I do not feel exhausted all the time.  What exhilaration.  Quite a few years of constant zipping around time zones took more of a toll than I realized, it seems.  Good health! Yay!

Enough for now.