Loving London

Judy. When we left England last spring, we decided that since we’d not visited London (other than a day or two on our way home) in 40 years, we should go. Ted bought me a ticket to see HAMILTON, and we made arrangements to have lunch with Roisin and Tim from Bristol, whom we met last spring (you remember them!), but that was as far as we went. We were too busy trying to get plans settled for Morocco, Croatia, and Las Palmas.

Then, a couple of months ago, Mikaela, our Swedish friend we met up with in New Zealand (and whose parents invited us to Nice), announced she’d fly down from Stockholm to see us and her favorite city. She asked what we planned to do while there. Three days before we left, we sat down and explored the internet.

And were completely overwhelmed. After about 45 minutes, we shook our heads and decided to take it as it comes. So glad we did!

We were delayed on the tarmac for about four hours due to an air-conditioning issue, so our flight didn’t leave until two in the morning. We did get some sleep, but the jet lag hit us hard once we arrived. We learned a couple of trips ago to get an airport hotel (we swear by the quiet $80 rooms at Premier Inn at both Gatwick and Heathrow), so we ate dinner and headed to bed.

We caught the Heathrow Express into London the next morning and taxied to our Southwark hotel, then contacted Mikaela, who had arrived a couple of days before. We had a great reunion at the Tate Modern, then headed out for a walk along the Thames with Mikaela as our guide.

Always great to meet up with Mikaela!

Nighttime London

Guide us she did! We walked by the river, and crossed over to Belgravia where we found a quiet sidewalk café for lunch. Wandering up to Hyde Park, we followed the Serpentine to Kensington Palace Gardens for coffee and took an Uber back to Southwark to have sunset drinks at the top of The Shard, presently the tallest building in the city. Following a surprisingly good snack at a Mexican Restaurant, we stumbled back to the hotel about ten. According to my walking app, we walked twelve miles. Twelve. And my feet knew it!

Yep, the men's loo at the Shard

The next morning we met on the Millennium Bridge and begged for an easier day on our tootsies. Within minutes we were on a double-decker bus headed for a ride around the city. It was great sitting up top watching the busy city go by! We transferred to another bus, ending at Notting Hill, and wandering Portobello Road booths.

 

Gotta love Portobello Road!

Servs friends: Roisin, Tim, us, & Mikaela

Roisin and Tim met us by the Underground, and after we introduced these Servas friends to each other, the five of us headed to a little restaurant Roisin had located called The Shed. It’s a tiny place, and the menu consists of small plates of food mostly grown on their own farm. Even the wine was from their farm. It was all delicious and inexpensive, and a wonderful way to spend the afternoon!

Mikaela headed to the airport to return to Sweden, Roisin and Tim headed to the National Gallery, and Ted and I headed to the hotel for a rest up before I went to the theatre.

And, yes, HAMILTON was glorious. I love seeing shows in the intimate theatres of London and New York!

Saturday we decided to take in a museum, and settled on the British Museum. I believe we must have walked twelve miles in the building alone! There’s something to grab your attention in every room. When we stopped for a coffee in the café, I couldn’t help but notice the quintessential British couple at the table next to us. They were adorable, and I had to sneak a photo,

Lousy photo of the Rosetta Stone

Lovely British couple

At 5:30, we met Georgy, whom I met twenty-three years ago when I did a teacher exchange with Friendship Force to Moscow. That led to a student exchange. Galina, my hostess, brought twelve students to Georgia, including Georgy, and later I took twelve students to Moscow. It was not only eye-opening for Galina and me, but for those twenty-four students as well. Now Georgy is a costumer for a college in London! He told me something that moved me deeply:  Had he never come on that exchange and seen what was possible outside Russia, he would never have left to study and work in Great Britain. We have no idea of the result of our actions, good and bad. Had Galina not pushed me to do the student exchange, which I thought my kids wouldn’t buy into, this never would have happened. I have no idea where Galina is today, but I thank her from the bottom of my heart.

Georgy, who’s developed a British accent, took us to the Princess Louise Pub for a drink. It was packed and we wound up sharing a table with three siblings from all over the world who meet in London every year. They were fascinating, and it turns out Rory is also a costume designer in London.

Siblings Kate, Rory, &Torvin

A light dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant was just right, then Georgy took us to a crazy underground bar that he says used to be a public toilet! It was tiny and dark and filled with mirrors. A drag queen was to perform, but she only served as a dj, so we ultimately hugged Georgy and said good night.

Sunday morning we headed to a tour of the Globe, located just a couple of blocks from the hotel. The show was sold out, but we decided to do the tour. Well, what do you know? In walked Paul and Dona, from the Springer Opera House! I knew they were in town, and we’d communicated, but just couldn’t find time to meet, but there we were for the same tour! For theatre folks and an arts supporter, it was a beautiful experience. We just continue to learn.

At the Globe with friend Paul

Roisin had told us about Crossbones Cemetery, which centuries ago was a cemetery for paupers, including 15,000 prostitutes.  Southwark was for a long time, certainly in Shakespeare’s day, a very nasty part of town. (It’s why theatres were allowed there, outside the city limits). When a parking lot was scheduled to be put in at the cemetery, a group petitioned to stop it and put in a garden in memory of the people buried there. At the gates are hundreds of ribbons with the names of some of those buried and the year they died. It’s quite moving. A block away we visited

Crossbones Cemetery

one of many gardens developed in the area. In this one were several sweet houses that are part of social housing and have been for a century or more. All this is in an area of London where property could be sold for millions!

At Mikaela’s suggestion, we took the train to the British Library. Who knew? There on display are original copies of hundreds of works, literary and musical. Scribbling and ideas in Beethoven’s own hand for the sixth symphony, Bach compositions, John Lennon’s poetry, early Bibles, the First Folio of Shakespeare, The Magna Carta—the list goes on and on, and is overwhelming. Like Mikaela, our friend and London guide, I highly recommend it.

 

Welcome sign at British Museum

We headed back to the hotel, stopping at the White Hart, a pub across the street that’s been around since the 18^th century. Lunch was delicious! So much for “bad English food”!

 

We picked up our luggage from the hotel and headed back out to Heathrow for a last night at the hotel there. It makes for easier morning flights.

For two folks who were overwhelmed at what we could do while in London, we did pretty darned well, but the best part was being with these friends—old and new—who make our lives fuller and places we visit more exciting. We’re already planning a return trip. I just hope we meet more friends there.