Postcard from London 8

Day 8

Today is our last day in the city, so it is a rest day, because, even as a tourist, you have to take a rest.

A nice walk to Balham, to check in on our flight (no printer at the Airbnb we are staying at) and get an Obsever.

We walk down a little street, just to see and explore and come up on another little high street. We are feeling tired but I think a bus ride is in order, just to “see”. Lo and behold, the bus that passes on this street goes all the way downtown and passes very near to the British Museum, which, somehow, we have not stuffed into our itinerary. We mainly wanted to see the Turners. They have not only the regular exhibit, but also a special one of his work. Very beautiful, especially the semi abstract ones of storms and the sea. Finding out way back to the room, some nice dinner and then the packing. Please to not let me forget anything!

I do have a photo to post later, but the camera is in my backpack, my back is crying for a bed and i will post it with all the other end of trip souvenirs.

With the flight yet to do, I'm not sure yet, how I feel. Tired? Seen more than I can possibly remember. Our times have changed for things like a “Continental” visit. It used to be that one would sketch, or write about what was seen. Now we photograph everything and hope to remember what “that” view was.

I am hoping to remember all this, with little moments that stand out, for a very long time. Never being sure of health or wealth, I savour the travel I am fortunate enough to do.

Postcard from London 7

Day 7

Covent Garden today. 

We are setting our goals a little smaller as we get tired.

Subway ride drops us very near the market building and we walk down a little somewhat car-less mall.

To say that London is congested with car is a laughable understatement. It's plain old crazy.

We were very early after the opening, so we could walk about and see the vendors finish their setting up.

Noisy buskers were ramping up their routines, gathering the curious with their theatrical voices, hailing the crowds like moths to the flame. 

                                                        Young musicians all over the place

A place where everything and anything is available. An enormous Lego sleigh, Santa and Reindeer!

Slowly, as we walked around the aisles got more crowded. 

To the point where we were feeling squished. “let's get out of here for a coffee and a sit down.” 

We head for the main street and the tide of the crowd is against us.

We are suddenly crowd fatigued.

"Let's go to Kew Gardens", since the weather is so beautiful anyway, we might not be lucky tomorrow for the sun.

This is a fairly long subway/overground ride. Kew is well on the way to Heathrow, and, as it turns out, right under the landing path for it, on a clear windless day.

A charming Victorian and earlier village with lovely little shops and cafes. A very short walk to the park itself and we are in! I will never get over the sight of beautiful ancient trees, green alleys fringed with shrubberies and gigantic airliners looking for all the world like they are going to land next door.

Well, pictures are worth a thousand words, so, here are the pictures.

Of Palaces, greenhouses, cottages and peacocks. The day was filled with trees, the views, surprises, sunshine and wonder.

Waiting for the train to take us home, looking around one last time at all this Olde Tyme Charme.

Day 5

Already!

Today, we are feeling a little weary, so a later start. Still an ambitious program though.

We went up to Hampstead. There is a park there that was originally the home of the Earl of so and so. He gave his house to the National trust many years ago. It has been lovingly maintained. There is an extraordinary painting collection there. It's the scale of things that always impresses me. Sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller than I would imagine, always very well done.

To me, the wanderings in villages, the quick little conversations with strangers or shopkeepers are all very satisfying. The tiny scale of some of the houses gives them a toy feeling, and yet, people lived whole real lives in them, raising families and working.

We walked up to this Mansion called Kenwood, long sweeping driveway, pigeons, squirrels and lots of magpies. A lovely view down to a small lake surrounded by a forest. The grounds are all public now, with people walking dogs and riding horses. So near to the city yet so far.

The collection of paintings is amazing. A great deal of portraiture and then lots of their beloved animals. Unfortunately, the lighting in the rooms was at a preservation level of low and no flash was allowed. I will just have to keep all this in my minds eye.

A bus ride away from there brought us back down from the world of Jane Austen to a subway station in a high street of a village in the middle of massive construction. This is a general sight around London and to me, the sight of construction cranes is just part of the landscape.

I went on to the Victoria and Albert at this point, taking pictures of the Natural History Museum (other than photographing it's magnificent exterior) and going straight to the V&A.

My intent was to visit the costume section, but I did fit in a bit of other stuff too. 

Here is a selection.

 A light lunch (now around 3 in the afternoon) and back at the job of being a tourist.

I worked my way down toward the British Museum, but got fairly lost. 

A stop at a lovely cafe, with pain au chocolat as comforter helped me get my bearings back. Turned out I was, at this point, quite far from my destination, so I gave up and headed for home.

Day 6

Today I am determined to get up early and get going earlier. We have not gotten out of the house before 9:30 -10 since we arrived.

Our list today is the V&A again. The through Hyde Park and environs to work our way up to the Wellcome Institute, a science and medical place, not quite a museum. They were having a show on Sexology, a bit disappointing, but then I have no idea what I was expecting.

We worked our way over to Harrods after that and really enjoyed a gigantic sundae, expensive reatil eyeing of things and then... and then...the Food Hall. Wow! That is probably the most wonderful food emporium I have ever seen. Legendary is putting it mildly.

 The biggest sundae ever!

The afternoon was drawing on and we were getting footsore, so we headed for the Friday subway. Yoiks!

Craziness with all the escapees heading for the railways, excited kids out of school for the weekend and tired shoppers and tourists heading home.

I think that that is enough for our today.