June 14, 2000 - Wednesday
What it doesn't take to find a place to sit down for reflection sometimes. There are a lot of parks in this city, but for some reason I've been going all morning without finding one. Thankfully, I've finally made it to St. Paul's, where I've found a wonderful tree to support my weary body as long as I lay here & write.
It was probably three am before I got to sleep last night & the five hours of shuteye is telling. Was very happy this morning to pull on some fresh clothes, though I only put one spare pair of socks & underwear in this bag. I'm extremely grateful to be in pants because it is cooler today. My throat is a bit sore, but today in shorts would have given me a full-fledged cold. Mo___ couldn't believe me when I called last night and told him it was positively hot in London. Today is probably more typical London weather - overcast & in the mid-sixties. I love it.
Ate breakfast in the lobby this morning with a guy from New York - Ma___ was his name, I think. He is running a start-up online brokerage service with a friend of his & is in town to speak with a corporate investor. He's saying their software is better than the other online trading firms.
After breakfast I cashed some of my traveler's checks at a local exchange & was charged 2 1/2% for doing it. (blah) Then I went to Mme Tussaud's Wax Museum. I got a lot of pictures in there & did enjoy the displays - particularly the 'Hall of Horrors' where they depict events like the French Revolution, old torture chambers, and the victims of Jack the Ripper. Overall, though, it wasn't the kind of touristing I've been so much enjoying about London. I have enjoyed the historical pieces particularly well, but I felt like the wax museum was a waste of a good 11t. I could have bought the guide book and been just as happy. I took a picture of 221 Baker Street since I was there, but I didn't want to go through the same thing as the sax museum, so I skipped the Sherlock Holmes tour.
It's lunchtime & I'm actually a bit hungry. See if I can find a good sandwich & a telephone. Need to call Na___ & see what we can plan for this p.m. Would like to invite Wi___ along, but I know he has lines to learn & I'd feel bad about keeping hi away from them when he needs to start practicing with the others tomorrow. It's so easy to make friends here. Maybe it's just as easy elsewhere, but I've never noticed it to be so.
Lunch - Food - must eat.
<Pictures from mme Tussaud's>
Yay! Food! Pastrami on grain bun with lettuce, mayo & cucumbers (must have cucumbers!). The shrimp sandwich I had yesterday I now realize what they call "Prawns & salad." The English refer to cucumbers & lettuce on a sandwich as 'salad,' which I do find amusing.
The bells of St. Paul are ringing.
Funny thing. Everywhere I look around I see people who look just like (or at least greatly resemble) people I know back home. It's not just fashion or coloring - it's cheekbones and shape.
Funny thing here - they really do put less meat on their sandwiches. More salad, less meat.
Yesterday I saw Da__ Vi___ & An___ Ra____. Today I'm seeing Ch___ Bu___. I don't see much at all of where I get my own features from. I looked more like the French students I saw on the Tube. But maybe that's just my delusions.
John Lennon's nose is everywhere, mind you.
Typically the English tend to walk or run a bit more flat-footed here.
Oh, with lunch I found this marvellous drink from "Twinnings of London." It's a green tea with Lemon. I'd call it a lemonade, but no sugar. More like Lemon water. It's really delicious.
Called Na___. She's going to meet me at the Ty-Melyn at 4:30-5-ish. I really need to get into St. Paul's, but I was just too hungry to go inside first without eating. I'm surprised it hasn't rained since I've been in town. This has been really perfect weather.
Bad news. My bags still haven't come in. The guy said he can overnight them to Helson when they get here - supposedly tomorrow. Ah well - this is simply a way to test my ability to be patient and only worry about things within my 'circle of influence.' Same as St. Francis' prayer.
Na___ is on her way over. We're going out to a pub tonight and I must say I could use a beer.
The bells of St. Paul are ringing.
Funny thing. Everywhere I look around I see people who look just like (or at least greatly resemble) people I know back home. It's not just fashion or coloring - it's cheekbones and shape.
Funny thing here - they really do put less meat on their sandwiches. More salad, less meat.
Yesterday I saw Da__ Vi___ & An___ Ra____. Today I'm seeing Ch___ Bu___. I don't see much at all of where I get my own features from. I looked more like the French students I saw on the Tube. But maybe that's just my delusions.
John Lennon's nose is everywhere, mind you.
Typically the English tend to walk or run a bit more flat-footed here.
Oh, with lunch I found this marvellous drink from "Twinnings of London." It's a green tea with Lemon. I'd call it a lemonade, but no sugar. More like Lemon water. It's really delicious.
Called Na___. She's going to meet me at the Ty-Melyn at 4:30-5-ish. I really need to get into St. Paul's, but I was just too hungry to go inside first without eating. I'm surprised it hasn't rained since I've been in town. This has been really perfect weather.
* * * * *
Bad news. My bags still haven't come in. The guy said he can overnight them to Helson when they get here - supposedly tomorrow. Ah well - this is simply a way to test my ability to be patient and only worry about things within my 'circle of influence.' Same as St. Francis' prayer.
Na___ is on her way over. We're going out to a pub tonight and I must say I could use a beer.
<pictures of St. Paul's Cathedral>
St. Paul's was closed, unfortunately, so where yesterday was a triumph, this was its anti-climax. The lady at the St. Paul's giftstore was very nice, though. I purchased earrings and a necklace with peridot stones & pearls in the shape of crosses. They're set in gold, which I don't usually care for, but in this case it's lovely. I went back over to Westminster Abbey to try to see Boudica, but she's under repair currently. I took more pictures of the abbey, then went over to the aquarium, which was nice. They have more jellyfish polyps on display there than I've ever seen. I met a man who was coloring a pen & ink of Big Ben to be sold on the street later this summer. We ended up talking about poverty in big cities. We talked mostly about D.C., but it was at the front of my mind since I saw a young girl in the subway with her small child - saying over & over in this little voice "small change please. small change please." She's the first person I've seen here begging for money. I've seen the poor & downtrodden, setting on benches or resting in the park - but they become something different when they beg for money. I never realized it before. The poor are beautiful when they are simply being themselves, but they become "frightening helpless monstrous leaches" when they ask for small change in weak voices.
<picture of man on bench in London>
I'm beat. Na____ and I had a lovely dinner - don't recall the name of the place, but I had a salad, roast lamb, a "Norman cider," and creme brule for desert. All was wonderful and not outrageously priced. She and I had interesting discussion about tipping wait staff - how it differs from one country to the next. She was shocked to hear about the low wages of our waiters without tipping, though. That's one New Zealander who will have $ on the table next time she goes to the U.S.
Called up to W____, but I'm sure he's busy with his lines.
Still having problems with this phone service where you pay per minute. Almost more expensive to call locally than it is for long distance to England. Off to Stonehenge tomorrow! I really need to get a rail guide so I'll know the stops & everything.
Called up to W____, but I'm sure he's busy with his lines.
Still having problems with this phone service where you pay per minute. Almost more expensive to call locally than it is for long distance to England. Off to Stonehenge tomorrow! I really need to get a rail guide so I'll know the stops & everything.
No comments:
Post a Comment