03-06 October 2023
Our 15 days in London have been, as the Brits say, brilliant. But realizing we still had circles on Bonnie’s map to visit, we went into high gear.
National Gallery
Robert wanted to visit the National Gallery. Bonnie was a little reluctant after being overwhelmed by the somewhat confusing layout of paintings on a previous visit. But once inside and fortified with Coke Zero and a vegan dessert, she was enthusiastic. An amazing place. And amazingly, public museums are free!
Shoreditch
Another graffiti viewing opportunity suggested by Bonnie’s brother Richard, who last visited the area with husband Bob plus nephew and niece Brett and Kitty in 2019. We sent Richard a photo of the area near the tube station and he was amazed by the new construction that has taken place in only three years. The graffiti here did not disappoint. Lots of it. Some rough. Some refined. Some familiar to folks in San Francisco. Some government sponsored. All good.
DLR
Although not mentored by Jane Howard, Bonnie seems fascinated by public transit! This included a ride on the DLR—Docklands Light Railway—an above-grade, automated (no driver), light metro line that serves the Docklands area, connecting it to the other major financial district in The City. It is 24 miles long and opened in 1987. It was a good ride because we could see many sights along the way. So different from being in the tube underground.
Cutty Sark
Greenwich to Big Ben
Took a stroll through some the elegant buildings in Greenwich, now part of a university, and than took an Uber boat up the Thames, exiting to see Big Ben and Westminster Abby. Very easy to walk on the boat and pay just like on the tube. Although the boat is slow compared to the underground, it provides great views. Highly recommend it.
Big Ben and Westminster Abbey
04 October 2022
British Museum
Another FREE museum. Hear that San Francisco? We exited the tube at Tottenham Court Road and walked a circuitous route to the museum. (Thank you, Google Maps). This museum too has a vast display of all things cultural, many very ancient. Its Great Court (2001) is one of the many projects constructed for the Jubille. Bonnie was most interested in seeing the Rosetta Stone, which was not in its case, and the Elgin Marbles, which impressed her forty years ago. Both are the subjects of repatriation claims. The Elgin Marbles (also known as the Parthenon Marbles) date from the 5th century BCE and are located in a large room the same size of their original layout at The Parthenon. Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin took about half of the existing sculptures to Britain from 1801 to 1812 claiming he had written authority to do so from the Ottoman Empire that ruled Greece at the time. Extensive research has yet to find these documents. It is truly an impressive display. Each section of the frieze has an excellent caption explaining the activities that are shown. The entire series, which wrapped around the top of the Parthenon, depicts a procession of people and animals to The Parthenon—from servants adjusting the cloaks of riders on horseback, to those calming the cattle.
The Elgin Marbles (Parthenon Marbles)
Travellers Club
(This is for Charles D.) Jonny and Silva invited us for dinner at the Travellers Club, and let Robert know a coat and tie were required. (Quick trip to buy a tie at M&S.) Jonny’s father was a member and, after going through the vetting process, Jonny joined a few years ago. The club does not allow phones, so no food pics. (Sorry, Chuck) Somehow, Jonny and Silvia did manage a few photos even after admonishment by the staff. We were too afraid to attempt any.
The Travellers Club is just that. It is a private gentlemen’s club located among other such clubs on Pall Mall, definitely an upscale part of London. Established in 1819, it is one of the most exclusive clubs in London. Sir Charles Barry, who later designed the Houses of Parliament, was the architect.
We found it, as others have, to be—a quintessential English gentlemen’s club. From its beginnings, the club’s focus was to be a place where British travelers could meet to share their experiences with each other as well as with distinguished foreign travelers. Their library is outstanding, comprised of travel books and diaries donated by their members. Its Bassae Frieze (https://.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bassae_Frieze) was discovered by a club member who excavated the work and brought it back to the club. The library’s frieze is a cast of the originals that are now in the British Museum. We snuck in to see it as a wine tasting class was concluding.
For dinner, we started out with venison carpaccio. Robert took Jonny’s direction on the main dish and ordered grouse with haggis (yes haggis). The grouse was in season and very good. All dark meat. A very good bottle of French Burgandy accompanied the meal. The club has an extensive wine cellar much to Jonny’s pleasure. Robert couldn’t help but order English trifle to cap off this British culinary event. Did this effect Robert’s glucose readings? You bet it did! Took a few days to readjust.
05 October 2022
Sir John Soane’s Musem
(This is for you Kirk P. Thanks to Chuck for urging us to see it.) This is an unusual house museum crammed with art, located in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Sir John Soane, an architect, needed an Act of Parliament to circumvent the inheritance law that would automatically bequeath his estate to his son whom he intensely disliked. By his request, the contents of the house are in the same places as they were at the time of his death. The house is a privately held, partially relying of government grants.
There is so much stuff sandwiched into so little space! Every nook and cranny has something to see. It is filled with drawings, paintings, sculpture, and architectural models that surround you while walking through sometimes very tight corridors. Soane owned casts of classical sculpture and paintings by Hogarth, Turner, and Canaletto. We decided not to purchase a guidebook because we wanted to see it as we see Kirk and Adria’s collection in their home. Like Kirk and Adria, there are people positioned in various rooms to answer questions. Although we know the mental state of Kirk and Adria (all good), Robert does wonder about the mental state of Sir John. Hoarder? Might require some research.
More Strolling
06 October 2022
Cheerio!
Our travel day to Barcelona. Robert was able to have one last breakfast at Farm Girl to say goodbye to the staff. Hopefully, they will miss him. Robert finally got a picture of one the straw-hatted girls on the way to school with her mom.
Because it was difficult to find a cab in North Kensington, we rolled our luggage to Notting Hill Gate tube station. From there it was an easy ride to the Paddington tube station, then a five-minute walk to the Paddington Train Station. From there, we took a short train ride to Heathrow. Like when we took the train from Paris to London, there were numerous security check points at the airport, the most extensive we seen so far. Bonnie got thoroughly patted down and Robert had the contents of his back pack inspected. All this took about forty-five minutes after we had checked our luggage. Robert used his Apple Air Tags to confirm that his luggage made it to the plane. Twenty-four hours before the flight, British Airways emailed Robert that to board he had to upload documents of our Covid shots and that they might require a Covid test before departure. Luckily, the documents were enough. Also, although the airline announced that masks were required for the trip, only Bonnie and Robert wore them. The flight attendants did not.
Food and a pint or two
