Prep for England

May 8, 2009

They say that preparing for a trip is as much fun as doing the trip; I'm not so sure! I had done a lot of work finding and booking a place in London for our first night (and at a price that didn't entirely break the bank), only to have Air Canada in their usual manner let me know by email that they had changed our flight. So instead of arriving on Friday night, getting early to bed and being okay on Saturday, we flew overnight Friday, the 8th, and arrived (speaking for myself) irritable and bleary-eyed on Saturday morning.

I had also booked a narrowboat trip in Wales for the time May 15-18, but the people who do the booking are very laid back and didn't get some information to us, necessitating a call across the pond. And then there was the Income Tax which wasn't yet done, and of course the bathrooms had to be cleaned, and various other anxiety-reducing measures invoked before we could actually get onto a plane.

Patrick flew in from Calgary on the 5th, and had a few days with us getting ready as well. It was really nice to see him again, and that time went fast.

And fortunately my cousin Pam was able to drive us to the airport, so we didn't have to worry about parking at all.

We drove off to the airport, got there in lots of time, and got onto the plane for our ride. We actually arrived in England fifteen minutes early. The flight over the last few minutes was quite wonderful, coming in over the southern coast and low hills, with fog in the valleys. And then over the centre of London, right over the Parliament Buildings and the London Eye, before turning west to Heathrow.

Saturday, May 9

After landing, we got our first taste of what was to become a theme here: hordes of people all going in one direction. Our plane-load, along with a few others it seemed, were herded along a narrow corridor to this great cattle-sorting station called Immigration/Customs. Winding our way along the lines, we were able to finally get to the front and through into another too-big room where our bags were supposed to arrive (they all made it). Then through some other dingy places to the exit area, and a meeting with Daniel and his girlfriend Electra (whom we were meeting for the first time). I managed to keep awake and be civil, and we each got fitted out (I think they say "kitted out" in the UK) with an Oyster card, which is the electronic pass for the Underground, and wound our way into Kensington, and finally to the hotel.

(As an aside, Heathrow—a least the terminal at which we arrived-is in need of some repair and a good coat of paint. It has that 1984, late-USSR proletarian look.)

The hotel is an old Victorian house converted to a hotel, managed by German staff, and decorated to their tastes. But clean and comfortable, overall. The room we were assigned was small, but adequate. Certainly adequate for me to get a few hours of sleep before going out again-thus rendering me almost human.

Saturday was the Tower of London, a must-see for any tourist. It was begun by William the Conqueror in 1071, and added on over many centuries. It served to imprison many and torture or execute some of those (most famously Anne Boleyn); but also was the home for some of the monarchs over the centuries. It now serves to hold the Crown Jewels, which we saw in all their exuberant luxury; and has museum-like services as well, showing off armour and the such. We saw some of that, and it was quite interesting.

We had eaten a pub lunch in the heart of London, so were not hungry for supper, or at least we were more hungry for sleep. Went home and slept from about eight to about seven the next morning.

Sunday, May 10

Today was Mother's Day, and we were going to see Romeo and Juliet at the Shakespeare Globe. I had been looking forward to this for many weeks. We got there in enough time to look around a bit, and then settled into our wooden seats (benches actually) and watched a wonderful performance of the play, much as Shakespeare would have presented it. The weather cooperated (thank heavens: the roof is open to the sky), and the pidgeons kept coming and landing on the stage. The sound was mostly good, and not amplified. So I was glad I brought text to follow along. But the humour and the tragedy were well portrayed, and I found it quite moving, at least in part because of the setting.

But all things come to an end, and we went off in search of the London Eye after Dan walked with Electra to her train and then rejoined us. Electra had overcome my reticence towards the Eye-I thinking it was just a big ferris wheel and likely too scary even for me, much less Darlene-and had convinced us that it was something we might consider doing. And she was spot-on. It was wonderful, transported high above the Thames in this pod-like thing (they actually do call them Eyepods!) to get the view you can't get from anywhere else.

And then back to the hotel, found a very nice French restaurant in our neighborhood (www.thelittlefrenchrestaurant.co.uk) before heading back for another fairly early night.

Monday, May 11

Today we had planned to take a formal bus trip around London. You know, those open-topped sight-seeing buses which are in many big cities. And he day was bright, albeit cool and a bit windy. We paid too much for the tickets, but what-the-hell. Got on, and started. We had an unscheduled stop for about 40 minutes so they could change buses, and another diversion due to a Tamil demonstration near Westminster, so it was less than stellar. But we saw Buckingham Place, St.Paul's Cathedral, Canada House, and heard a wonderful operatic singer in Covent Gardens. This, and lots of other sights from the outside. and did some walking as well, all in the sun. I have the sun-burned pate to prove it.

Last night, we saw Dan off to Manchester after a short meal together in our own 'hood. And we went to bed. Seems like we sleep a lot, but I think it is still the time-shifting.

Tuesday, May 12

Today is Tuesday. It was just Pat, Darlene and I. Pat wanted to head off on his own, so Darlene and I went to St.Paul's Cathedral for a more detailed inside look. We paid our money and walked in wonder at the art of the place, truly a magnificent building (particularly since it was built in the 17th Century). We went up to the dome area and tested the Whispering Gallery (it worked), and marvelled at the opulence of a structure built in honour of a person who taught simplicity and charity. But as a structure, and as art, it blows you away.

That and walking about took most of the day. We had lunch in a little bar down a narrow alley near the Cathedral, tried to take a bus back home (only to discover that you can't get here from there), and got back to our hotel to say goodbye to Pat, who is on his way to Manchester tonight.

So what are our impressions of London? Expensive, busy, beautiful, packed with people, lots of restaurants. I like it, and want to come back. You feel like you're in a movie set, and you keep having this impression that you've been here before-when you could not have been.

And tomorrow we see more of it before heading north to Manchester ourselves.