London: Quick and Dirty Part I.

I am aware, as I’m sure you are, that I’ve sort of stopped writing on this blog over the summer. This has occurred for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to, apathy mixed with a sort of busyness that one finds only in bees. Oh, and again, raging apathy.

But here I am, back, and attempting to make up for my absence by giving a quick and dirty run down of our long weekend in London, spent the first week of June. After arriving, once again, far too early for the train, we enjoyed our 2.5 hour journey to London sharing a train table with an adorable young girl and her grandparents. I didn’t even mind the occasional kick from her tiny legs under the table. She seemed to be fascinated with Kevin, a fascination I’ve pick up on in many children which I continually attribute to his beard.

We have become quite familiar with the London train and tube stations this past year and easily found our way from St. Pancras to Victoria, where we found our basic little hotel and were informed our room was at the very top of a seven storey walk up. Delightful, as it was exceptionally hot that particular day, almost 80 whole degrees! We did, however, enjoy a slight view of Westminster from our window, which thus appeased us.

Setting off on our first adventure, we decided to walk as walking really is the best way to get to know a new city. Getting lost is even better, and after a quick visit to Buckingham Palace we did indeed get lost, turn around, and find our way once more through parks, down busy shopping streets, a quick stop at the Royal Academy of Art and we came to Fortnum and Mason.

Fortnum and Mason is like the bastion of department stores. It  has been around since 1707, first as a grocery store and is now celebrated due to its longevity and quality of goods. It also felt like a museum on its own right. The building, inside and out, had retained the charm of its founding era, as well as a sense that you had somehow gone back in time and could fulfill all your household needs while putting everything on your account.

After drooling around Fortnum and Mason we enjoyed an Ice Cream in a square whose name escapes me, a walk down the Mall, a peak into Buckingham Palace Gardens, finally emerging near Westminster, taking in views of Big Ben. Actually, Big Ben cannot really be viewed at all, given that  Big Ben is the  bell within the tower, and the tower, overshadowed by its famous bell, remains unnamed. Our tourist light came on (well mine at least) and many photos were taken as we crossed to the opposite side of the Thames. The river walk is quite nice, and lead us to Lambeth Palace, the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. A wedding in its gardens prohibited us from exploring further and started the tradition of weddings in historic places undermining our travel plans.

Back across the river we enjoyed a small park in the shadow of the Victoria Tower, aptly named the Victoria Tower Gardens. While local boys played a game of football, we investigated a fountain, which as it turned out was the Buxton Memorial Fountain  celebrating the abolition of slavery in Britain. After our picturesque time in this park, we did what any good tourist to London does and headed straight for Westminster Abbey. Walking around Parliament Square, we are greeted by a political demonstration and find that most of the great statues of famous leaders (read: Sir Winston Churchill), are covered up by hasty messages painted across repurposed cardboard and sheets of material. One  such leader saved from this display was, drum roll please, Abraham Lincoln. Because why not. It seems he and baseball follow me everywhere.

A walk back to Victoria takes us by Westminster Cathedral, not to be confused with the Abbey as it is Catholic, a few hundred years newer, and quite large. Returning to Victoria for a quick rest, we re-emerge on the streets of London in search of a spectacular dinner, an experience unlike that of our local Sheffield fare. We, however, decide on pub food, but gastro pub food, which is one step above boring while remaining one step behind full excitement.

So rounds out our first day in London. Hopefully my apathy will allow me a few more posts on the subject, so stay tuned.

Rain, rain, stay a while?

This week it rained. Last week it rained. It wasn’t the moisturized air, with its spray-mist-like rain, but proper, hard, torrential downpours. And it was surprisingly welcome. While temperatures may not have reached the record-breaking summer of 2006 here in Britain, it has still been plenty hot for these northern locals. Local morning show rhetoric, (and by the way, British morning talk shows are possibly the worst form of television entertainment ever invented), has been filled with complaints about the apparent heat wave hitting the UK this summer. Restless nights, children and elderly alike struggling with heat stroke, and of course the dogs, the beloved pet of every Briton just can’t stand the heat.

And what of these soaring temperatures? Since summer set in (I’m told his occurred around June) the hottest day I can recall was an entire 78 degrees Fahrenheit.  And what of the humidity? Yesterday when the temperature reached 70 degrees Fahrenheit, a local girl commented to me how she could just not stand the muggy humidity. Why was it slightly muggy? Because it was raining!

But I really can’t judge because since living on this rock my own perception of hot and cold has become dangerously skewed. Not only do I not remember what an actual hot day feels like, but if temperatures soar above 70 I simply must take the bus and not expose myself to such heat. On the other end of the spectrum I do not forget to notice days when I need an extra sweater, rain coat, and light mittens to run to the store…in July. The other day we were both commenting to each other that the day was perfect, the air fine, and had everything one would need to make a wonderfully fair November afternoon. But it was July.

For a girl who more than enjoys her fair share of outdoor time each summer, this year has not been easy. But I have come to appreciate a good, hard rain and hey, maybe I’ll appreciate a stateside sunny day more so than before. That is if the hot sun does not melt me first.