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Well - exhaustion and aching feet are the result of week one - overwhelmed with history and exquisite "stuff" - jewels, calligraphy, clothing, buildings, paintings, shows, monuments, people watching etc.... Thanks to everyone who emailed or blogged on to say hi and give me their precious support - really appreciated it.
Homestay is disappointing - the word 'tolerate' seems to fit here - they of me - I think they are so use to students (read young and thoughtless) that they overlook the fact I'm 52 yrs old - the add said that there was a loungeroom with terrace attached - true but I am not invited to use it - in fact I haven't been 'allowed' past the front door entry which immediately enters the kitchen - no cooking allowed as the students wrecked the stovetop (which they replaced) - breakfast was offered - cornflakes, that's it, oh and tea/coffee, no juice, only crappy bread so I said I'd get my own - she immediately removed their bread from the frig - so I've bought my own supplies and I have been restricted to kitchen, bathroom on route to my small 2m x 5m room for everything - they
St Pauls Cathedral
The illegal picture taken INSIDE!do not engage in conversation and when I enquired where the post office was they said "don't know" - got the message but am longing for interaction/company. Wary of doing this again.
You may not want to read the rest - it's really a record for me, but it will keep you up to date on what I've been up to, so here goes ....
Friday - walk to Regent Street to Visit London to collect London Pass (LP) - ordered and paid for in Aus - waste really because to really make the most of it I have to RUN between events and I can spend heaps of time in front of one painting! Travel card was likewise an unnecessary purchase as everything is within walking distance and the out of town spots were only £2 on the bus! Oh well, I live and learn. Walk to Leicester Sq for tickets to 'Spamalot' that arvo 5pm £30. Walk to Trafalgar Sq for photo opportunity! then into the National Gallery - so many amazing paintings (will have to go back). Went to a wedding at St Martins-in-the-Fields (scottish blokes in kilts - yum!) choir singing and carillion bells
going. Spamalot - what a hoot. Back to St Martins for a chamber orchestra Motzart concert - I was so tired I laid down on the pew and went to heaven. Fell asleep about 10.30pm!
Saturday - walked and walked - down Oxford Street along with thousands of others! Got back rub in Kingly Sq on Carnaby St (because it was 1/2 price on my London Pass) walked and walked to Earlham St for interview with Smart Teachers ready for mid-November start then walked to Neals Yard Remedies where I jagged a back adjustment (osteopath - literally 100m away from homestay) - great, slept well ie: dead.
Sunday - walked down to St Pauls Cathedral for Matins - choir singing beautifully and was obverwhelmed with the beauty of Wren's design - and amazed at the bigotry of the powers that be who stopped the restoration of the interior which was astounding mosaics, when it was 7/8 done!!??? Got some illegal inside photos, albeit not very good ones, but felt good about it - the wardmen and women were VERY officious with everybody about what you could/could not do,so much so that an elderly woman next to me had
Morris Dancers
They danced into and out of the Cathedral! a shot at one of them and everybody agreed with her. Had to stop myself giggling because good ole Monty Python kept playing in my head as the service went on - "Oh mighty God, you are so good" etc.... Walked over the Millenium Bridge to Southbank and got caught up in the Walk for Life growd to raise funds for HIV AIDS, stopped off at Southwalk Cathedral - another amazing place and was amused when the troupe of Morris Dancers entered while a service was in full swing - ooops!- they danced out again and we continued to the park next to Tower Bridge where a concert was in full swing - had a ball! Walked the Bridge and did the tour of it (LP), walked up to The Monument (LP) - closed for repair! Walked back to Covent Garden where I listened to and then sang with a fabulous bloke from Brasil (Alonso) then walked back to Trafalgar Sq where BP sponsored a fabulous maxi screening of The Royal Ballet dancing Romeo and Juliet - what a blast. Fell into bed 11pm - dead.
Monday - travel card kicked in so got bus to Waterloo Stn and
Windsor Castle
On the way in. train to Windsor Castle and spent the entire day there - what an amazing place - didn't get to see Queen Mary's Doll House so will have to go back! Another day of being thoroughly overwhelmed with the sheer number of beautiful objects - I especially liked the dog collar that was made from gold lettering which read "This dog belongs to King George V" - who let the dog out??? - and had another giggle when I found the 'Key to Windsor Castle' gold and diamond encrusted - notes of Alan Sherman singing "the Key to the Palace is under the mat" in my head. The gardens were sensational and St George's Chapel where an entire wall was made of stained glass and the choiresters stalls were the most ornately carved. Liz was in too. As I was walking back to the homestay I passed the London School of Reflexology (literally 50m from 'home') so got a session of bliss on my feet £15 30mins - I'll be back!
Tuesday - Walked down to Westminster Hall and Big Ben(LP), went through Westminster Abbey (LP) and again was overawed at the beauty of the building. Walked up to the
Windsor Castle
St George Chappel - what a window wall! Horse Guards where they were rehearsing some pagent in full regalia. Walked onto The banqueting House and laid on the floor to take in the Rubens ceiling paintings (feet loved it) and staggered home.
Wednesday - bus to Tower of London (LP) and had the most entertaining tour - Beefeater was a hoot and made it hilarious - staggered at the beauty of the Crown Jewels and learnt trivia like the origin of word 'wardrobe'. Visited Tower Hill war memorial - such a waste of humanity listed there - bussed it back to Sommerset House and marveled at it and the Courtauld Gallery exhibition - medieaval paintings do it for me due to the amazng amount of DETAIL in the works.
Thursday - bus to Kensington Palace (what a gate!) - (LP) tour and Diana's dresses on display - coffee in the Orangery, chat with the gardeners, walk through Hyde Park (just lovely) to Albert Memorial (very glitzy) walk to Albert Hall (LP) tour (fab), bus to Aspley House - no one needs THAT MUCH crockery/china/gold n silver salvers etc.... walk to Wellington Arch (LP) lunch on top (sandwich and thermos of tea) walk through Constitution Park to
Tower of London
My Beefeater guide - so funny! Buckingham Palace then to The Queen's Gallery for the "Amazing Rare Things" - exquisite art of natural history in paintings and Michelangelo sketches and "Treasures From The Royal Collection" exhibitions - had to keep shutting my mouth - just mind boggling stuff of beauty and overthetop detail in jewelry, nick nacks and paintings, lacquerware cabinets, armoury and sculpture. walk down to Victoria Stn and bus to Lincoln Fields where I finished the thermos of tea, then to the Peacock Theatre for the Havana Rakatan Cuban dancers and live band performance and had to forgo the cuban dance classes - too bloody tired.
Friday - train to Hampton Court Palace and spent the entire day there - another totally overwhelming place - paintings, pottery/ceramics, Flemish tapestries (10m x 8m most of them silk with gold and silver thread) gardens en masse built to rival Louis XVI Palace at Versaille (sp?) Tudor kitchen tour (thank God for the 21st century), another fantastic Chapel Royal - guides dressed in period costume and acting the part exceedingly well.
Saturday - tube to Little Venice and a trip with Jason's Canal Boat (LP, 45mins) to CamdenLock markets - a flea market junky's paradise
- there's EVERYTHING there and it was totally absorbing.
Sunday - bus to Brick Lane markets - what a difference to yesterday - very dirty and chaotically mixed up and squashy - horrible in fact. Tube back to The Embankment for a lovely rest (that thermos again) then on to Trafalgar Sq where the Korean Summer Festival was in full swing - but couldn't follow the performances in Korean!!! Walked back to the Street Theatre in Covent Garden - very entertaining.
Monday - spent the whole day at the Victoria and Albert museum and only saw the Jewellry Exhibition (London is hosting as jewellry festival and there are SO many venues to see - this is just one of them and as usual it was fantastic) and the Tapestry section (12m x 4m Flemish from the 1440s in silk and/or wool, some with embroidery as well) - both of which were a knockout. My feet ache.
Tried to up/download pictures but the technology defeats me and the 'attendant' is too busy to help - will see what I can do in future.
If you've read this far, then like me you are exhausted! I'll be happy
to rest and take it gently next week - thank heaven the bloody LP is over - trying to maximise it was sheer hell!!!
Take care everyone and thanks for going on the journey with me, stay in touch please,
Lots of Love to you all,
Debbie xxx
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jimguru
Jim R
Where are the pix??
We have a saying in my bike club: "No pics? - then it didn't happen!" Conquer the technology, Deb, don't let it conquer you. And a little tip - its better to resize the pics to something like 800x600 BEFORE you upload them - works quicker in internet cafes