London
On June 23rd, I took a taxi to the airport and boarded an airplane for the first time in my life, eagerly anticipating my arrival in London. I had made a reservation in a small rooming house on Gloucester Street and arrived there at the appointed time with no hiccups during my voyage. I immediately bought a couple of postcards and mailed them to my mother and Kathy. Having arrived at 8:30 in the morning, I decided to check into my B&B as soon as possible and slept for a couple of hours.
By early afternoon, I left for my first walk in London.
Had a small lunch and walked to Sloan Square,
then to Grosvenor and Piccadilly.
Later, I discovered a fascinating neighbourhood (Soho)
and saw things I had never seen before—a mix of high-end
shops and nightclubs, alongside sleazy strip joints and bars.
Later that afternoon, I was a little lost on my way back
to my residence and asked a police officer how to get
to “Glou-cester” Street. The officer smiled and
gave me directions. I hadn’t learned in my
French-Canadian neighbourhood about the ‘schwa’
or neutral vowel that is so prevalent in English.
This would be but the first of many things
I would learn during the next two months.
My introduction to this "trip of a lifetime” was beyond my wildest imagination. I stood in front of Buckingham Palace, Big Ben welcoming me, the Thames flowing by, and Westminster allowing me inside to view one of the parliamentary sessions!! Wow! As I was ambling along, I felt an incredible surge of exhilaration and freedom. For the first time, I realized I was here — Europe! That, of course, assumes that one can consider the British Isles to be in Europe.
My first morning in England, I had breakfast – nothing to boast about. Walked to Russell Square and took a bus to Greenwich Village. On the way, I visited the Royal Museum of Transport and the National Maritime Museum. Then, I visited the Cutty Sark, and took a boat on the Thames back to Westminster pier.
During this trip, I must admit, I was very cold – even for a Canadian. I was chilled to the bone, so went back to my B&B and slept until early evening. Then, I had a light snack and walked the streets of London around Piccadilly until
about 2 AM. Amazingly, I had my first good meal at an Italian restaurant.
Getting up in mid-morning, I immediately
set out for Buckingham Palace to see the
Changing of the Guards at 11 AM.
In the early afternoon, I wandered through the old city, including the Tower of London and St. Paul's Cathedral. Had dinner at an excellent English restaurant, where the food was delicious. – which is not always the case. That evening, I took a night tour of London. I visited the Prospect of Whitby Tavern (considered the oldest riverside pub in London, with a history dating back to the early 1500s) and the George Inn (the last surviving galleried coaching inn in London) on the south bank of the Thames. Eventually, I came back to my abode at 1:00am.
The next day, more walking, and witnessing the worst traffic jam that I had ever experienced. Amazingly, it was only mid-morning on a Sunday!
A visit to Kue Gardens was disappointing; it felt like just another large park. A visit to old Hampton Court, which was built by Henry the Eighth for whichever wife he was trying to endear himself to, was most interesting and worth the effort.
My final visits in London were to Westminster Abbey and Lambeth Palace (the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury), along with a brief stop in the financial district. It had been an exhilarating few days, and I was looking forward to several more visits. Having read about the Battle of Hastings, I am especially anxious to visit the site where Harold lost his eye. Little did I know then that it would take me several decades to finally see that site, which is located in Battle, not Hastings.
