London Visit

We traveled to London on Saturday 11 February. The train station was packed and we queued for a good 20 minutes before we got our tickets and luckily (or thanks to our Polish lessons of how to move quickly in a crowded queue) we got seats--there were people standing in all the aisles. Later we discovered it was half-term for schools. The countryside was sunny, frosty, and beautiful but I couldn't take photos as our seats were not by the window.

The train was fast and at Kings Cross we

boarded the tube for Oxford Circus

and then headed for Liberty.

We passed Garfunkels, a favorite

restaurant where Helen and I often

went for a hamburger and coke

when we were homesick back in 1985-86.

We stayed in London at the Penn Club

during the long breaks between terms

when Trevelyan College closed down.

Liberty, a Tudor Revival built in the 1920s, is at the end of Argyll Street (parallel to the famous Carnaby Street) and fronts on Great Marlborough Street-- the man on the left carries the eponymous purple Liberty shopping bag.

Liberty displays the loveliest flower displays to welcome customers at the Argylle Street door.

In the cafe, I had mushroom and lentil soup and Kevin had salmon cakes. Both were delicious!

Liberty is a feast for the eyes, even Kevin enjoyed walking around! The four-story store opens to a big well surrounded by carved wooden railings where carpets and fabric are displayed. Small rooms off the sides display wondrous products for sale. Thousands of small white lights float down from the ceiling.

Masses of gorgeous carpets hang from walls or stand rolled up against the railings.

And beautiful fabrics--racks of the fine cotton called Tana Lawn--in both old and modern designs are displayed. Bolts of heavier fabrics, including the lovely William Morris fabrics produced by Sanderson, are shown in small rooms that surround the big well.

The stair wells use big balls for illumination

The items are costly. I saw a Stella McCartney yellow blazer that I liked--it cost 900 pounds! She recently held a party in London to show her new collection of formal wear. Held in an old Mayfair Church, the dinner included 6 vegetarian courses served on white linen decorated with silver bowls of Lily of the Valley. The Guardian called it the "event of the season," "a circus with supermodels," and "a catwalk that will go down in history"!

Neon Lights and Elephants!

Furniture

Art!

Back on the High Street, we saw protesters wearing Vendetta masks, supposedly an image of Guy Fawkes who tried to overthrow the English government in 1605 (they look like Dreher Blue Devils to me).

We walked over to Hamleys which was packed. How I missed Wyatt and POP

who would love this store, and especially the ernormous beyblade rink on the left. We bought Dr. Who cards for Akihort.

We then headed out to Elephant and Castle

where we had a delicious dinner with Akihort now 8 1/2 years, Sophie, and Jonathan. Afterwards Kevin returned to Cambridge and I slept over sharing a comfy sofa bed with Pius, a big affectionate Ginger cat, everything that Jolie is not.

The next morning I traveled to Angel where I met Helen and Lucy to attend a puppet show of Little Red Riding Hood in a small theatre. Two puppeteers deftly manipulated imaginative wooden puppets. All enjoyed the show!

Jim met us for lunch. Afterwards, Helen toured me around Spitalfields, an operating market in the East End from the 13th century and neighborhood to Huguenots, Irish, Eastern European Jews, Bengladeshi settlers, and Jack the Ripper.

Nearby is Brick Lane, another old fruit and vegetable market, also known for curry houses and Ali Monica's Brick Lane. In spite of the cold, people crammed into every nook and cranny of this part of East End.

We loved Verdes, Jeanette Winterson's elegant restoration of a green grocer. She supports the small shops in this neighborhood, eschewing supermarkets, "There is more to life than living it as quickly and as cheaply as possible." Inside hot drinks and lovely cakes were being served. We will go back sometime when it is not so crowded. Winterson lives over the store.

We found these pretty brass roundels on the pedestrian paths. I did a search on the Internet to find out more and discovered The Spitalfields Roundels by Keith Bowler in which he tells the history of the market with the many roundels found. The Keys and Doorbells was placed in front of a tenement built in the 19th century for the "artisans and laboring poor of London" by the American philanthropist George Peabody. I will have to find the book to learn about the beer mugs. But I did find an interesting blog about this area: http://spitalfieldslife.com

And leaving the market, we liked seeing these carrot tops in the last of the snow.

Helen and I said goodbye and I was soon back in Cambridge in time for a cozy supper with Kevin.