Saturday's weather was a drizzly and glum which quite fit the mood I was in that day. Aimee and Megan were both leaving me (Aimee for Manchester and Megan back to Atlanta) and it was hard since at this point I had seen Barcelona and London with them. And experiencing a city you've never been to (Barcelona), with others who have never been there is sometimes the very best way to do it. Unfortunately, them leaving now meant I couldn't say "stag do" whenever I wanted and it make sense to someone, but if you read my Barcelona section it'll make sense. Saturday was also frustrating as it was the day REGIONS MASTERCARD shut off my credit card without telling me over a disputed $8.86. Yep, that total is correct. Eight dollars and eighty six cents. So, while I should have been giving Megan a proper goodbye as she headed to Heathrow I was crying on the phone with a credit card lady who didn't care and making multiple phone calls to the States so someone, anyone could help me. By the time all this was said and done I'd paid more money in phone calls then the stupid $8.86. About the time all this was straightened out I walked Aimee out to the bus that was taking her to Euston Station. I was kind of emotional about it. It seemed like I was sending my kid away or something. I always romanticize things in my head a bit and something about being left alone in the huge city of London (and home of the my favorite lady, Mary Poppins) on such a gloomy day had me feeling very adult and very sad. I walked down to the McDonalds on the corner to get a fountain drink and realized for the first time since arriving, at that moment I might not have looked like a tourist. The city wasn't fun for those few hours I was alone. It's was a just a big, beautiful place full of big red buses and two trips full of memories.
Luckily, and to end the doom and gloom of this post Ashlyn and Peggy came to pick me up from the hotel around 2:00. Peggy is a phenomenal American lady (New Yorker to be exact) who married the famous Brit Ted and moved to London. She has been a life saver for us. An absolute life saver. She helped arrange our London housing and has just added a sense of normalcy to this trip as well as the feeling that someone out there is looking out for us. Peggy drove us all through Central London to get to our new home of Brockley (a neighborhood in London). The first time you ride in a car driving on the side of the road you have been taught to believe is "wrong" is quite the experience. Peggy is a great driver though, so I knew I was in safe hands. It's just so hard to make yourself not want to shut your eyes. When we arrived in Brockley I was finally able to see the life of a Londoner from eyes not overwhelmed by a stunning metropolis. Brockley is in south London and sits only a surprising five miles from the bustling Charring Cross, but you feel a world away. The streets are lined with big, brick Victorian style homes from the 1900s when Brockley was an up and coming neighboorhood for those with money to burn. But as with many things in London the scars of war have not left little Brockley unscathed. This neighborhood was on the flight path for V-2 bombs during the Blitz in WWII and now every so often you may pass a place where the building is noticeably not Victorian. These are where homes were rebuilt after being bombed. After the war, many of the homes were divided into flats and town homes (as most of them remain today). Brockley is also the home of Goldsmith's College, famous with the artsy group. So this adds a nice little flair to the area. It is here at the guest house where we will be staying for the next 5 weeks that Peggy drops us off with the promise of returning to collect us in time for dinner.
Our guest house is such a nice place and far better than anything we could have found without the help of Peggy. The home is ran by a super nice Malaysian man named Elan, his wife Claire and their two precious daughters and one pup. Ashlyn and I have our own hallway, which means we have our own toilet and after two weeks we will also have our own shower (currently being remodeled). We each have our own bedroom, with sink/mirror, big tv and plenty of space to store clothes. We have use of a refrigerator, the shower is just up the steps and we have breakfast provided for us every morning. It was far more than I could have expected. After unpacking Ashlyn and I relaxed a bit and I began to let the idea sink in that this was my new home away from home. A little spot for me hidden in the big city, just the way I'd hoped. Sweet Elan even hooked me up with a U.K. phone so I wouldn't have to drop 9.99 (in pounds no less) on a phone I could never use again. Just as planned, Peggy picked us up for dinner right as Ashlyn and I were getting hungry and I could not have imagined how much I would have enjoyed this night.
I first have to describe Ted and Peggy's home. It's also located in Brockley on a street than I can not believe people are able to fit their cars down (it's amazing!). The first thing you notice is that there literally seems to be warmth oozing out of her front door. And when you consider that English homes are often brick with no real color, seeing that sunny orange cutting through the misty haze of a London night is the absolute best welcome gift. In addition to a hallway of orange, the rest of the house is dotted with fabulous colors and decorations you just want to reach out and touch (including a glittery toilet seat). Had I not already decided I loved it there, the deal would have been sealed when I walked into a room with French doors, blue walls the color of a Monet painting, whitewashed floors and shelves full of books. And so many of the books were biographies. I just didn't even know what to think other than being overtly pleased. She had a great dinner ready for us, including appetizers and dessert and we were able to spend dinner chatting with Peggy, Ted and Natasha (a delightful lady, formerly of the Ukraine who is studying to be a nurse here). We discussed everything and one of my favorite parts of the night was when Ted showed us a book of words used in the U.K. and not in the States and vice versa. When the night finally came to an end Peggy invited us back for another dinner when the boys from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville arrive. We wouldn't have to wait that long to see her though as she would be giving us our orientation to rotation on Monday.
Sunday:
Ashlyn and I decided to start our morning off right, by sleeping in. It was our last day before the rotation started so we figure we deserved it. Anyways, I normally sleep in on Sunday mornings so this was no different. After we finally got ourselves together and on the move we headed back to Harrods. Even though I had been Ashlyn hadn't and I knew she would be quite amused. We started off by grabbing a map (yes, it needs a map) and ventured to the jewelry section. While perusing the Tiffany room we met (and by met I mean stared at) a young guy picking out an engagement ring. He seemed amused and we gave him our seal of approval, which I'm sure he'd been waiting all day to receive. We then headed to the toys as the "Toy Palace" as it has been deemed by the Harrod's map. It was even able to find a Thomas the Tank character (Hiro) that Jonathan and Kelly had been searching to no avail for in the States, so I felt pretty productive. We also took a look at the pet section, because I thought it might be cute to pick out a little Union Jack patterned dog collar for Ringo. What.was.I.thinking? The collars there were averaging around 200 pounds. So no. Won't be doing that. We also took a look at the Harrod's gift shop, yes the mall has it's own gift shop. Everything there is priced 30 pounds more than it should be and idiots are gathering it up like they can't just order it online if they really need it. Which then brings me to the point that nothing says tourist like buying a souvenir commemorating the department store it was purchased. After doing this we had a quick Pret lunch (as usual) and headed off to be a bit more intellectual at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
The V&A had come with high recommendations from both my Rick Steve's book and Megan. It's a short walk from Harrod's and you get to walk through the fabulous Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea giving you the opportunity to feel like you are on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous for the duration of the stroll. The V&A is another free museum and it's known for its large collection of decretive pieces. We started the visit off by taking a one hour tour of the British section of the museum. It was quite wise to do this or we probably would have had no clue what we were looking at. I was slightly disappointed as I was hyped to see the bed built for seven, only to see it had been moved temporarily to another museum. After finishing this portion we had to walk through the ironworks section which we found overwhelmingly dull and I quite imagine it was placed in route to the jewels as no one would go see it otherwise. The jewels were obviously a crowd favorite as it was the most crowded place in the entire joint. We also saw original plaster molds of some of the most famous statues in the world (think Michaelangelo's David), but as I have had the grand opportunity to see many of these in their home city of Florence I wasn't too taken with the exhibit. I was also excited for the fashion exhibit only to find out that was currently closed as it was being redone. To make me feel better I was told they had recently gained an Alexander McQueen collection. I was disappointed to discover they only had one dress from his final collection. Total. One dress was all the Alexander McQueen they owned. Anyways, even though my exhibits were gone, we saw some amazing things. Including rooms that had been removed from homes to be demolished or changed and so they were made into rooms at the V&A. Crazy. If there is one thing the British people sure are doing right it's this preservation business.
After leaving the V&A and yet another day of information overload we hopped on the Tube and headed towards Westminster. I never get tired of taking a quick peek at Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and The London Eye. We walked along the Thames, up Northumberland Avenue, crossed over Great Scotland Yard and on to Whitehall to eat at one of the many pubs dotting the street that looks north to Tralfagar Square. Why did I just give you the Google Maps version of where I walked? Because I know it by heart. And nothing makes me feel better than knowing a place (even a small section of a place) by heart. We ate at The Silver Cross pub (once again, love pubs).
Again. A good end to a British week.
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