Sunday, March 30, 2008

Third Weekend in London

Saturday it rained – and we were stuck in the flat most of the day waiting for the Skye television to be hooked up.


(We ordered the super duper Skye package, and one of the channels we now get is an English language version of Al-Jazeera.)


When the technician finally left, we ventured out in the rain and hopped a couple of buses to a pub in Hampstead: The Holly Bush. After getting off the bus, we had to climb a hilly street to reach this pub. When we entered, we were struck by the warm and welcoming atmosphere. We were greeted by the bar in the first room; then, as we walked back further, the place opened up into several smaller rooms, each leading into the others, and each with four or five tables and chairs. The lighting was dim, and the walls were either dark wood or deep colours (not colors). The tables were large, chunky, and dark wood, with wooden chairs or benches. The floor was wood as well. Everything looked well worn and comfortable. In each of the rooms, there were clusters of people sitting around, talking, drinking, eating, and laughing. We selected a small table for two, and had our dinner there. It was a very pleasant evening.

Back at the flat we watched a pay-per-view movie on our newly installed Skye television: The Brave One with Jodie Foster. About twenty minutes before the movie ended, the service cut out and the screen got all snowy. We were unable to get the movie back on again – and I went to bed and to sleep. Carl gave up and watched something else. (If anyone has seen that movie, I would appreciate an email describing how it ends.)



Saturday night, we pushed our clocks ahead one hour - so now we are on Summer Time (Daylight Savings Time). There is now a five-hour difference between us and the east coast, and an eight-hour difference from the west coast.


Sunday brought us a return of the sun, so we went exploring London again on buses. The bus right in front of our apartment to us to our first destination: the Sunday arts market along Hyde Park. We walked along six or seven blocks, looking at the oil paintings, water colors, and crafts placed against the wrought iron fencing along the park. We came close, but did not select anything to buy. When we reached the end of the art works, we continued walking along until we eventually found ourselves in Notting Hill – where we walked along the main shopping area. We stopped off at a pub - The Old Swan – and ate a traditional pub dinner. Carl had roast beef with Yorkshire pudding, with vegetables and mash. (That’s what they called mashed potatoes.) I went even further and ordered the calves liver and sausage with mash. It was old fashioned English fare.

After our meal, we took buses across town to Buckingham Palace. Everywhere we looked out the bus windows, we could see the streets filled with people shopping and enjoying the sunny weather. It was as if every person in London decided to go outside today. We walked through the park by the palace and saw swans on the pond. Some people were lining up for ice cream from vendors in the park, some stretched out on the grass, and some posed with their friends for pictures. It was a beautiful day in the park. We walked up to the palace and saw the black furry-hatted guardsmen marching back and forth in front of the palace. Then we walked on further to the tube stop and took a train back to the flat.


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