Looking back on my three+ months in London, I did not see everything I had hoped to see, but I certainly did an amazing amount and I feel very fortunate. It was truly an incredible experience. I read ten books, saw fourteen plays, visited over fifty museums (some more than once) and at least as many restaurants (embarrassing as that is!), went on nine “official” walks and countless unofficial ones, and the list follows. I found it difficult to categorize the various museums and other attractions. I’m not completely satisfied with it but decided to give up. Besides, I have to pack up my laptop now because we leave for the airport at 6AM tomorrow morning.

PLAYS

• Elling
• The Emperor Jones
• The Enchantment
• The Merchant of Venice
• The Country Wife
• Macbeth
• A Disappearing Number
• Rhinoceros
• All About My Mother
• Chicago
• Cloud Nine
• Boeing Boeing
• Billy Elliott
• Bye Bye Reflection

BOOKS

• Shroud for a Nightingale, P.D. James
• Looking for Maya, Atima Srivastava
• Lady Chatterley’s Lover, D.H. Lawrence
• Gabriel’s Gift, Hanif Kureishi
• Oranges are not the only Fruit, Jeannette Winterson
• Middlemarch, George Eliot
• Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
• The Moonstone, Wilkie Collins
• The Radiant Way, Margaret Drabble
• Vanity Fair, William Thackeray

ART-SPECIFIC SITES

• National Gallery (x2)
• Camden Arts Center
• Wallace Collection
• Tate Modern (x4 at least)
• Royal Academy
• Queen’s Gallery
• Tate Britain (x3)
• Victoria Miro Gallery
• National Portrait Gallery (x3)
• Dulwich Picture Gallery
• Courtauld Gallery
• Dali Universe
• Ashmolean Museum, Oxford
• Tate Liverpool
• Musee des Beaux Arts de Lyon

HISTORIC HOUSE MUSEUMS/PALACES

• Sir John Soane’s Museum (x2)
• Leighton House Museum
• Buckingham Palace state rooms (x2)
• Kenwood House
• Windsor Castle
• Kensington Palace
• Handel House Museum
• Dickens House
• Benjamin Franklin House
• Down House, home of Charles Darwin
• Queen’s House, Greenwich
• Apsley House

OTHER MUSEUMS AND HISTORICAL SITES

• British Museum (x6)
• Jewish Museum
• Palace of Westminster/Houses of Parliament
• Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace
• Victoria & Albert (x2)
• Banqueting House
• Clink Prison Museum
• Imperial War Museum
• Natural History Museum
• Exeter College, Oxford
• Christ Church College, Oxford
• Canada House
• Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms
• Wellcome Collection
• Gilbert Collection
• Sorrell Foundation Young Design Centre
• Tower Bridge Exhibition
• Design Museum
• City Hall
• Wigmore Hall (x2)
• Tower of London
• London Eye (x2)
• Shakespeare’s Globe
• Foundling Museum
• Geffrye Museum
• Wellington Arch
• London Transport Museum
• Musee Gallo Romain, Lyon

MISCELLANEOUS:

• Thames River cruise (x3)
• Regent’s Canal boat cruise
• Groucho Club
• Jane Austen Centre
• London Silver Vaults (x2)
• Harrod’s (x2)
• Oxford Street (Primark)
• Magical Mystery Tour, Liverpool
• The Beatles Story, Liverpool
• Princess Diana Memorial Fountain
• Trafalgar Square
• Horse Guards Parade
• Covent Garden
• British Library (x2)

WALKS

• Marylebone walk (Walking London book)
• Westminster and St. James’s walk ( Walking London)
• Chelsea walking tour with Richard
• Kensington Walk (in Walking London book)
• Islington Spur walk (Walking London)
• City Walk (Rick Steves’s book)
• Abbey Road/Soho (Gord)
• Central Parks (Walking London)
• Old Kensington Walk (guided)

PARKS

• St. James’s Park
• Green Park
• Hyde Park
• Kensington Gardens
• Battersea Park
• Hampstead Heath/Parliament Hill
• Regent’s Park/Primrose Hill
• Rooftop Garden

CHURCHES/CATHEDRALS

• St. Paul’s Cathedral (x2)
• Southwark Cathedral
• St. Mary Abbots Church lunch concert (x4)
• St. Alfege Church, Greenwich
• St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church (x2)
• St. Bride’s Church
• Westminster Abbey (x2)
• Temple Church (outside only)
• Cathedrale Notre Dame, Paris
• Basilique de Notre Dame de Fourviere, Lyon

TRIPS

• Avebury and Stonehenge
• Bath
• Oxford
• Liverpool
• Greenwich
• Windsor
• Kew Gardens/Henry Moore
• France (Lyon and Paris)

MARKETS

• Portobello Market (x4)
• Petticoat Lane (x3)
• Spitalfields Market (x3
• Sunday Upmarket (x2)
• Brick Lane (x3)
• Borough Market (x2)

EVENTS

• Regent Street Festival
• Changing of the Guards (x2)
• BBC Proms
• Football game a Fulham Football Club (against the Blackburn Rovers)
• Origins (Somerset House design show and sale)
• Fireworks on the Thames
• Kensington Town Hall Christmas Fair

RESTAURANTS

• Bombay Spice
• Porter’s English Restaurant and Bar
• Cipolla di Hanna
• The Apollo
• Original Tangines*
• Belgo* (x2)
• Patisserie Valerie (several times)
• Ravi Shankar restaurant
• Chinese Experience
• Giraffe (x2)
• Ooze*
• Wagamama* (several times)
• Dino’s
• Milburne
• The Red Lion, Avebury
• Top of the Town
• Papaya Tree
• Al Tanoor
• Geales
• National Gallery
• Café Rouge
• Tate Britain Café
• Greenwich market
• Tequila
• Est Est Est, Liverpool*
• Spice Lounge, Liverpool
• La Crepe Rit, Liverpool
• Ranoush
• Churchill Arms/Churchill Thai Kitchen* (x3)
• Hobgoblin, New Cross
• Budgens
• The Anchor and The Hope*
• Maggie Jones* (x3)
• Borough Market
• Ayoush
• Tamarind
• Romano’s
• Sticky Fingers
• Meza
• Veeraswamy*
• Zaika* (x2)
• Pizza Express
• Balans (x2)
• Sugo Tre (x2)
• Elephant & Castle* (several times)
• Timo*
• The Chauncery*
• Carluccios
• Villandry
• Costa’s Fish Restaurant
• The Orangery at Kensington Palace*
• Verdi’s
• Le Sud (Paul Bocuse), Lyon*
• Le Gourmand de Saint Jean, Lyon*
• La Closerie des Lilas, Paris*
• Angelina’s, Paris*
• La Belle Ronde, Paris

*indicates a particular favorite

Thank you everyone for your support. I really couldn't have done this alone. See you all soon!

Yesterday we basically stayed home. I have accumulated a lot of brochures and flyers on places I had visited, and I had to go through all of it to see what I wanted to keep. Fortunately I was able to recycle most of it. We went to nearby Zaika for lunch. I continued going through our "stuff" and packing what I could. I did a load of laundry but when I went to use the dryer it wouldn't turn on. After reading the instruction booklet and trouble-shooting to no avail, Gord sent off an email to our landlords while I hung the clothes to air dry. Thank goodness this wasn't the night before we were leaving. The problem isn't our clothes so much as our sheets and towels. We have paid for the flat to be cleaned the day we leave and this includes washing the aforesaid items. While we were eating the simple dinner I prepared, the landlords called. They wanted us to call the repair place listed in our instructions. It was now almost eight so it would have to wait until the next day (Friday).

* * *

Today I spent the morning finishing up The Radiant Way while Gord continued to mark papers. Gord and I went downstairs to have one last brunch at the patisserie (eggs this time, no pastries). Then a student stopped by to finish up a project. I packed some more and then we headed over to St. Mary Abbots Church for one final Lunchtime Concert. We heard a pianist tackle Claude Debussy's Images, Deuxieme Serie, followed by Chopin's Ballade in F minor. op 52. She played the Debussy very softly and I found I was quite distracted by the children playing in the nearby schoolyard and the occasional blaring of police sirens. It was better when the violinist and another pianist played Tchaikovsky's Scherzo and Melody, and Fritz Kreisler's Rondo, based on Mozart's Haffner serenade.

I then walked over to return my books to the library. Sadly, I relinquished my card and am a member no more. I stopped at the Boots drug store and at Marks & Spencer where I bought some socks. I suppose I could have waited until I got home to make the purchase.

We then met the students and institute administrators at the London Eye. It was a beautiful clear night (albeit windy and cold), and the views were spectacular. From there we walked to Balans, a restaurant in Soho for a very nice farewell dinner given by the institute. Some of the adults later walked over to a place on Charlotte Street for some more wine. Actually I think our goal was to visit some more, but the place was quite noisy, making it difficult to carry on much of a conversation. We were home fairly early.

Reading: Vanity Fair by William Thackeray

Yesterday I did some shopping and worked on packing, and that was about it.

Today I headed over to the institute where Gord teaches to hear Phyllis give a brown bag presentation on Jane Austen. I most definitely have to reread Austen's works and will work on that when I get back home. I think I'll read them in the order they were written this time. Gord had to meet a couple of students and so I wandered over to a small shopping street nearby to wait for him. There I found an eyeglass store and I left with a new pair of frames! I just need to get the lenses when I get home. (I hope I still like them when I get back.)

Tom and Jill and Jess came over for some wine and nibbles and then the five of us went out to an Italian restaurant down the street. Tom and Gord wanted to take Jess (the RA) out to thank her for all that she had done this semester. We had a nice time. Jess headed back to the residence hall for Wednesday night study break--tonight they were going to make gingerbread houses. The rest of us went to our pub, the Elephant and Castle, for a last drink.

The rest of the week is supposed to be rainy. Good packing weather.

I was at King's Cross Station at 8 AM only to discover that a round trip ticket to York would be 185 pounds. If I waited until 9:30 it would be 75 pounds. My book said it was 9.50 each way so I was not expecting that news. I was told that if I had booked it three weeks in advance it would have been much less. Well, I just couldn't justify that kind of money. So I will go to York on another trip to the UK. A little disappointing, but I got over it. :)

I looked in the WH Smith bookstore at the train station and then walked around Islington for much of the morning, looking in stores, making some small purchases. I talked to this old tailor for quite a while, while looking at the scarves he sold in the shop that he has had for 36 years. We talked about retirement. He doesn't know what he would do if he retired (and I'm sure he was eligible about 15 years ago!)--he works seven days a week. He thinks people are very lazy nowadays and rude to boot. Not like the old days.

I then went to the British Museum to try to get down to their basement rooms but they were closed again. I talked to some guards who said they would be closed until February. A little disappointing, but I got over it. Took some final photos of the Great Court.

I then went to the Portrait Gallery to see the Photographic Portrait Prize 2007 exhibition. This annual exhibition presents sixty photographs by amateurs, professionals, and photojournalists whose works were selected from 7,000 entries in an open competition. It was quite good and definitely worth a visit (and the price was right, too--only one pound).

I stopped at the Gloucester Road Waitrose for some supplements to the dinner I had planned, because I thought Debbie was coming over, but then she had to cancel at the last minute. I don't know how we're going to eat all the food we have accumulated. I wonder if the landlords, who arrive two days after we leave, like oatmeal and rice and tea?

Man, I've done a number on my feet and joints this trip. I wonder if orthotics and glucosamine are in order. . . .

Today Gord and I went to the "Sunday Morning Coffee Concert at Wigmore Hall" where we heard the Arcanto Quartet. They played Puccini's Crisantemi, Beethoven's String Quartet in F minor Op. 95 "Serioso", and Bartok's String Quartet No. 6. And they played beautifully. The Bartok was particularly difficult, but the performance was wonderful (perhaps because they recently released a recording of it?). I was not familiar with this, his last, string quartet, but it was very recognizable as Bartok. And what an interesting ending--so quiet, not your typical, obvious ending. For the after-concert refreshments, we opted for the sherry instead of the coffee or juice. After all it was past noon!

We spent the afternoon quietly at home, Gord marking papers and me back working on the inventory list which I had put aside weeks ago. See? I'm taking my new approach to my last week very seriously. I don't have to see everything. I'll be back someday. Relax, enjoy, reflect.

Then Jo, down from Manchester for a seminar, came over for dinner. We had a very nice visit. I am regretting that I never got up to Manchester. But, I WILL get back someday.

As I sit writing this, I can hear the wind picking up outside. It's actually quite loud. But tomorrow is supposed to be the nicest day this week, cold but partly sunny. Cold, I suppose, is a relative term to those of you in the northeast. You would probably enjoy some weather in the low 40s about now.

My plan for tomorrow is to take an early fast train up to York. It's 195 miles north of London, about the same distance as Saratoga to NYC, but you can get up there in two hours--an easy day trip. And it is still consistent with my plan to relax a little (although Gord isn't quite convinced!). I will have four hours of reading time on the train and another four to six hours exploring this medieval walled city and its Minster. It sounds perfect to me.

This morning, Phyllis, Gord and I took a train to Orpington, then a bus to Down House, the home of Charles Darwin. He and his wife Emma lived in the expansive home for forty years, and they raised their family there, eight of the ten surviving to adulthood. This is where he wrote On the Origin of Species and The Descent of Man, as well as his other books. The rooms have been nicely restored and, with the help of the audio guide narrated by Sir David Attenborough, one got a good sense of who Darwin was, including as a father. (I can't imagine his children running throughout the house and interrupting him while he was trying to write and do research.) The grounds were beautifully maintained and I only wish I could see it again when the flowers are in bloom and when it wasn't so cold. It was a very enjoyable afternoon.

We returned back to London and parted company with Phyllis at Victoria Station. Then Gord and I went out to Hammersmith to meet up with Jen et al. at the Riverside Studios to see a Butoh piece called Bye Bye Reflection by one of Japan's leading physical theatre companies. I'm not sure what to say about it other than it was very powerful and violent. I was unfamiliar with Butoh as a form. This piece was billed as a critical portrait of war, violence and prejudice, inspired by 9/11. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I heard rumours of rock music and strobe lights, none of which happened in the 70-minute piece. In fact, it was quiet for most of the performance and the performers moved very slowly and precisely. Occasionally a performer would emit these powerful cries of anguish from their very depths that were quite disturbing. I went with it, not truly understanding it, but it helped to hear the discussions afterward by Jen, Josh and some other theatre aficionados who were in attendance.

I'm going to be perfectly honest. I had a lovely day, a wonderful meal, drank a little too much wine, and I'd love nothing better than to go to bed right now because it's 12:40AM and I'm tired and I have a full day tomorrow. But there's this darn blog. . . ! So instead I'm going to spend at least an hour cranking out an entry. (Do you sense that I'll be happy to be done with it?!)

Anyway, today I took a train out to West Dulwich and then walked to the Dulwich Picture Gallery, which has been on my list from the beginning. I was excited to see it because The Hyde loaned a Winslow Homer painting for an exhibition here a couple of years ago (I mistakenly thought it was Hassam's Geraniums when I mentioned it in an earlier blog entry), and also because Sir John Soane designed the building, and also because they have some Rubens and Rembrandts and van Dycks and Gainsboroughs and many, many more artists' paintings in their permanent collection. They also had a special exhibition, The Age of Enchantment: Beardsley, Dulac and their Contemporaries 1890-1930 about the Golden Age of illustration. Did you know that Aubrey Beardsley died at the age of 25? Just think of how much more he could have produced had he lived longer. This exhibition had 145 pieces by artists with whom I was familiar as well as new artists, and it was much more interesting than I was expecting. The works were displayed in such a way that you could get up very close to most of them, many of them very detailed pen and ink drawings, or watercolours. In addition to Beardsley, the artists who were represented here included Kay Nielsen, Laurence Housman, Charles Ricketts, Edmund Dulac, Sidney Sime, Harry Clarke, Jessie King, Annie French, Arthur Rackham, Charles Robinson, Willy Pogany, Alastair, Daisy Makeig-Jones, and the twins Charles Maurice Detmold and Edward Julius Detmold.

I met my friend Jen in their nice little cafe where we had a leisurely lunch. Among other things, we talked through my need to complete my list, my fears that I won't have the opportunity to get back here very soon, and Jen convinced me that of course I'll get back and that I should just enjoy my last week here, and do fun things. I suddenly got what she was saying! With the visit to Dulwich, I've basically covered all of the most important items on my list. I'm not going to finish and IT'S OKAY. It was very liberating. Thank you, Jen, for that. I needed someone to point the obvious out to me.

When I went to get my coat to leave, I discovered a little chapel attached to the museum that hadn't been open earlier. It was called Christ's Chapel and I just had to go in and have a look. We then walked to the North Dulwich train station, stopping in some little shops along the way, and parted company. What a nice little village...so different from London and yet so close. Jen also mentioned how nice York is, and I think I may just do a day trip there next week.

Home at 5:30. Phyllis, visiting from Skidmore, came over for wine and cheese and the three of us went to dinner at a wonderful little Italian restaurant, Timo, down 3/4 of a mile on the High Street. I only wish we had discovered it sooner. (I think we might even have closed the place!)

Tomorrow we had planned to go to Hampton Court Palace, but after talking to Jen I decided it could wait. Then at dinner we found out that Phyllis was headed out of town in the morning to visit Darwin's house and decided she needed company. We made plans to meet her at King's Cross station. And so it goes.

It's after 1:30, and I'm off to bed. 'Night all. Sweet dreams.

And wedding congratulations to Thomas and Annie!

Went to the Benjamin Franklin House and booked the next tour. I had about forty minutes to kill so I walked over to St. Martin-in-the- Fields. The outside, of course, is still covered in scaffolding, but the inside is beautifully restored. It was designed by James Gibbs and completed in 1726, but the first church on the site was built in the middle ages over 700 years ago. I had been in the crypt many times, but walked through it again on my way out.

Benjamin Franklin House was restored and opened to the public in January 2006, on the 300th anniversary of Franklin's birth. It was built in 1730, and Franklin lived there between 1757 and 1775. The Benjamin Franklin Historical Experience, as the 45-minute tour is called, combines a live actor with state-of-the-art sound and visual aids, bringing history to life in a unique and enjoyable way. Interspersed throughout the rooms were some of his famous quotes. An introductory piece talked about Franklin as scientist and inventor, but the main focus was his time in London, the Stamp Act, and his role as mediator between Britain and America.

I then walked over to Leicester Square to see about getting some discount tickets for a play tonight, but they were not offering tickets for any shows that I felt compelled to see. (I suppose the really good plays aren't discounted.)

I walked next to Covent Garden and the newly reopened London Transport Museum. They have a beautiful building, some wonderful trains, buses, and carriages on display, and a lot of information in the form of wall text and flat screen televisions and computers, but all in all it was very disappointing. The layout of the museum was very confusing, one did not know which way to move throughout the displays, and many hands-on activities were difficult and sometimes impossible to figure out. It wasn't just me, either. I struggled with a game wherein you try to beat the computer as you both drive an underground train to the next station. I could not figure out how to get it to work. I thought I was driving the train but the screen indicated I hadn't even left the station! A young fellow came by and, thinking he would know how to operate it, I quietly stood back and watched him. He couldn't figure it out either. At another area, an older visitor showed me how to make the controls work, but there were no instructions posted anywhere. You could tell that they had spent a ton of money, so it was doubly sad that the design was so poor. I happened to run into Jill and Tom and they were equally disappointed. There were a lot of displays that were not operational. I think they must be working out some very major kinks, since they've only been open two weeks. But I would not recommend rushing to see it. It's really a shame, because it has the potential to be very good. If they simply improved the trail guide/map it would help immensely. And the museum shop was horrible too!

Dinner at home with Gord.

Two plaques today:

The goods news is that I've managed to visit twenty-one sites from my list of November 8. The bad news is that there are fifty-four places left on that list! (I admit that I added a few since the original list.)

So I'm officially removing the following: National Army Museum, Royal Hospital Chelsea, Oratory Catholic Church, Bethnal Green Museum of Children, Science Museum, Museum in Docklands, Kensal Green Cemetery, Florence Nightingale Museum, HMS Belfast, Museum of Garden History, Bramah Museum of Coffee and Tea, Royal Albert Hall tour, Winston Churchill's Britain at War Experience, Bank of England Museum, Dr. Johnson's House, St. Bartholomew-the-Great, Hunterian Museum, Museum and Library of the Order of St. John, Cartoon Museum, St. Pancras New Church, Theatre Museum, St. Margaret's Church, Westminster Cathedral (as opposed to the Abbey), Highgate Cemetery, Keats House, Vinopolis, Clowns Museum, Old Bailey, Sherlock Holmes Museum, The British Postal Museum & Archive.

That leaves twenty-four, but only nine days in which to do it. Still not looking possible. I'll just have to whittle it down some more. And I suppose I'll have to spend some time packing. . .

It took me an hour to get there by a combination of tube and bus, but I finally made it to the Geffrye Museum in Shoreditch this morning (and it was well worth it). Founded in 1714 by Sir Robert Geffrye, the museum buildings were originally almshouses for about fifty pensioners, each of whom lived in one room. Shoreditch became one of the most densely populated areas of London and in 1912 the pensioners were moved to a new location. The museum then opened in 1914, with a focus on furniture and woodwork. It evolved to its current focus on interiors and gardens of the urban middle classes from 1600 through the 1990s. There are about ten beautifully presented period rooms, taking you through the main living room/parlor/drawing room of a typical middle class family beginning in the early seventeenth century through to the present day. It was very well done. Unfortunately this was not the time of year to see the gardens. But there was a very nice special exhibition, Home and Garden Part 4 (1960-2004), of about 60 paintings of twentieth century urban interiors and gardens. It really was a very lovely museum, with a nice shop and what appeared to be a very nice little restaurant, as well as lots of special activities, talks, and workshops for adults, teenagers, children, and families. And what a bargain! Admission is free and the audio guide is only one pound. They also have a restored almshouse that is open about three times a month.

From there I went to Hyde Park Corner to Apsley House, the home of the first Duke of Wellington (and his successors). The house, designed by Robert Adam in the 1770s with additions by Benjamin Wyatt fifty years later, was pretty amazing, as was Wellington's illustrious military career, but I was most interested in the paintings by Goya, Rubens, Steen, Brueghel, Correggio, Lawrence, de Hooch, Velazquez, Maes, Tenniers, van Dyck, et al. The only unfortunate thing was that there were scores of schoolchildren visiting today and nobody seemed to have told them about good museum manners. The very informative audio guide was difficult to hear over the cacophony of voices. I went in the opposite direction to avoid one group only to come upon another group! But I got through it.

I then went across to the Wellington Arch and took some pictures from the top (not great ones, but that's okay). There were three levels inside, one with a history of the arch, another devoted to an exhibition on the nearby New Zealand War Memorial, and the last was an exhibition on the blue plaques.

I raced home to get ready for tonight's reception. The London-based parents of a freshman at Skidmore hosted a party for the Skidmore students who are studying in London (along with the Skidmore faculty and spouses). They very generously opened up their beautiful home to all of us and it was a lovely catered affair.

So I may steal an idea from a relative-in-law of Belle (who reads and sometimes comments on my blog). This relative lives in London and for Thanksgiving started an ABC list of things to be thankful for in this fair city. This was her list.

• Albacore tuna in cans for 99p at Whole Foods on Ken High Street.
• Borough Market
  
• Camden Passage Antique Markets
• Diana memorial in the summer
• Eaton Square
• and so on and so on.....

I'd love to do my own, if I can find the time. It may have to wait until I get home. Hmmm, something to do on the plane!

I can't believe we leave in 1-1/2 weeks! Not enough time to do everything.

Today I went to the Foundling Museum located in Brunswick Square. Thank goodness for good souls like Thomas Coram, a retired shipbuilder who was horrified by the plight of young children who were being abandoned on the streets of London. He spent almost twenty years in the first half of the eighteenth century raising money to establish a foundling hospital to house babies. It was approved in 1739, and was opened in 1741, with the support of William Hogarth and George Frideric Handel. It was actually the first public art museum in the country because Hogarth encouraged other artists to donate their artwork. And Handel held annual performances of the Messiah in the hospital's chapel to help raise funds.

On display were record books with entries for the children admitted (with new names assigned), the schedule, meals, photographs and very touching mementos that mothers had left with their babies (and which the babies never received). Only babies under the age of one year were admitted and there was only room enough for about one-third of the applicants. You really got the sense of how difficult life was for many people and how desperate they were.

Upstairs was a collection of paintings by Hogarth, Gainsborough, Reynolds, and other lesser known artists. And the top floor was dedicated to Handel. In the basement was a special exhibition on Handel at the Crystal Palace, and the commemorative concerts held there.

Then I had to rush to the British Library to meet Gord who had been working there all day. We went in to see their wonderful collection of "treasures": illuminated manuscripts, bibles (Gutenberg included), Magna Carta, Beatles' songs, letters from Jane Austen to her sister Cassandra, scores by Beethoven, Handel, and Mozart, and so much more. I also had to revisit the very cool Patrick Hughes painting in their basement (by the coat check).

From there we walked and walked, down to Oxford Street and pretty much the length of that street, stopping into three music stores (Gord later found the CD he wanted online) and the Primark--the sweater (that I saw when we stopped in with Carole but I couldn't buy because they were closing) was sold out. It was going to be a gift, but not anymore.

I wondered why my legs were so tired, but realized that I had been walking (or standing) for seven hours straight. How am I going to be able to continue this exercise when I get back? It's going to be a challenge I think.

I don't care if it does block the view of St. Paul's Cathedral from the river, I LIKE the Millenium Bridge. I walked across it to the Louise Bourgeois exhibition (finally!) at the Tate Modern. It was a wonderful exhibition and the audio guide, which included Bourgeois speaking about her work, was especially good. There was also a captivating, 54-minute film of her by Nigel Finch done for the BBC series Arena in 1994. I, of course, sat and watched the whole thing. Bourgeois will be 96 on Christmas Eve. I had two suggestions, which I entered in their comments book. First, the wall text and label text were peeling off in parts, leaving some letters partly or completely missing. It was difficult to decipher some of the words. No excuse, especially from the Tate. The other issue I had was that the film was shown in the foyer outside the exhibition, making it difficult to hear the film above the noise of people talking (bad acoustics in that area didn't help). Anyway, the exhibition was great. I still think Maman (the spider outside) is my favourite, but I also liked her early Personage sculptures done in the 1940s. The cells were also interesting as were her more recent fabric sculptures. What an interesting childhood she had! And she had just a few issues with her father!

I then walked over to Shakespeare's Globe for a tour and a look at their exhibition which was under construction when Gord and I were there in September. The tour was informative, mostly giving a sense of life in the sixteenth century across the Thames from the City of London. We didn't get to go back stage, because there's not really much of one. So I had already been inside the Globe when we went to the Merchant of Venice. It was still interesting and I'm glad I did it. The exhibition was interesting too.

Walked back across the Millenium Bridge. I never tire of seeing London at night. It's just beautiful, especially when it's not raining.

I've started compiling a list of the places I've visited, the books I've read, and the plays I've seen during my time here. It's pretty long already, and I'm only a third of the way done.

Carole and family left this morning. Spent a quiet day until mid-afternoon when we left for the Fulham Football Club to see Fulham play the Blackburn Rovers. (Sorry, Ira, I know you wanted us to go see the Queen's Park Rangers.) We didn't need directions. Once we got to the Putney Bridge station, we followed the crowds along the river. The first half of the game was really bad. Even I could tell that neither team was playing well. There was an injury within the first minute of play and they almost had to bring the player off the field in a stretcher, but they bandaged up his leg and he was able to hobble off with the help of two others after about ten minutes. That was the extent of the excitement for that half, however. It was interesting to listen to the comments from the people around us and to the chants from the crowds in general, though. Thankfully the second half was much more exciting. Fulham got the first goal and the roar from the crowds was deafening. Unfortunately the Blackburn Rovers followed with a goal right away. Two more goals and the game ended in a 2-2 tie. I'm glad I got to see a game, but I don't need to see another one anytime soon.

Two weeks from today we'll be home! We'll miss our London neighborhood when we leave.

Gord thinks I should do a blog when I get home and call it Forever Wild in Wilton. It's interesting that he said that, because I very briefly considered starting one about my job search (I canned the idea, though, thinking that it might be too depressing!). And frankly I'll be happy to lay this baby to rest and get back to reading more. Speaking of. . .

Reading: The Radiant Way, by Margaret Drabble

Election Results: Well, maybe not as many people are reading this blog as I thought! I only received three votes for the plaque election and they were all different. A big thank you to those who voted. I received one for Virginia Woolf, one for Jacob Epstein, and one for Winston Churchill. So I say it's a three-way tie for first place.

When you see all that we accomplished in the past two days, I think you'll understand why I haven't been so prompt with my entries.

Friday
We raced over to Dickens House and learned as much as we could about Charles Dickens in an hour. The four floors were crammed with information. He lived in this house from 1837 - 1839, completing The Pickwick Papers here and most of Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby. I think it's time to reread his novels.

We then took a taxi over to Buckingham Palace to see the Changing of the Guard. The traffic was horrible and it took much longer to get there than we thought. We arrived twenty minutes into the ceremony, but fortunately were able to catch the last twenty minutes.

We had lunch near Victoria Station and then took the subway to Tower Hill where we headed down to the Tower Pier and caught a boat to Westminster Pier (these tickets were included in our sightseeing bus package). I enjoy the commentary by the crew, and especially enjoy their cockney accents. Most of us stayed in the heated lower level, but some went up on the open deck. Brrrr.

We then took the subway to the British Museum where we tried to see the highlights in two hours. Andrew followed the children's audio tour and seemed to really enjoy it. Every time I go there I find new things--this must be my sixth visit this trip. Gord met up with us and we walked through countless rooms until 5:15 or so.

We then walked past Gord's office and over to Southampton Row to an Italian restaurant. From there we went to the Victoria Palace Theatre to see Billy Elliott. What an enjoyable play that was! And you would not believe the talent of the kids! There are five boys who play Billy Elliott on alternate nights, and one of them was born in Albany, New York! Apparently his Newcastle accent is right on; too bad we didn't get to see him. Actually I was talking to someone on staff during the interval and he told me that that Billy Elliott was just sent over to Australia to replace one of the Billy Elliotts there who was out due to a car accident. It really was a good family show, aside from the language. My eight-year-old nephew got an earful of new expressions.

Saturday
Portobello Market day. We got to sleep in a little, but once we got out it was non-stop walking. The market was particularly crowded. We spent a couple of hours there and then some of us took a detour several blocks east to the original Miller Harris store on Needham Road. Not being a perfume person (what an understatement!) I didn't know anything about perfumer Lyn Harris or her products. I have to admit that I was not overcome with the smells in her store--I could even breathe in there!--and some of the scents were actually not bad. But I didn't buy any. Carole bought two! You can purchase her products at Saks in NYC, but that is the only place in the US. We walked back to Portobello Market and then headed to Costa's Fish Restaurant for fish and chips. We then walked across Kensington Gardens (it was not raining but it was cold and windy), and then "tubed" it to Harrod's where we spent another two hours shopping. Took a bus home, stopping at Whole Foods for some wine and cheese. Had a light dinner of hummus, raw veggies, a selection of cheeses, and of course wine.

Friday's plaque of the day: Charles Dickens

What can I say about the past two days?

Well, aside from a nap when they first arrived early yesterday morning, my sister and her family have been going non-stop. I met them at Victoria Station and we had the pleasure of riding the tube during the morning commuter rush--an interesting way to immerse yourself into a culture! It was a beautiful, sunny day and the rest of the week was looking bad, so the decision was made to visit the Tower of London. I hadn't been since 1996, but I'm happy to report that the Yeomen Warders are as entertaining as ever. We took several buses home rather than a subway so that they could see some sights along the way. Dinner in. Bed early.

Today we were out the door as early as possible considering seven people had to shower (and dress in clothes that we were wearing for Thanksgiving dinner). Did part of a hop-on/hop-off bus tour that goes past our house. Got off at the London Eye and had a beautiful view of the city and beyond on this second glorious day (I'm happy that the weather predictions are often so wrong here). Walked across the Westminster Bridge to Westminster Abbey, then walked down Whitehall past the horse guards and Trafalgar Square to St. Martin-in-the-Fields' crypt to do some brass rubbings. Tired yet? We then walked to Covent Garden for some shopping. My youngest nephew Andrew was picked to be in a busker's act--very cute. Then we "cabbed" it over to our (5:30 PM) Thanksgiving dinner at Villandry where we met up with Gord, other faculty, and the students. It wasn't a bad meal (it was a beautiful restaurant, in fact), but it wasn't like home. I heard the pumpkin pie was good, but the pecan pie just wasn't close to the real thing. My sister and family finished early and left to walk down Oxford Street to see the Christmas decorations (the stores are finally open late-- new holiday hours!). Gord and I finally met up with them in Selfridges about 8:30. Walked around for another half hour, then took the subway home to plan tomorrow's activities. It was a very mild, clear night.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Favourite plaque: J. M. Barrie

I got a new "do" today (as in hair). I was putting it off, letting the gray grow in (did I say gray?), but I couldn't take it any longer. So I went to see Brenda who took it all away. And then Sandie who gave me a new hair style. I'm good as new now. But, for some reason, I have this song stuck in my head--"The old gray mare she ain't what she used to be."

My appointment was in the middle of the day, which did not leave time to go to a museum. But I did have time for a walk. After a library stop, I decided to follow Kensington High Street west, beyond the post office and the Waitrose grocery store for about 3/4 of a mile--almost to Hammersmith. I discovered an interesting Persian restaurant. (It's all about food, isn't it?) And right next to that was an Iranian market where I bought some fresh mint leaves (for my mint tea--they're so much fresher than at the grocery store), a mango, a pomegranate, some special dried figs, some lemon flavored almonds and pistachios. I stopped at the post office to mail a postcard to Roz, and then went to the grocery store to stock up on other groceries. My sister and brother-in-law and their three children are arriving at 7 AM, and they're probably getting ready to board their plane as I write this. Well I overdid it on the purchases and thought I was going to kill myself trying to carry it all home, but I made it and my arms got a good workout. And now I can feed everyone. Well actually I need two more items that will have to wait until tomorrow.

Still reading The Moonstone and enjoying it, but somehow I haven't been able to read my usual book a week. I think it has something to do with this blog. . . . may it rest in peace soon.

Don't forget to vote for your favourite plaque (see November 17 entry).

Missing my girls. :(

I stopped in at the Oxfam store on Kensington High Street and purchased a couple of free trade gifts. They are one of my favorite charities and I do like to support them in their work around the world too. (Coincidentally, tonight I received an email appeal to help the cyclone victims in Bangladesh.)

I then took the Circle Line to the Westminster stop and walked across the Westminster Bridge on my way to Dali Universe. Took yet more photos of Big Ben, and also took one of a bagpipe-playing, kilt-wearing gentleman.

At the Dali Universe, I first went in to view an exhibition of works by (Nasser) Azam. This is someone with no art school experience who painted in the early 1980s while quite young (he was born in 1963) and then gave it up for twenty years or so to pursue his career in business. The early works were much more interesting to me than his new stuff, which I found not very exciting.

I would recommend the main Dali Universe to anyone who likes Dali and can overlook the errors on the wall and label text. I'm not sure that I would recommend it to someone not into surrealism. One of the most enjoyable parts was in the beginning, walking down a long corridor with photos of Dali interspersed with some of his quotes. They were great. (I was hoping to find a book of his quotes in the book store but they didn't have one.) One was, "Modesty is not exactly my specialty." There were something like 500 works on display so it took the better part of an afternoon to get through it all. They had one of his lobster telephones, one of his Mae West Lips sofas, the backdrop for that famous scene in the Alfred Hitchcock movie Spellbound, and many other pieces, some more recognizable than others.

I walked back over the bridge and headed home.

The interesting thing about the Circle Line on the London Underground is that when they announce that there are severe delays I've noticed that there is usually a train arriving within a couple of minutes. And when they say that there is "good service" I find that I have to wait an inordinately long time, as today when trying to get home (I waited fifteen minutes or so). Go figure. Well, it beats walking or, even worse, driving.

Former students Jess and Kasha (one is living here as the RA for the current students and the other is visiting) came over for some wine and cheese, and then we all walked over to the Elephant & Castle for some fish and chips (strange combination, I know).

Rainy today, but not as cold as yesterday.